Rainy day fun project: Help scientists gather data on Hurricane Sandy

If you're staying home from work today because of Hurricane Sandy, you might be able to help out a team of scientists from the University of Utah and Purdue. They're studying isotopes of water — small differences at the subatomic level that can tell you a lot about where water originally came from and how it got to the place it fell in the form of rain or snow. They need people collecting precipitation samples over 12-hour periods. And they're especially looking for help in some inland places, including West Virginia, Virginia, and eastern Kentucky/Tennesee. Find out more at their website. (Via Sarah Horst)