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ECSA Field Notes
Some readings to get through the grey European February: Our US partner organisation CSA is covered in an article by International Innovation. To get to know more about the people who dedicate their overtime to growing ECSA into a lively organization see the blog posts on a vision for ECSA by Katrin Vohland, ECSA Vice Chair, and the piece by Andrea Sforzi, founding member and part of the Board of Directors.
Workshop on data and service infrastructures for citizen science
On 26-27 January, the European Commission’s Joint Research Center invited 20 international participants, including members of the three CS associations CSA, ACSA and ECSA, to Ispra, Italy for a two-day workshop to discuss data and service infrastructures for citizen science. Topics included relationships between existing databases (e.g., SciStarter, Atlas of Living Australia, and Citsci.org), requirements for interoperability, and a reference model for analyzing and sharing citizen science tools and data. Participants also agreed on a roadmap to synchronize ongoing activities and to define the next joint steps related to standardization. Read a summary on the ECSA blog.
ECSA promotes Responsible Research and Innovation
This year, a spotlight of ECSA activities will be on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). We’re very happy that Fermin Serrano Sanz now acts as focal point for RRI in ECSA supporting the reflection of RRI approaches for Citizen Science. This springs from a collaboration with the RRI Tools project which also includes exchange of news, a workshop at the ECSA international conference and a several publications.
Translating the 10 Principles
Until the ECSA General Assembly in May, we want to translate the 10 Principles of Citizen Science into all languages of ECSA members (and more if you like!). We already got 9 languages (English, Italian, Germany, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Danish, Swedish, Czech) & French, Dutch and probably Chinese are under way. If you have an hour and can translate the 10 Principles of Citizen Science in your mother tongue, please contact Claudia.
News from ECSA members
Ibercivis starts to draw the map of citizen science in Spain
Due to the boom of practices we are currently facing, there is a need of having a clear picture of the situation in Europe. Addressing this, the Ibercivis Foundation is creating the Observatory of Citizen Science in Spain, co-funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology FECYT. It aims to monitor the rapid growth of such initiatives, to catalogue them and to analyze different impacts. The basic idea is to know who does what. One of the challenges is to define what is and what is not citizen science. By inviting actors to put themselves on the map, an interesting debate will emerge through the deliberate expansion of the concept.
During a first analysis, Ibercivis has collected already almost 90 practices including participatory projects, research groups, and also institutions who collaborate, finance or disseminate citizen science. An estimation of 200 cases in Spain will be cataloged by the end of 2016. In addition to this repository, the Observatory seeks to understand how citizen science is changing the relationship between science and society. Therefore, a set of tools, such as metrics, will be identified and used. Among others, techniques from both humanities and social networks analysis will be used.
This observatory will be accessible on the website www.ciencia-ciudadana.es to be launched in early April 2016. At this moment, this URL leads to the basic questionnaire used for the first initial analysis.
Contact: Fermín Serrano
Vetenskap & Allmänhet: VA Barometer & reflections on mass experiments from Sweden
Swedes keen to get involved in research: An annual survey carried out by Swedish non-profit organisation and ECSA member VA (Public & Science) shows that Swedes are particularly keen to get involved in research. Nine out of ten Swedes believe it is important for the public to be involved in research and nearly six out of ten would like personally to get involved. When asked to identify research areas that respondents would be willing to be involved in, health research came out clearly on top with 47%, followed by energy 19%, climate 17% and social sciences and humanities 17%. “There is a fantastic commitment to research in Sweden. It is something we are also seeing a lot more of, due to an increasing number of initiatives that involve the public in research, such as citizen science and the EU’s concept of RRI – responsible research and innovation,” said Maria Lindholm, Director of Research at VA. “As reinforced in European comparisons, such as the Eurobarometer, Swedes are the Europeans with the most interest in science and technology. The fact that the majority of Swedes say they are keen to be involved in the research process can be seen as a further indication of this”. The results of the 2015/2016 VA Barometer and questionnaire are available in English at http://v-a.se/2016/02/va-barometer-20152016-english/
The Swedish mass experiments – a way of encouraging scientific citizenship? Since 2009 Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public & Science, VA) coordinates an annual mass experiment as part of the Swedish events on the European Researchers' Night. Through the experiments, thousands of Swedish students from preschool to upper secondary school have contributed to the development of scientific knowledge on a diverse range of topics. An essay published in the latest issue of Journal of Science Communication discusses how the mass experiments can contribute to encouraging scientific citizenship.
Commons Lab engages with Citizen Science in China
The Commons Lab in collaboration with the Wilson Center's China Environment Forum will be visiting Beijing, China, in March to give a series of workshops and talks on how citizen science can play a role in Chinese environmental NGOs. A second workshop in May will be held in Chengdu, China, on the different types of tools available for data collection in citizen science projects. For weekly updates from the field follow @STIPcommonslab and the Commons Lab blog.
