Experimonth is a monthlong participatory blogging experiment that brings scientists and citizens together to use data and observation to make meaning.

Experimonth is the culmination of many ideas and personal experiments of Museum of Life and Science staff members, their families and friends.

In July of 2008, the MLS Animal Department experimented with a weeklong "Diet of Corn," which only two staff were brave enough to endure. That idea then became the catalyst for another diet-related experiment in December of 2008, the Raw Diet (initially the Beet Diet). Discussions in Durham bars (the Pinhook and Broad St. Cafe) and over email raised awareness and excitement for the Raw Diet, and due to the timing (New Years), turned into Experimonth, an entire year of month-long blogging experiments, mostly centered around New Years Resolutions.

The original 12 experimonths were: A Month in the Raw, Twenty-eight Tables, The Eyes of March, Get the Lead Out, Mileage May Vary, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, Interview Someone Everyday, YCDTWTV, A Syllabic September, Octoberchest, ., and Give Up and Give.

In 2010, the experimonths were: jaNEWary, Return to the 28 Tables, Train and Compete, Learn to Cook a New Cuisine, Five or Fewer, Do Something Nice for a Stranger, Big Turn Off, August Works, Every1sacritic, Dance 15 Minutes a Day, Spend Two Hours a Day on a Creative Project, and Write in a Journal Everyday.

Monthly themes for both 2009 and 2010 were based on suggestions from MLS Staffers, their Facebook friends and Twitter followers and voted on through the use of Uservoice.

In 2010, the idea to turn Experimonth into a museum-sponsored project was conceived and MLS staffers are currently hosting the first of these experiments at http://experimonth.lifeandscience.org

If you would like to contact Beck about Experimonth, send her a message at beck.tench@ncmls.org.