We asked the $10, $35, $100, $200 and $400 tier Kickstarter backers what they planned to do with their spectrometer and here are the ideas that we're given. Once the $65 and $1000 backers get surveyed (their spectrometers don't come until February), we'll post their responses as well.

If you want to see specifically what backers at the same level as you are thinking about doing, you can check out the individual lists:

$10 level backers $35 level backers $100 level backers $200 and $400 level backers

Related to light

• Measure light sources
• Investigate indoor lights spectrum
• Light analysis
• Film lighting
• Compare light bulbs, ...
• Measuring output of LED arrays for a NASA-funded project for growing plants inside extraplanetary habitats. Someday we'll do some detailed spectroscopy but this gets us going!
• Colour experiments. Experiment with home theatre displays (projectors, plasmas & lcd tvs) Figure out what's in the ceiling lights in the lab! Analyze led light sources for reef aquarium Testing fluorescent materials in our lab *Getting reliable RGB readings from withered surfaces

Related to Water and Soil

• Check for calcium in water from fountain
• Start with the tap water in my house
• Checking the purity of water, measuring other things for fun and possibly science.
• Will probably look at my tap water before and after filtration just to see if there is a difference.
• Aquaponics, Led Light, water quality, food quality.
• Hopefully I'll start sampling some groundwater around my area.
• Test the possibility for deriving water quality parameters or Chlorophyll content with forward transfer models
• Testing water
• Test water in the Charles River, test local tap water.
• Check water quality, have fun
• Test the water in Greenpoint!
• Check and see what's in the rain drops
• Water and soil samples
• Check out rock pieces and dirt

Related to Food and Drink

• Catalog what's in my drinks
• I want to test spectrometry on food - liquid and solid. Most importantly - to measure the content of nutrient on particular pieces of fruit and vegetable (if feasible).
• Look at coffee + beer?
• Analyzing food
• Find out what I'm drinking
• Home brewer.
• Analyze home brew beer
• Check what I'm eating and other fun things
• Check what I drink? Processed bottled drinks.
• Home brewing
• Mainly using it on edible items I guess + wines
• Initial plan is to use it to analyze coffee
• Classify all kinds of neat liquids I can find!
• Test food, water, compare...
• Testing whiskey
• Study fruit we produce.
• Measure organic compounds in home-brewed beer
• Maple syrup and whatever else I can think of.

Related to Household items

• Examine various household items
• Experiments with common liquids and materials
• Test leather
• Analyze stuff I run across. If it works really well, might check for contaminants on supplies at work.
• Analyze household light sources, household materials
• Mainly interested in testing supposedly chemical-free or natural products.
• Look at water, and various things around the flat and neighbourhood
• Seeing what's in my aquarium water.

Related to biology and chemistry

• Cell culture / immunofluoro
• Analyze bodily fluids
• Local air quality
• I plan to get involved based on whatever your site recommends! My interest is in biology, so, probably I'll be analyzing living tissue.
• I will be checking blood in specimen.
• Examine my feces and sperm
• Set up spectroscopy in an IEC reactor to detect gas mixture!
• See if they're contaminating our precious bodily fluids.
• Try it out in my lab (i'm an analytical wood chemist), around town, at home, etc.
• Spectrometerizing all the liquids I can find!
• Gas analysis

Related to Astronomy and Atmosphere

• Astronomy demos
• Hobby astronomy, and fun education with the children
• Measure the Dark Side of the Moon
• We are building the space elevator. Our Kickstarter campaign is launching a tethered balloon experiment to 7KM high. We will host the spectrometer at that altitude to identify atmospheric conditions.
• Teach astronomy!

Related to Chemicals (general)

• Chemical discovery
• I will be using it for quick chemicals analysis in my Lab.
• Chemistry!
• Checking oil samples
• Testing local environment and know hydrocarbons with an aim of tracing them through the environment.
• Composition of some plastics for extrusion.

Related to Education

• My son is a super scientist. He will be using it to replace the DIY one he made recently.
• Use it to explore the world around me and as a teaching tool with my kids.
• Public high school for science - looking for alternative spectrophotometers
• Informal teaching
• I plan to experiment with it in the high school science class I teach.
• I'm an educator, and I hope to evaluate this project's classroom suitability.
• Home schooling physics
• Exploring my world with my kids.
• Use it to show my young children about spectroscopy.
• Science!
• Hope to use it for public engagement events.
• I love teaching kids about science, so Ill figure out some way to use it.
• Science training for my home-schooled grandson
• Showing it to my nerd friends
• Show it off at MyScience.com
• I'm a biologist & lab automation engineer. I enjoy science advocacy in general and plan tip share the spec with kids & science educators.
• Use in high school science lab as a teacher.
• Whatever I can! First I'm going to show it off to my father, the head of a high school science department and fellow chemist.
• Play around, teach, test chemometric methods
• Teach chemistry to my grandchildren
• Share with students... to help them understand spectroscopy and see science all around

Miscellaneous

• Backyard experiments
• Make it available in Africa
• Just for fun
• Awesome experiments!
• Use as an example of interesting technology+crowd sourcing environmentalism
• I'd eventually like to conduct real experiments with this. I will post my efforts online.
• Exploring and learning.
• Analyze some items
• I plan on testing everything I see
• Looking at spectra for anything at anytime
• I would like to learn more about the daily application of spectrometer.
• Make an Android app resembling a tricorder
• Examine the makeup of my surroundings
• First generate awareness of accessibility of measurement techniques.
• Impress my friends
• Help to enlarge the Spectra database
• Learning about what can be analyzed
• Skies the limit. We plan to futz with it!
• Ridicule it publicly
• Top Secret!
• Want to test its accuracy and ease of use.
• Tests. I'm working on an enhanced spectrometer already, thanks a lot for the idea/kickoff.
• Tests to see how to improve the spectrometer
• Extemporaneous observations of the local environment