Mandy Ye

From October 7 to October 24, 2026, I spent 9.5 hours volunteering on "Cloudspotting on Mars", a NASA citizen-science project on Zooniverse. I examined data collected by the Mars Climate Sounder aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The instrument measures the Martian atmosphere, and some clouds appear in the data as arch-shaped patterns. My task was to identify these arches and mark their peaks. This required careful observation and attention to detail, skills that are important across science, including biology. Researchers in many fields look for patterns in data to better understand complex systems. Taking part in this project helped me see how individual observations can contribute to a larger scientific investigation.

The project is easy to start and well organized. The tutorial and field guide explain what an arch looks like and how it differs from noise or overlapping features. After that, each image takes less than a minute, so I could fit work into short sessions. It’s clear why the task matters: computers still struggle to spot these faint, overlapping shapes, and people are good at it. Because several volunteers classify each image, a single mistake doesn’t ruin the data, and that let me make decisions without worrying too much about being perfect.

At first, the images looked like abstract heat maps, and I was slow because I wasn’t sure whether every faint curve was an arch. With practice, I began recognizing patterns more quickly, including clear arches, overlapping shapes, and images that were mostly noise. This experience showed me that science often starts with careful observation and patience. Even though this project focused on Mars, the skills I used—looking closely at evidence, noticing patterns, and making thoughtful judgments—also matter in biology and other fields. Biological research, for example, uses observations and data to understand how living things work and how health changes. Contributing a small piece of information to a larger study helped me see how individual observations can support scientific discoveries. It made me more curious about how researchers use evidence to answer questions across different areas of science.

Cloudspotting on Mars was a meaningful and accessible way for me to take part in real space research. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in astronomy or science, and I plan to keep contributing.