Participatory Science ProjectChesapeake Bay Parasite Project

Participatory Science Home

Get Involved

* We are not accepting new volunteers at the moment. *

We could not get to nearly as many sites or have as large of a dataset without help from committed volunteers! Without you, it would be very hard for us to study the spread of Loxo throughout the Chesapeake Bay. In our lab we have two big field survey events in June and August, and have lab opportunities from October to May.

Eligibility and Time Commitment

No training is required for either the field surveys or lab opportunities—all training is provided!

Field Surveys:

  • We typically ask volunteers to join us our field survey for about 4 hours in the morning.
  • Volunteers must be at least 14 years old to help out with the field activities.
  • Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a participating adult.

Lab Opportunities:

  • We occasionally have open opportunities to work in the lab processing samples under the microscope.
  • Volunteers must be at least 16 years old.
  • Volunteers must be able to join us for at least two hours one day per week for two months. 

Location and Days/Times

Field Surveys:

  • Field sampling days vary from year to year, depending on when we put out the traps.
  • We do two rounds of big data collection—usually in mid-June, and mid-August.
  • For most field sampling days, volunteers meet the research team at the SERC Dock in Edgewater, MD.
  • A few field sampling days welcome volunteers in other parts of the Bay (for example, in Oxford and Broomes Island, Maryland).

Lab Opportunities:

  • There are opportunities in the lab for volunteers who want to sort through crabs for Loxo presence using microscopes.
  • We typically have openings from October to May (we don't normally take new people in the summer due to our busy field schedule).
  • Volunteers come in at least two hours per week (Monday to Friday only).

Sign up to volunteer

Interested in being a part of the field surveys? Sign up for the Participatory Science eNews, where the sampling dates will be announced.

Want to join us in the Lab? If you are at least 16 years old, please contact Rachael Mady, SERC's Participatory Science Coordinator, at MadyR@si.edu.