New Citizen Science Proposals Funded in 2025
NASA has made an exciting announcement by selecting ten new citizen science proposals for funding in 2025, showcasing the agency’s ongoing commitment to engaging the public in scientific exploration. This initiative is part of the Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP), which aims to empower scientists and experts to develop innovative citizen science projects. The selected proposals span various fields, including astrophysics, planetary science, and heliophysics, indicating a diverse range of opportunities for public participation in scientific research. Notably, some projects will enhance previous citizen science efforts, while others will introduce new activities for enthusiasts eager to contribute to cutting-edge scientific discoveries.
Among the funded projects is “Cosmic Cataclysms and Citizen Science,” led by PI Thomas Esposito from the SETI Institute, which invites amateur astronomers to observe and report on high-energy cosmic phenomena like gamma-ray bursts and supernovae using their backyard telescopes. Another intriguing project, “Rubin Comet Catchers,” spearheaded by Colin Chandler from the University of Washington, encourages participants to sift through images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to identify new comets. In the realm of planetary science, the project “There are Billions!” led by Petr Pokorny from the Catholic University of America, aims to engage citizen scientists in identifying impact craters across the solar system, utilizing data from NASA missions like MESSENGER and LRO. These examples illustrate how citizen scientists can play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the universe, making science accessible and collaborative.
The CSSFP is a collaborative effort involving four divisions of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate: Astrophysics, Biological and Physical Sciences, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science. The selected projects not only foster public engagement but also aim to expand the scientific community’s use of citizen science methodologies. For instance, the project “DEMO-ML,” led by Vicki Toy-Edens from Johns Hopkins University, seeks to create a machine-learning-ready dataset from observations of the magnetosheath, allowing citizen scientists to contribute to the study of solar wind interactions with Earth’s magnetosphere. As these projects unfold, they promise to deepen our understanding of cosmic phenomena and planetary processes, while simultaneously empowering individuals to take part in groundbreaking scientific endeavors. For more information on NASA’s citizen science initiatives and to explore past awards, visit their official website.
3 min read
New Citizen Science Proposals Funded in 2025
NASA has selected 10 new citizen science proposals for funding in 2025. These selections provide a preview of what’s coming next for NASA citizen science. Note that these investigations are research grants: some of them will result in new opportunities for the public, while others will analyze or build on results from earlier citizen science projects.
Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP)
The
CSSFP
aims to support scientists and other experts to develop citizen science projects and expand the pool of scientists who use citizen science techniques in their science investigations. Four divisions of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate are participating in the CSSFP: the Astrophysics Division, the Biological and Physical Sciences Division, the Heliophysics Division, and the Planetary Science Division. Seven new investigations were recently selected through this program:
Astrophysics Division
Cosmic Cataclysms and Citizen Science: Rapidly Observing High-Energy Phenomena with a Global Telescope Network,
PI: Thomas Esposito, SETI Institute. Follow up gamma-ray bursts (GRB), compact object mergers, supernovae, and cataclysmic variables using your backyard telescope.
Spiral Graph: Cluster Buster – A Participatory Science Project to Improve the Identification of Spiral Arms from All-Sky Survey Galaxy Images,
PI Patrick Treuthardt, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences. Help measure the spiral arms of galaxies to reveal the masses of their central black holes!
Planetary Science Division
Rubin Comet Catchers: Discovering the Comets of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) with Citizen Science,
PI Colin Chandler, University of Washington. Join the hunt for comets by scanning images from
the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
Search for Thunderstorms in Cassini Images of Jupiter and Saturn,
PI Ulyana Dyudina, Space Science Institute, Help refine current estimates of the cooling effect of thunderstorms on Jupiter and Saturn!
There are Billions! A Platform for Impact Crater Vetting Across the Solar System,
PI Petr Pokorny, Catholic University of America, Help spot craters in images from NASA’s MESSENGER, LRO, and Dawn missions!
SPHERExplorer: Identifying Newly Appearing Phenomena in the Near- and Mid-Infrared with Citizen Science,
PI Steven Silverberg, Eureka Scientific, Inc, Identify new sources (e.g. new solar system objects, interstellar objects, supernovae) and identify changes in previously known sources (e.g. newly active asteroids) in images from NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission!
Heliophysics Division
DEMO-ML: DisEntangling Magnetosheath Observations for a Machine-Learning-Ready Dataset,
PI Vicki Toy-Edens, Johns Hopkins University, The magnetosheath is the plasma region that lies between the Sun’s powerful solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere. Help catalog magnetosheath regions with data from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) to explore magnetic reconnection, turbulence, and energy transfer in the magnetosphere!
Explore citizen science awards from previous years:
January 2024
September 2023
August 2022
July 2021
For more information on NASA’s citizen science programs, visit
https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience
.
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Last Updated
Nov 20, 2025
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