University of Otago geologist Dr James Scott has just received $20,000 from the Otago Participatory Science Platform (OPSP) to install the camera network in schools and other community locations.
He said the project, named Fireballs Aotearoa, aimed to record meteors on clear nights, and school pupils would be able to log in each day and see what had crossed their sky the previous night.
"There is a real appetite for learning about space science and understanding the night skies, driven by a growing interest in astro-tourism, missions to Mars and understanding what visible elements in the night skies are natural, versus human-made," he said.
"Should a fireball event occur, we hope that the camera network will reveal its arrival and trajectory, leading to a community-led effort to locate and retrieve the first Otago meteorite."
Fireballs Aotearoa is one of seven successful applications that received funding from OPSP.
Other funded projects include studying the impact of warming oceans on benthic marine communities (New Zealand Marine Studies Centre); understanding backyard biodiversity priorities to bring about community-level change in conservation policies and practices (Landcare Research); developing inclusive techniques to investigate indigenous plant communities in the local landscape (Orokonui Ecosanctuary); restoration of Lindsay Creek (The Valley Project); designing an implementation plan for concussion management in Dunedin-based secondary schools (New Zealand Rugby); and designing and installing a network of low-cost air quality monitors around Port Chalmers (University of Otago Dodd-Walls Centre).
Otago Museum science engagement co-ordinator and funding project manager Dr Marijn Kouwenhoven said there was a diverse range of applications this year.
"It is fantastic to see the enthusiasm community groups and scientists around Otago have for citizen science."