Contact: Elizabeth Tyson
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Austrian Citizen Science Conference
Citizen Science lifts off again in Austria. The Citizen Science Working Group (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna) and the WasserCluster Lunz are organizing the second Austrian Citizen Science Conference from 18th to 19th February in Lunz am See. Following the question “Quo vadis?” citizens and researchers are discussing how to improve the quality and develope future scenarios of Citizen Science in Austria. Find more information (in German) on the conference website.
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CfA "Citizen Observatories for Water Management"
The Autorita di Bacino dei fiumi dell'Alto Adriatico (Water Basin Authority) in collaboration with the Italian National Broadcaster RAI will host the international conference "Citizen Observatories for Water Management" on 7-10 June 2016 in Venice, Italy. The event will focus on the potential of Citizen Science in the European water innovation landscape, and in particular in the fields of flood risk management, environmental monitoring and meeting the challenges of the European Water Framework Directive and Flood Directive. The conference proposes an opportunity for actors in the field of science and innovation to exchange experiences on the development, implementation and use of new technologies to bring water-related issues closer to citizens.
The Call for Abstracts is open until 4 March 2016. More information here.
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Citizen Science Forum Brisbane
On 4 March 2016, Inspiring Australia organizes a citizen science forum in Brisbane, Australia, at the Queensland Museum & Sciencentre Theatre.
Inspiring Australia is the National Science Engagement Strategy from the Dept. of Science, Innovation and Industry run in partnership with the Queensland Museum and other science delivery and policy organisations. They will be showcasing some innovative examples of citizen science, and exploring its ability to revolutionise science and science engagement. There are big questions on the table. How do we link citizen science with mainstream scientific research? How can governments engage with citizen science for beneficial outcomes?
More information and ticket reservation is here, if you're coming from overseas and need more information you can contact Jessie Cappadonna.
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German Citizen Science Forum & Wiki Workshop
The project „Citizens create knowledge“ (GEWISS) organizes the conference "Citizen Science Forum" on 16th March 2016 in Berlin to present and discuss the results of the two year research and capacity building project on Citizen Science in Germany. Results inlcude a strategy to set priorities and goals for 2020, an online wiki to share tips and tricks for citizen science, and research into the state of citizen science in Germany and citizens’ wishes. The event will be held in German. More information and registration here.
The Citizen Science-Wiki created during the GEWISS project collects experiences, best practice cases and tips for Citizen Science practitioners in German. As a living document it will continue beyond the project sustained by the efforts of the Citizen Science community. The Wiki workshop, organized by the GEWISS project on 8 April 2016 in Munich, aims at bringing projects from Germany, Austria and Switzerland together in an Edit-a-thon to advance and adapt the GEWISS Wiki for the future. More information and registration here.
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Call for Initiatives: 150° Anniversary of the Ecology Concept
The European Ecological Federation (EEF), together with the Ecological Federation of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ), is organising the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the ecology concept, as formalised by Ernst Haeckel in 1866. Activities will be held between 14 April and 14 September 2016, and will feature events addressing the wide public to create opportunities for connecting citizens and science on such a relevant theme for today’s society.
The initiatives planned will use several formats (seminars, bioblitz, citizen science activities, etc.) and take place all over Europe and beyond. The Anniversary will open with the conference “The 150th Anniversary of the Ecology Concept: linking evolution, physiology and biogeography Symposium” (Leipzig, 14-15 April). The closing is scheduled for 14 September 2016, the actual date of signature of Ernst Haeckel’s book preface, as a series of simultaneous events marking the 150th Anniversary.
You can get involved by:
- Sharing the campaign on online platforms and during events;
- Organising citizen science activities on the closing day, September 14th 2016;
- Proposing other events and activities from April to September.
For more information, see the website and contact the organizer.
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Special Issue on Citizen Science in JCOM
JCOM, open access journal on science communication, has recently published the first part of its special issue on Citizen Science.
Quoting from the editorial by Bruce Lewenstein: "Citizen science is one of the most dramatic developments in science communication in the last generation. But analyses of citizen science, of what it means for science and especially for science communication, have just begun to appear. Articles in this first of two special issues of JCOM address three intertwined concerns in this emerging field: The motivation of citizen science participants, the relationship of citizen science with education, and the implications of participation for creation of democratic engagement in science-linked issues. Ultimately these articles contribute to answering the core question: What does citizen science mean?". Read more.
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Project Results: Public Engagement Innovations
The FP7 PE2020 project identifies, analyses and refines innovative public engagement (PE) tools and instruments for dynamic governance in the field of Science in Society. The project has piloted best practice PE processes related to the grand challenges of the Horizon 2020 and now presents the first reports of their pilots organized in Italy and in Finland.
These pilots include Educating on science-society relations and public engagement in Turin, Empowering young researchers on PE in energy efficiency in Rome and in Naples Public forum on mobility and transportation. The pilot in Finland took a broader view on societal challenges related to global change in the Living Lab of Global Change-pilot.
More information on the website.
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