event
Friday 08 Feb 2019: Citizen science for environmental research
Svetlana Klessova - inno Group
Harrison 170 13:30-14:30
Abstract:
Citizen Science refers to the general public engagement in scientific activities when citizens actively contribute to research projects with their knowledge, tools and resources. This research approach aims to contribute to scientific progress, create new links between science and society, and raise awareness about environmental issues. Citizen science approach allows researchers to access data on a larger geographic scale and over a longer period of time than it has been possible with traditional scientific research. Around the globe, thousands of research projects are mobilizing millions of volunteers to engage with a wide range of scientific activities at multiple levels. The number of citizen science projects steadily grows, in spite of the fact that citizen science faces several challenges, including data quality, recruitment and engagement of volunteers: in October 2018, Nature featured an article “No PhDs needed: how citizen science is transforming research” pointing out advantages, but also the increasing pains of citizen science projects. The European Commission encourages and promotes the citizen science approach as part of responsible research and innovation; citizen science activities are integrated in many Horizon 2020-funded environmental research projects. The talk will provide an overview of the citizen science approach, present typology of citizen science projects, showcase examples, highlight challenges and suggest directions on how the citizen science approach could be integrated in environmental research projects and proposals, with a focus on projects specifically in the water-sector.
Biography:
Svetlana Klessova is the Director of inno TSD, an innovation management consultancy based in France. Ms. Klessova has been with the company for 20 years, during which time she has had leading roles in over 50 science and innovation projects of the company on a world-wide level, especially in the USA, Asia, India, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean region, mostly related to information and communication technologies and international science and technology collaboration. She co-chaired the first and second editions of the EU-US Annual Transatlantic Symposium on ICT and Policy, organised by the Technological Leadership Institute, University of Minnesota (first edition, in 2017) and by the Woodrow Wilson Center (the second edition, in 2018). She is an advisory board member of Wiley-IEEE Press Series on Technology Management, Innovation, and Leadership.
Svetlana is a citizen science enthusiast and a Board Member of European Citizen Science Association, ECSA, that has 200 individual and organizational members from over 28 countries across the European Union and beyond.
The Centre for Water Systems and inno TSD are partners in a Horizon 2020-funded project called LOTUS, "Low-cost innovative technology for water quality monitoring and water resources management for urban and rural water systems in India", starting in February 2019. LOTUS will promote social innovation by introducing co-creation, co-design and co-development approaches, engaging with multiple local stakeholders to facilitate successful EU-India cooperation in the water sector. This capacity development-based paradigm shift, building on citizen science good practices, will lead to viable, affordable, sustainable and (socially) acceptable products and solutions and job creation. LOTUS assembles 21 European and Indian organisations, and is funded by the EC DG Environment and by the Indian Government.
