Kauai Community Science Center Citizen science — even if you're unfamiliar with the term, you probably have a good guess as to what it means. "Some people call it... people-powered discovery," said Ellen McCallie, a program director with the National Science Foundation. "Citizen science is a way that people, whether you're a trained scientist or not, can contribute to our understanding of the world. It's a way that you can volunteer your time, your energy, your expertise, to provide insight to science." The NSF funds competitive citizen science proposals from across the country. But if you're just looking to dip your toes in, McCallie recommends the website SciStarter. It aggregates both local and global volunteer-based projects.