Faculty of Science

Applied Citizen Science
Provider: Faculty of Science

Activity no.: 5930-24-12-31
	Enrollment deadline: 01/06/2024

Place	Natural History Museum of Denmark,
Date and time	05.08.2024, at: 09:00 - 09.08.2024, at: 16:00
Regular seats	30
ECTS credits	2.50

Contact person	Natalie Iwanycki Ahlstrand E-mail address: natalie.iwanycki@snm.ku.dk

Enrolment Handling/Course Organiser	Anders P. Tøttrup E-mail address: aptottrup@snm.ku.dk

Aim and content This course in Applied Citizen Science offers an in-depth introduction to citizen science: the involvement of the public in scientific research. The development and application of citizen science is increasing around the world as an effective and progressive research method to address today’s societal challenges. Citizen Science is gaining interest from policy makers and funding bodies across multiple disciplines. Students will be presented with the various applications of citizen science through interactive lectures, discussions, exercises, field, and lab activities. The course includes guest lectures from prominent citizen science experts in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe from academic and non-academic institutions, representing fields of natural & environmental science, social science, and the humanities. By the end of course students will have a solid foundation in the theory and practice of citizen science including inter- and transdisciplinary aspects and will apply this knowledge by designing their own project to address a specific research question using citizen science methods. Formal requirements At minimum, students should possess MSc or MA degrees or equivalent from recognised universities and/or be enrolled in a PhD programme. The course is also available to postdocs and as specialized training/continuing education course. Interested participants should send a letter including an explanation about how the course will benefit their project, a brief description of their PhD project and a short CV. Maximum 2 pages in all. Deadline for application is May 15. Send the applications to Anders P. Tøttrup: aptottrup@snm.ku.dk. There is no registration fee for PhD students registered at Danish universities; however a course fee of 2000 DKK will apply to international students and postdocs. Learning outcome Knowledge: -Describe basic aspects of citizen science such as the history and typologies in citizen science -Differentiate between methods in citizen science, community science, crowd sourcing, participatory science, and co-design -Understand the benefits and current limitations of citizen science -Explain and critique the various levels of citizen engagement from contributory to extreme citizen science -Describe the benefits and challenges of collaborating and co-creating with citizen scientists -Understand the technological aspects of citizen science projects and current digital tools -Understand communication strategies that are beneficial for explaining and conveying scientific methods and research results to the public and specific audiences -Understand biases in, and handle and analyse citizen science data -Draw links between citizen science research, Open Science, and the UN Sustainability Goals. Skills: -Critically review and assess citizen science approaches -Make qualified contributions to the development of the rapidly evolving field of citizen science -Design and apply inter- and transdisciplinary methods to meet the interests and needs of the public Competences: -Evaluate and discuss citizen science literature and projects -Identify research questions relevant for citizen science and reflect on solutions -Target specific groups of volunteers based on motivation, prerequisites, and preferences -Apply contributory, collaborative, and co-creation methods to research -Consider and plan for the technical aspects and digital tools for citizen science projects -Design and implement a citizen science project including all aspects from idea/question and communication to methods development, data analyses, and assessing project impact Literature A list of literature including journal articles and book chapters will be provided based on the daily themes planned in the course. These will be used as learning materials for preparation prior to the course including chapters of the book "Citizen Science – Innovation in open science, society and policy", by Hecker et al. UCL Press. Target group PhD students and postdocs from any research faculty/discipline with projects and/or strong interests in including principles citizen science and community engagement as part of their research tools. This course is a transdisciplinary course and thus open to students across all departments at SCIENCE and across faculties at KU and from other Danish & international universities. Teaching and learning methods Students will learn by participating in hands-on citizen science activities, discussing published citizen science studies, and designing and developing and peer-reviewing their own citizen science research project ideas. A mixture of lectures, exercises, workshops, seminars, lab activities, fieldwork and excursions will be included. Students will have one week following the course to develop their own citizen science project idea and present it to the instructors and students in an on-line forum using a poster and story-telling techniques Lecturers Lecturers include Anders P. Tøttrup and Natalie Iwanycki Ahlstrand (Natural History Museum of Denmark); Marianne Achiam (Department of Science Education), Ida Theilade (Department of Food and Resource Economics), as well as experts in the field of citizen science from elsewhere in Europe, representing academic and non-academic institutions. Remarks Course fee 2000 DKK for postdocs and international PhD students

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