Opportunities for you to become a citizen scientist

Here is a limited selection of volunteer opportunities available to non-scientists who want to participate in research.

Beach Watchers -- The Woods Hole Sea Grant program works with local communities to monitor the changing shorelines, tracking seasonal shifts and long-term erosion trends at area beaches. To set up a Beach Watchers program, select a candidate beach, find a small group of energetic people who love to observe it and contact Jim O'Connell at joconnell@whoi.edu or at 508-289-2993. For more information, visit www.whoi.edu/seagrant/education/coastwise/profiling.html.

Bird Lovers -- From Project FeederWatch to eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology sponsors programs for all skill levels and ages. Data collected from thousands of birdlovers across the country has been used by ornithologists to understand how disease and environmental changes shape the bird population. To get involved, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/LabPrograms/citSci/ or call 1-800-843-BIRD.

Stargazers -- Many of astronomy's discoveries, from comets to supernova blasts, have been made by observers using backyard telescopes. The American Association of Variable Star Observers has observing campaigns scheduled throughout the year, and will be holding a free workshop for beginning observers Oct. 15 from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Newton Hotel in Newton. For more information, visit www.aavso.org.

Hitchhikers -- Is that a new crab sidling sideways across your beach? Help researchers track and identify the marine invasive species that have hitchhiked from Europe and Asia, spreading out from ports along the East Coast and crowding out native species. In daylong projects or on your own, scientists are hoping to continue expanding their current group of 750 ''CSI" -- Citizen Science Initiative -- investigators who track invaders up and down the coast. For more information, visit: MassBay.mit.edu/exoticspecies/crabs/

Amateurs Unite -- The Society for Amateur Scientists holds conferences and advocates for its 2,000 members, who study everything from basic biology to physics. The society is also piloting a science scouting program, LABRats. For more information, visit: www.sas.org.

Also, on Nov. 5, more than 100 scientists, including Harvard entomologist E.O. Wilson will celebrate citizen science at a daylong conference held by the nonprofit organization, Earthwatch. At the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. Conference registration is $35. For more information, go to www.earthwatch.org/conference/

CAROLYN Y. JOHNSON