The ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) initiative of The North Carolina Arboretum engages youth in grades K–8 in hands-on citizen science programming while leveraging community resources. Participants use a website to submit observations of plants and animals to a database that allows program staff to share critiques and comments of the children's observations as well as post the data to the iNaturalist online network. The session will include an overview of the initiative as well as the roles of collaborating organizations and public gardens.
A Gamification Approach: Utilizing Citizen Science to Increase Interest in STEM

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