GridCoin is a proof of stake cryptocurrency that is used to reward people who donate CPU and GPU time to scientific projects using the Berkeley Open Infrastructure Network Computing (BOINC) application. You can choose between well known projects such as the Large Hadron Collider(LHC) and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence(SETI) or lesser known but important projects like cancer and pharmaceutical research. You can get started with no investment by pool mining.
On January 9th GridCoin hit an all time high of $0.207. But since the correction it has dropped to ~$0.100 which is about 50% of the all time high and is a perfect time to start solo mining or investing. For the wallet I recommend downloading blocks and letting it sync from there which can take a few hours. After you have set up the wallet and BOINC you can buy Ethereum(lower fees than Bitcoin) with USD at Coinbase(referral link) then trade it for gridcoin via an exchange like Flyp.me which doesn't require an account. 2,000 gridcoins are generally considered necessary to reliably stake.
Cryptocurrencies are only going to get more popular and GridCoin is one of the only cryptos that is helping to make the world a better place instead of needlessly wasting electricity. Now is the best time to participate in citizen research and reap the rewards.
Disclaimer: This is meant as an informative post and is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy.