Reaching out and stepping up: How citizen science and RRI can enhance bioscience research
Since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, the impact of bioscience research on all of our lives has been made far too clear. However, developments within this field of research will continue to have long-lasting impacts on the world around us long after the current pandemic, from improving food security, mitigating climate change, protecting wildlife and the environment, as well as to continued medical advancements of all types. As the world continues to collide with the field of bioscience research, it has become increasingly important to include societal actors when we approach these fields of study. ResBios and StepChange invite you to join an online conversation about how RRI and citizen science can be used to enhance research, with a particular focus on open science and public engagement in the fields of bioscience research. By combining our shared experiences, we aim to demonstrate the theory and practice of employing these principles while discussing future challenges.
Webinar: Unlocking the Potential of Citizen Science Collaborations
This webinar is designed to discuss different approaches to citizen science by LIBER and ECSA Citizen Science Working Groups together with Leiden University, with the purpose of discovering synergies and potential opportunities for collaboration. During the webinar, speakers will cover: (1) achievements in advancing citizen science at libraries and universities; (2) the organisation of citizen science activities in universities, including a citizen science ‘engine room’ at the University of Southern Denmark; (3) how to embed citizen science activities for research and education purposes through sharing best practices, policies, and ‘sharing’ programmes; (4) finding the ‘sweet spot’ for citizen science in the matrix of faculty silos, top-down research, and bottom-up collaboration. We will hear the insights of four amazing speakers: Tiberius Ignat, Director of Scientific Knowledge Services (SKS); Anne Kathrine Overgaard, Head of External Projects at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark; Thomas Kaarsted, Deputy Library Director at the University of Southern Denmark; and Margaret Gold, Coordinator of the Citizen Science Lab at Leiden University.
We are organising an hybrid scientific session at the Ocean Science Meeting, 27 Feb - 4 March 2022 on ‘The uptake of data by citizen scientists, aggregators and end-users: successes, challenges and gaps in the dataflow’ and are inviting you to submit an abstract by 29 September 2021. Please find more details of the session below. OD11 The uptake of data by citizen scientists, aggregators and end-users: successes, challenges and gaps in the dataflow Keywords: Citizen science, marine data, dataflow, interoperability, acceptance, engagement, policy, data management, validation, end user needs, sustainability, impact Organizers: Patrick Gorringe, patrick.gorringe@smhi.se, James Sprinks, jsprinks@earthwatch.org.uk, Peter Thijsse, peter@maris.nl, Emilie Breviere, emilie.breviere@smhi.se Citizen science is a particularly impactful channel to collect data and its utility has been proven on small scales, yet the groundbreaking, and absolutely necessary, potential of citizen science has yet to be realized. Over the last decade, marine citizen science projects have provided a cost-effective means to collect extensive data sets covering vast spatio-temporal scales where conventional data collection is limited in operation, such as coastal seas. However many initiatives fail to be sustainable, and fail to reach acceptance of their data by scientists and by policy makers. To be efficient and successful a project should provide data with sufficient quality, structure and availability to be used by professionals and ensure that citizen scientists realize and appreciate the impact of their contribution towards the understanding of the scientific big picture. When studying the flow of citizen science data, it follows a series of steps from the providers to the users, via data aggregators. The essential steps of this process are the acquisition, management, flow in key infrastructure, evaluation and impact analyses, use in ocean models, research and forecasting, and public visualization. The objective of the co-organizers is to provide a session during which participants will share experiences on successes and failures, needs and limitations in the data flow chain. The session wishes to be a unique niche for the numerous actors of the data flow in marine citizen science initiatives to meet and exchange. It will explore current and future collaborations, hear from invited experts about wider citizen science initiatives and discuss how marine data aggregators in its next phase can more systematically link with citizen science to not only expand the data provision from citizen science, but also find ways to encourage citizen science to work closer with data aggregators across the full value chain.
The Role of Citizens in EU Missions Implementation
The TIME4CS consortium is delighted to invite you at the 1st Citizen Science Helix Event on The Role of Citizens in EU Missions Implementation - Tuesday, the 8th of February. EU Missions are a novelty of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. They are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. With ambitious goals, they will deliver impact by putting research and innovation into a new role, combined with new forms of governance and collaboration, as well as by engaging citizens. Missions will engage with citizens to boost societal uptake of new solutions and approaches. But what exactly will the role of citizens in the EU Missions implementation be? And how can we best integrate Citizen Science not only in the 5 areas of the Missions but also in our organisations? This event is aimed at anyone interested in Citizen Science and in participating in a project targeting one of the forthcoming Mission Calls. This event will also touch on the institutionalisation of Citizen Science and will have a dedicated pitch sessions (short presentations from participants searching for partners) for the upcoming Mission Calls. Speakers include: Neville Reeve - Head of Mission sector, European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Policy & Programming Centre, Missions & Partnerships; Gabriella Leo - Seconded National Expert - Open Science policy - Science and Society, European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, ERA & Innovation, Open Science; Muki Haklay - Professor of GIScience, University College London.
