We are big fans of citizen science! Of course, science is always cool, and STEM/STEAM projects are an increasing part of everyone’s work and school experiences. So understanding how science works is not just fun, but a good way to understand what is going on in the world around us all.
So we are sharing some neat science you can do, contributing toward large projects, and learning new things. Maybe you can use this today; maybe you will save it for later. As long as you enjoy some exploration and learning new things – citizen science is for you! And it is definitely something you can use to bring some good programming to your library.
Check out this project from SciStarter:
| Presented By | Zooniverse |
|---|---|
| Goal | We want to know: why does a steelpan have such a distinct sound? |
| Task | Classify patterns from high speed videos of vibrating drums. |
| Where | Online |
| Description | The distinct sound of the Caribbean steelpan is due largely to the interconnections between notes on the pan. We need help classifying vibration patterns so that we can learn more about how this drum works. |
| How to get started | Participants can take part without registering by going to this page: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/achmorrison/steelpan-vibrations/classify If you want to register on the Zooniverse website to track your classifications you can register on that page. |
| Social Media | Follow Steelpan Vibrations on Twitter Find Steelpan Vibrations on Facebook Follow the Steelpan Vibrations |
| How-To Video | Check out the how-to video |
| Total expense | 0.00 |
| Ideal Age Group | Families, Seniors, Adults, High school (14 – 17 years), College, Graduate students, |
| Spend the time | Indoors |
| Ideal Frequency | Every few days |
| Average Time | |
| Topics | Physics, Sound, |
| Classroom Materials | https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/achmorrison/steelpan-vibrations/about/education |
| Tags | acoustics, caribbean, music, physics, steelpan, tobago, trinidad, vibration, vibrations, |
| Sustainable Development Goals | Relevant Sustainable Development Goals, identified by  ?:Good Health and Well-Being |
| Website | Steelpan Vibrations |
And if you want to bring in a few of these ideas to your library, it is useful to have a variety of different program strategies to help share this project. We have a few suggestions to help you get started:
- Bring in a variety of different kinds of pans and other items that make noise. Test them all by making different noises to see which one is the loudest, highest
- There are all kinds of genres of music out there. Find recordings of two different types of music you have never heard before, and listen to each for a while to get a feeling for them.
- Find a map of the Caribbean. What countries are part of this area?
- Think through some music, and then work out writing it down on paper