Bloomfield Hills residents can now sign up to help sort insect specimens, map campus biodiversity, and spot invasive species as part of a new workshop series at Cranbrook Institute of Science.
The Community Science Network Workshop series kicks off Sunday, Aug. 9 with a two-hour session on identifying aquatic and shoreline insects collected through Project BEACON, the institute's flagship research effort studying how artificial light at night affects insect populations in metro Detroit. Five more workshops follow through May 2027, each running 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the institute's Woodward Avenue campus.
No science background is needed. The program is open to anyone 18 and older.
What's on the schedule
The six sessions cover a range of field and digital science skills:
- Sunday, Aug. 9 — Insect Identification: sorting and cataloging specimens from Project BEACON
- Sunday, Oct. 1 — iNaturalist at Cranbrook: documenting campus biodiversity on foot
- Sunday, Nov. 12 — Astronomy Beyond the Telescope, including a visit to the Cranbrook Observatory
- Sunday, Jan. 14, 2027 — Virtual and Game-based Community Science: contributing to research from home
- Sunday, March 11, 2027 — Michigan Invasive Species: identification and reporting through the MISIN network
- Sunday, May 6, 2027 — Pollinator Conservation: monitoring pollinators and informing plans for the Grow Wild Garden, a new outdoor learning space coming to the campus in summer 2027
Pricing and registration
A single workshop costs $25, or $21.25 for Cranbrook Institute of Science members. Registering for all six costs $125 general admission ($106.25 for members), effectively making one session free. Registration is available through the institute's events page.
The bigger picture
The workshops are part of the institute's broader Community Science Network initiative, which launched earlier this year to connect residents with ongoing research projects at local and global scales. The institute says the series is built to be approachable and grounded in real-world applications, with participants learning to observe, document, and contribute data to ongoing studies.
Project BEACON, funded through ASTC and iNaturalist's Seeding Action program in partnership with Oakland County Parks, anchors the effort locally. Cranbrook Institute of Science, led by director Lucy Hale, draws more than 134,000 visitors annually to its Bloomfield Hills campus at 39221 Woodward Ave.
