April | 2024 | Zooniverse

Dear Zooniverse Community,

We’re pleased to update you on an important development as we undergo a migration to a new frontend codebase over the course of 2024-2025. This transition brings a fresh and improved experience to our platform.

From a participant’s perspective, the primary changes involve project layout and styling, resulting in a more user-friendly interface. Importantly, these updates don’t impact your stats (e.g,. classification count), Collections, Favorites, etc.

To offer you a sneak peek, check out the updated design and layout on projects that have already migrated, such as:

If a project has a design similar to the examples above, it has migrated. Conversely, if it resembles the old design, like the Milky Way Project, it hasn’t migrated yet.

We value your feedback! If you encounter any difficulties or have suggestions as you’re participating in a project, please share them in the respective project’s Talk or within this general Announcements Talk thread and mention @support.

Wondering about the motivation behind this change? We built the new frontend codebase in order to ensure the robustness and stability of the Zooniverse platform, with key updates enhancing code maintenance, accessibility, and overall sustainability.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the improvements:

Breaking up the Code: We’ve modularized our code into independent, reusable libraries to enhance maintenance and overall sustainability.
Next.js for Server Side Rendering: By utilizing Next.js, we’re improving accessibility for participants worldwide, particularly those with lower internet speeds and bandwidth.
Classify Page Code Updates: We’ve refined elements such as workflows and the subject viewer to ensure improved robustness and sustainability of our codebase.
Authentication Library Updates: Keeping up with the latest standards, we’ve updated our authentication libraries to enhance security and user experience.
Integrated Code Testing: To maintain the long-term health of our technical products, we’ve integrated code testing throughout our development process. This mitigates against updates introducing bugs or other issues into the codebase, adhering to standard practices.

Thank you for being part of the Zooniverse community! Looking forward to many more groundbreaking discoveries and advances in research. Your classifications and participation in Talk make all of this possible. Thank you!

Warm regards,

Laura Trouille, Zooniverse PI

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you all! Zooniverse, our beloved platform for people-powered research, has been honored by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as a champion of open science.

The OSTP Year of Open Science Recognition Challenge awarded five different projects, including Zooniverse, as ‘Champions of Open Science’ for our work to promote open science to tackle a unique problem. To check out the full announcement and see the other winners, click here.

We’re deeply honored by this recognition. It underscores our commitment to Open Science through people-powered research, valuing the public’s diverse expertise and driving innovation beyond traditional boundaries. By democratizing access to scientific spaces and discovery, Zooniverse not only advances research, but also builds trust in science and fosters meaningful engagement within our global community.

What makes Zooniverse truly special is the community that drives it forward. The Zooniverse team of devs and data scientists building the platform, the hundreds of researchers leading projects, and every single one of you who dedicates your time and expertise to advancing knowledge. Whether you’re classifying galaxies, transcribing historical documents, tagging penguins, or marking the structure of cells for cancer research, your contributions have made a tangible impact on research across a range of disciplines. And the results speak for themselves – over 400 peer-reviewed scientific publications, groundbreaking discoveries, and critical policy impacts have all stemmed from your collective efforts.

But it’s not just about the data or the publications – it’s about the connections we’ve forged along the way. Through Zooniverse, we’ve built a global community of curious minds, united by a shared passion for exploration and discovery. Together, we’ve championed the principles of open science, breaking down barriers to knowledge and fostering a spirit of collaboration that transcends borders and disciplines. And in doing so, we’ve not only advanced scientific research but also strengthened trust in science and empowered individuals to pursue their interests and passions.

So here’s to you, our incredible community of participants and researchers. Thank you for being a part of this extraordinary journey. Together, we’ll continue to champion the principles of openness, collaboration, and innovation in research, one classification and one Talk post at a time.

Laura

Zooniverse PI, VP Science Engagement, Adler Planetarium in Chicago