Online Course on Management of Biosphere Reserves and other designated areas
If you are a post graduate student, young scientist, member of a MAB Youth Group, educator or manager working on Biosphere Reserves and other designated areas, then, this online course is for you! The course is the virtual part of the 2021 Asterousia Hybrid University on Management of Biosphere Reserves and other designated areas, and will run from 10 January to 6 February 2022. The course in a nutshell : DURATION: Four weeks, starting from 10 January to 6 February 2022. FORMAT: It combines asynchronous (self-paced) and synchronous sessions (weekly live meetings). COMMITTMENT: The total training time for learners is approx. 20 hours (~5 hours/week). PARTICIPANTS: MAB Youth Group members, Post-Graduate Students, Young Scientists, Educators and Managers of Biosphere Reserves and other designated areas, with a priority to be given to applicants from European and Mediterranean countries. LANGUAGE: English. CERTIFICATION: Learners who succesfully complete 80% of the course assignments will get the course's certificate co-signed by the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe and the UNESCO Chair & Network on Sustainable Development Management and Education in the Mediterranean. COST: Thanks to the kind contribution of the organizers this course will be free of charge for all participants! ORGANISERS: MIO-ECSDE and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (Venice Office) REGISTRATIONS: https://www.eventora.com/en/Events/2021_Asterousia_hybrid_university MORE INFORMATION: https://medies.net/2021-asterousia-hybrid-university-phase-b-online-course
Webinar & Workshop "Copernicus: Europe's Satellite Data for Our Own Climate"
The event offers participants a first insight into the Earth Observation System "Copernicus" and the broad application possibilities of the openly available data. Copernicus offers freely accessible services in various fields, which among other things directly contribute to the monitoring of climate change. In addition, a limited number of participants will have the opportunity to get to know and use the Sen2Cube.at toolbox of the University of Salzburg in a professionally guided workshop. Sen2cube supports the image analysis of satellite data of user-defined regions and intervals. By means of an example it will be shown how these data can be used for own research. The event is in German.
YouCount webinar: Transformative & Innovative Impact
Young people in Europe are facing many challenges with regard to social inclusion (e.g. social participation, employment, social belonging). There is a pressing need to develop more knowledge and innovation to create more inclusive and youth-friendly societies. One way to contribute to this is through Citizen Social Science with young people - Youth Citizen Social Science (Y-CSS). The YouCount project has organised a series of three webinars to discuss central questions of Y-CSS and to create a network of interested people. The third and last webinar "Transformative & Innovative Impact" will take place on the 4th of November. These webinars are for practitioners of Citizen Science, Community-based Research and youth engagement, but people without prior experience are also very welcome. These are exciting conversations, and YouCount is working hard to make them happen in inclusive and equitable ways.
Save the Dates: Grace final webinars
As the GRACE project comes to an end, project partners will share their findings and provide stakeholders with useful knowledge to implement RRI in research performing and funding organisations by organising a set of eight thematic webinars. From 26 October to 14 December, these webinars will each address a different topic related to GRACE, with the participation of experts inside and outside of the project. Topics will include: (1) Main considerations to take into account at the start of an RRI project; (2) Making the case for public engagement; (3) GEP in Research Funding organisations; (4) Public Engagement from the research funding organisations’ perspective; (5) Different approaches to Evaluation; (6) Bottom-up RRI initiatives; (7) Ethics and Data Protection in humanities research; (8) RRI and Sustainability.
Methodologies & Evaluation: Setting up Youth Citizen Social Science
Young people in Europe are facing many challenges with regard to social inclusion (e.g. social participation, employment, social belonging). There is a pressing need to develop more knowledge and innovation to create more inclusive and youth-friendly societies. One way to contribute to this is through Citizen Social Science with young people - Youth Citizen Social Science (Y-CSS). This webinar offers an opportunity for exchange on doing Y-CSS in practice and it seeks to mobilise your expertise and feedback for the YouCount project. Members of the project are developing a framework for setting up case studies in several countries. The challenge is to translate the many ideas surrounding youth citizen social science into practical research and innovations. They will present their concepts and seek your feedback and discussion on how local case studies and integrating frameworks can be designed. Claire Murray (ECSA) will get us started with essential points for practically preparing for youth participation. To illustrate an ambitious ways of how this can be done in a European project, Julie Ridley (UCLan) will give us an overview on the multiple case study approach that is used in YouCount. Then there will be a series of in-depth discussions on key aspects of setting up Y-CSS projects in practice.
2021 Inclusive SciComm Symposium
Inclusive SciComm comprises varied perspectives, including community engagement, informal science learning, arts, community organizing, journalism, community-based participatory research, inclusive pedagogy, service learning, library science, and many others. The purpose of the Inclusive SciComm Symposium is to build a community that actively challenges the dominant, frequently marginalizing norms of STEMM and deficit-oriented approaches to communication culture, and promotes science communication that values individual and group assets. Through these transformations, the Inclusive SciComm community will reimagine and change how science is conducted and discussed.
Citizen Science for the Oceans: From observation to information - towards digital twins of the ocean
In this webinar you will learn about citizen science activities related to the oceans. We will use the case of jelly fish as an example, start with the observations done by citizens using mobile apps. Then you learn how the data can be integrated in systems, including the use of standards making the data, in this case biological data, interoperable. You will also learn how to approach making the apps themselves. As NextGEOSS already has citizen science data catalogued on the data hub, you will now learn how we will expand this with the help from among others Earthwatch through their contribution to the ILIAD project. This webinar aims to reach Earth observation professionals and students, Citizen science public and private organisations, App makers, ocean advocates, marine environmentalist, oceanographers, ecologists.
Citizen engagement TRANSFORMing regional R&I policymaking
Citizen engagement can strengthen trust between institutions and citizens. In the TRANSFORM project (funded under Horizon 2020) citizen science, co-design and co-creation have been applied to regional R&I decision-making in Lombardy, Catalonia, and Brussels-Capital. Through sharing of experiences and promising outcomes of citizen engagement in regional R&I policies, this participatory lab will provide examples and suggestions on how to create more open, transparent and inclusive regional R&I governance processes. Join us in an interactive session and learn more about the benefits of citizen engagement, get your questions answered by experts, share your experiences and suggestions for further applications in regional decision making. Registration opens on 30 August!