God saw everything that he had made and indeed, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
Welcome to our first pilot project intentionally centered around environment, faith and health: North Carolina Council of Churches – SciStarter. Partners in Health and Wholeness is delighted to be partnering with North Carolina State University’s Citizen Science Program and online citizen science hub, and Shaw University’s inaugural Citizen Science Internship Program for an Environment, Faith and Health Initiative. This project is intended to explore what it can look like to see our environment with eyes of wonder while thinking like a citizen scientist. The pilot project will have a cohort for the winter/spring 2022 that participates in citizen projects such as Crowd the Tap (participants get their water tested for lead), iNaturalist (can be tailored for youth groups and children ministries, outdoor worship and small group study) and Outbreaks Near Me.
Why are we doing this? Explore our blogpost here.
Interested in learning more? Contact Nicole Johnson nicole@nccouncilofchurches.org 828 767 0181. Complete the interest form here.
The Flu Near You project leverages the power of the crowd to provide real-time information about influenza-like-illness in your area. Epidemiologists from Harvard and Boston Children’s Hospital created the project, which can complement traditional tracking and provide useful public information.
Complete a quick, weekly survey to share whether you feel healthy or sick. Participation is free and your individual report remains confidential.
Scientists will use this information, along with thousands of other reports, to generate local and national maps of influenza-like illness. This provides public health officials and researchers with real-time, anonymous information that could help prevent the next pandemic.
Your participation can help our communities stay healthy and strong!
The Crowd the Tap mission is to ensure safe drinking water in the United States. Our goal is to identify areas for tap water testing and infrastructure replacement. This project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State University.
You can help us prioritize areas for testing and replacement by completing a simple survey about your home. The questions are quick and easy!
Participating in this inventory will connect you with others in your neighborhood and beyond who want to make drinking water safe for all.
The Crowd the Tap mission is to ensure safe drinking water in the United States. Our goal is to identify areas for tap water testing and infrastructure replacement. This project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State University.
You can help us prioritize areas for testing and replacement by completing a simple survey about your home. The questions are quick and easy!
Participating in this inventory will connect you with others in your neighborhood and beyond who want to make drinking water safe for all.
https://scistarter.org/north-carolina-council-of-churches/crowd-the-tap-north-carolina-of-churches
Learn More about Crowd the Tap from the recordings of our first sacred conversation and faith health connection on water.
Record and share images of biodiversity all around you and learn about the natural world. Using iNaturalist, you can join a community of citizen scientists who share observations of nature, collaboratively identify species, and share data with scientists.
If enough people record their observations, it will be like a living record of life on Earth that scientists and land managers could use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and that anyone could use to learn more about nature.
Want to learn more about iNaturalist? Check out our recent podcast.
Meet the team
Photo coming soon
Hi, my name is Emma Zawacki. I am the Director of Crowd the Tap. Bio and picture coming soon.
Past Interns

My name is Aakarshit Mahajan, and I am pursuing my undergraduate degree at Shaw University. I am in the sophomore class, and my major is Business Administration & Management. I am also a part of the men’s tennis team at Shaw. My hobbies include reading books, learning new things, traveling, and playing sports. Citizen Science is important because it enables people to enhance their scientific literacy in genuinely relevant fields. Through participation in citizen science projects, citizens can gain a more significant say in research matters and a greater commitment to science.

My name is Chetna Kumari, and I am from Gurgaon, India. I am a junior at Shaw University, majoring in Biology and Psychology. I am also a part of the Women’s tennis team at Shaw. My hobbies include fitness, traveling, reading memoirs, writing poetry, and exploring new things.

Hello, my name is Zariah. I am a sophomore at Shaw University. My major is Biology and African American Studies. One day, I would love to be a Biology Teacher. I decided to join because I wanted to make a change in the world even if it’s one step at a time. Science is my passion. I wanted to have a chance to practice working hands-on things that could change the world scientifically.