The Heliophysics Citizen Science Investigations (H-CSI) program supports the growing portfolio of citizen science opportunities through medium-scale citizen science projects. This first H-CSI call enables citizen science during the upcoming Heliophysics Big Year, encouraging proposers to take advantage of the concurrence of multiple solar and heliophysics events.
H-CSI will expand participation of citizen scientists in NASA heliophysics research, bringing unprecedented statistical power and new insights not realistically achievable by other means to the study of a number of natural heliophysics events in the quickly approaching ~September 2023 - December 2024 time interval. This approximately 1year time interval, designated the Heliophysics Big Year, encompasses two solar eclipses across North America in 2023 and 2024 and the arrival of solar cycle maximum. “Big Year” is a term borrowed from birding that denotes a year during which a maximum number of bird sightings was achieved; likewise, the Heliophysics Big Year provides an opportunity to observe multiple solar and geospace phenomena. This call solicits investigations which will develop and implement capabilities to augment and enhance NASA scientific data, knowledge, and capacity through voluntary observations, interpretations, or other direct participation by members of the general public centered on these heliophysics events.
This year the Heliophysics Division is soliciting this program element to strategically promote the use of citizen science, crowdsourcing, and the data they generate in concert with the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory data to dramatically advance Heliophysics. For this program element, citizen science is defined as efforts or projects that use voluntary public participation in the scientific endeavor, including – but not limited to – formulating research questions, conducting experiments, collecting and analyzing data collected by members of the community and/or professional scientists, interpreting results, making new discoveries, and/or developing or deploying technologies and applications. Crowdsourcing, another frequently used term describing voluntary contributions, is included under citizen science in this program element.
H-CSI solicits medium-scale citizen science investigations, which are mature enough to produce science results and achieve proposed project goals within a maximum 3-year period of performance. Those citizen science investigations at an early phase that require seed funding are encouraged to propose to the cross-disciplinary ROSES element F.9 Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) program. Investigations previously funded through CSSFP or a similar program, are welcome to submit proposals to H-CSI, though previous seed funding is not a requirement if scientific readiness can be justified.
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