Sometimes, alongside the everyday flow of questions and bug reports, the Zooniverse team receives an unexpected “love letter.”

A thank you.
A story.
A message from someone, somewhere in the world, telling us what Zooniverse has meant to them.

This February, with permission from the authors, we’re sharing a small selection of those messages. They come from different continents, age groups, and classrooms, but they all point to the same thing: curiosity knows no borders, and science is better when it’s shared.

Daisy Obwaso, who is 18, recently completed a work-experience placement with Zooniverse. She is based in Kenya and plans to study child psychology and biology.

Dear Zooniverse Team,

I hope this message finds you well.

I want to thank you for giving me the chance to finish my work experience with the Zooniverse platform. For me, being able to participate in actual scientific projects and make a significant contribution to research has been an amazing experience. During my job experience, I classified children’s picture books, assisted with spam filter research, and collected information on natural parks on the site. These different tasks helped me to develop my skills in data classification, pattern recognition, and analytical thinking.

I plan to study child psychology and biology, therefore this experience is really important to me. My understanding of developmental and environmental implications has improved as a result of the work on children’s books and natural habitats, and the collaborative nature of the projects has reinforced the importance of community participation in scientific research.

Thank you for offering such a gratifying and informative experience; it has motivated me to continue studying and participating in scientific research, which I will continue to do.

I am really excited to contribute to any future projects that are put up.

With Gratitude,

Daisy Obwaso

Messages like these remind us why citizen science matters. Whether you are nine or ninety, working independently or as part of a programme, every contribution helps move research forward.

If you’d like to get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you at contact@zooniverse.org

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