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Citizen Science: Introduction

This guide provides case studies, resources and information on relevant events to support UCD staff, researchers, academics and students interested in citizen science.

What is Citizen Science?

Citizen Science encompasses a wide variety of activities and practices that recognises non-professionals as valued and empowered actors in advancing knowledge, research and innovation. (UCD’s publication Engage your Research : An Introductory Guide to Engaging& Involving the Public in Research)

 

Citizen science broadly refers to the active engagement of the general public in scientific research tasks. Citizen science is a growing practice in which scientists and citizens collaborate to produce new knowledge for science and society. (The Science of Citizen Science)

Citizen science can be described as the voluntary participation of non-professional scientists in research and innovation at different stages of the process and at different levels of engagement, from shaping research agendas and policies, to gathering, processing and analysing data, and assessing the outcomes of research. (European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, 2020)

Citizen science projects actively involve citizens in scientific endeavour that generates new knowledge or understanding. Citizens may act as contributors, collaborators, or as project leader and have a meaningful role in the project. ECSA (European Citizen Science Association). 2015. Ten Principles of Citizen Science. Berlin.

Citizen science is a global movement where individuals, family members, friends, community groups, or anyone does science to address real-world questions. (SciStarter)

Other Related Guides Available

UCD Citizen Science Community of Practice Events

 

Martin Brocklehurst's presentation slides are above to view: 
 
The decade of Citizen Science is here : be part of it !
 
Wednesday 3rd May at 11am in the O'Brien Centre for Science

 

 

Martin Brocklehurst, co-founder of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP),  outlined how citizen science can provide meaningful democratic and economic input and buy-in to deliver a liveable future – in terms of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. How for the first time in our history, as a species on this planet, scientists have the technology to connect people and collect research data and information on a scale and density unimagined but a few years ago. Not only to answer research questions but to support international agreements and government policy and to drive behavioural change. That we can do so at a pace needed to tackle the three great challenges of our time: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We owe it to the next generation to grasp this chance and turn citizens into the generation that changed our world.

UCD Citizen Science Community of Practice

 

Please join our mailing list. We welcome UCD staff and students, members of the public and people from other universities or organisations.

How to join: i) Open your email and start a new message ii) in the body of the email type: SUBSCRIBE UCDCITIZENSCIENCE firstname surname iii) delete any other information such as logos, addresses or links which you might have in your email body iv) send the email to this address: listserv@listserv.heanet.ie

(firstname surname should be your own name, e.g., James Joyce)

You will receive a reply to confirm that you are a member of the UCD Citizen Science mailing list.

Or if you prefer you can join by adding your details yourself in the UCD Citizen Science mailing list - on the right hand side of the page click on the Subscribe or Unsubscribe option.

UCD and Citizen Science

UCD’s publication Engage your Research : An Introductory Guide to Engaging

& Involving the Public in Research states:


“Citizen Science encompasses a wide variety of activities and practices that recognises non-professionals as valued and empowered actors in advancing knowledge, research and innovation.”

Ten Principles of Citizen Science

Contacts

 

The UCD Citizen Science Community of Practice is supported by UCD Library and UCD Earth Institute

 

Contact: Jane Nolan, UCD Library at: jane.nolan@ucd.ie

or Liz Bruton, UCD Earth Institute at: elizabeth.bruton@ucd.ie

Students, Staff and Members of UCD are invited to join the UCD Citizen Science Community of Practice