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NASA Citizen Science and Your Career: Stories of Exoplanet Watch Volunteers<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Doing NASA Science brings many rewards. But can taking part in NASA citizen science help your career? To find out, we asked participants in NASA\u2019s Exoplanet Watch<\/a> project about their experiences. In this project, amateur astronomers work together with professionals to track planets around other stars.<\/p>\n First, we heard from professional software programmers. Right away, one of them told us about getting a new job through connections made in the project.<\/p>\n \u201cI decided to create the exoplanet plugin, [for citizen science] since it was quite a lot of manual work to check which transits were available for your location. The exoplanet plugin and its users got me in contact with the Stellar group\u2026 Through this group, I got into contact with a company called OurSky and started working for them\u2026 the point is, I created a couple of plugins for free and eventually got a job at an awesome company<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Another participant talked about honing their skills and growing their confidence through Exoplanet Watch.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a few years when I wasn\u2019t actively coding. However, Exoplanet Watch rekindled that spark\u2026. Participating in Exoplanet Watch even gave me the confidence to prepare again for a technical interview <\/strong>at Meta\u2014despite having been thoroughly defeated the first time I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n Teachers and teaching faculty told us how Exoplanet Watch gives them the ability to better convey what scientific research is all about \u2013 and how the project motivates students!\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cExoplanet Watch makes it easy for undergraduate students to gain experience in data science and Python, which are absolutely necessary for graduate school and many industry jobs.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExperience with this collaborative work is a vital piece of the workforce development of our students who are seeking advanced STEM-related careers or ongoing education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) fields after graduation<\/strong>\u2026 Exoplanet Watch, in this way, is directly training NASA\u2019s STEM workforce of tomorrow by allowing CUNY (The City University of New York) students to achieve the science goals that would otherwise be much more difficult without its resources.\u201d<\/p>\n One aspiring academic shared how her participation on the science team side of the project has given her research and mentorship experience that strengthens her resume.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI ended up joining the EpW team<\/a> to contribute my expertise in stellar variability\u2026 My involvement with Exoplanet Watch has provided me with invaluable experience in mentoring a broad range of astronomy enthusiasts and working in a collaborative environment with people from around the world. \u2026 Being able to train others, interact in a team environment, and work independently are all critical skills in any work environment, but these specific experiences have also been incredibly valuable towards building my portfolio as I search for faculty positions around the USA<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n There are no guarantees, of course. What you get out of NASA citizen science depends on what you put in. But there is certainly magic to be found in the Exoplanet Watch project.\u00a0 As one student said:<\/p>\n \u201cHelp will always be found at Hogwarts, to those who need it.\u201d Exoplanet Watch was definitely Hogwarts for me in my career as an astronomer!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n For more information about NASA and your career, check out NASA\u2019s Surprisingly STEM series<\/a> highlighting exciting and unexpected jobs at NASA, or come to NASA Career Day,<\/a> a virtual event for students and educators. Participants must register by September 4, 2025. The interactive platform will be open from September 15-19, with live panels and events taking place on September 18.<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/cds\/citizen-science\/highlights\/2025\/bryan_martin.jpg\")
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