Lisa Evans – ACSA – Australian Citizen Science Association

30Jan 2025 by Lisa Evans - ACSA 2 Comments

Save the Date for #CitSciOZ25

Communication & promotion, Conferences, Meetings and Events

SAVE THE DATEOctober 13–15, 2025Melbourne, VIC #CitSciOz25 – A Catalyst for Change We’re excited to announce the 6th Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) conference, happening this October at Melbourne Connect, Parkville. #CitSciOz25 is your chance to exchange bold ideas, expand your network, and learn how citizen science can be the catalyst for transformative change in your community. The event will bring together practitioners, researchers, government agencies, and community leaders to showcase the latest innovations and insights from Australia and beyond. Don’t miss your chance to shape the future of citizen science at Australia’s leading event! Calls for contributions—covering presentations, workshops, and posters—will open in May 2025. For more information about the conference, please visit the #CitSciOz25 conference page which now has all the details. More information is added there as…

19Nov 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

2024 ACSA Seed Grant Winner

Communication & promotion, CS Project, Grants, Social research in CS

ACSA is very pleased to announce that the 2024 ACSA Seed Grant has been awarded to Kelly Sheldrick and the Conservation Council of WA. This year, the Seed Grant is a combination of $2,000 in financial support, along with additional benefits to be discussed - such as mentoring, grant writing support, promotion, or other non-financial assistance. This grant will go towards "quantifying the power of citizen science to change perspectives of an historically unloved taxa, bats, and collectively identifying effective conservation actions to support bats in a sprawling city". Participants in a training session for surveying bat populations Conservation Council of WAKelly SheldrickThe negative perception towards bats has impacted their conservation and research. This has led to bats being missed from grassroots initiatives and land management plans, as well as…

28Oct 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Notice of the 2024 ACSA AGM

ACSA development, Meetings and Events

This notice is to advise members of the Australian Citizen Science Association Inc. (ACSA) of the upcoming Annual General Meeting. The details of this meeting are as follows: Date:20 November 2024Time:AGM will commence at 13.00 and end at 13:55 AEDT (NSW)Place:Online (Google Meet)RSVP & Proxy:Please submit this online form ASAP to help us ensure we meet quorum requirements Please find links to forms and documents: an 2024 ACSA AGM Agenda for this meeting previous 2023 AGM minutes ACSA Annual Report 2023-2024 an online form where you can: RSVP to attend the ACSA AGM online indicate your intent to appoint another ACSA member to be your Proxy and attend the AGM on your behalf, or send a formal Apology letting us know you are unable to attend the AGM. Contact Us if…

29Sep 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Seed Grants 2024 – Call for applications!

Communication & promotion, CS Project, Grants, Showcasing science outcomes

What’s in it for you? $2,000 in seed funding to help kickstart your citizen science initiative, covering essential project costs such as equipment, materials, or participant outreach, or assist with publication costs for an open access journal. Social Media Promotion: Dedicated promotion of your project and organisation across our social media platforms, giving your work increased visibility and helping you engage a wider audience in your research journey. Mentoring (optional): Access to experienced professionals who will provide personalized guidance, helping you overcome challenges and maximize your impact. Training in Grant Writing (optional): Specialised workshops that will equip you with the skills and knowledge to pursue further funding opportunities, helping you sustain and expand your project beyond the seed phase. Motivation to initiate something you have always wanted to do. A…

19Aug 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Relive #CitSciOz23 on the ACSA YouTube channel

Communication & promotion, Conferences

ACSA's 2023 national conference was held on the Sunshine Coast from 21 to 23 November 2023, hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast. It was an epic meeting of the minds, with presentations ranging from data best practice, to citizen science in backyards and gardens, climate change, schools and education, and the latest thinking about science communication and engagement, among many other topics. All presentations in the main auditorium were recorded, and we also have a number of pre-recorded talks from speakers who couldn't make it in person. These videos were made available to registered attendees earlier this year, and were recently opened to the public on the ACSA YouTube channel. Explore our playlist of keynote presentations, or the full playlist of recorded presentations.

24Jun 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Two ACSA chairs reflect on their experiences and the growth of ACSA over the past 10 years

ACSA development, Blogs

Erin Roger ACSA Chair (2016-2021) ACSA turning 10 this year is something we should all be really proud of. The association is what it is today because of the tireless time and dedication of mostly volunteers (as well as some excellent paid staff) in addition to all the members (individuals and organisations) who have supported it. I remember being at the inception meeting in Brisbane on May 6th, 2014, and it was filled with committed people wanting to make ACSA a reality. From those early days, ACSA has grown into a well-regarded and established source of best practice information, collaboration, coordination, and advocacy for citizen science. Being the chair of ACSA was a huge privilege. I had some outstanding opportunities during my tenure such as getting to travel to Nairobi…

19Jun 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Exploring the Power of Citizen Science and Nature Connection: The Great Southern Bioblitz Journey

Blogs, CS Project, Engaging citizens, Field-based citizen science, Grants, Social research in CS

Authors: Larissa Braz Sousa, Nicole Miller, Seamus Doherty, Peter Crowcroft, Michelle Neil, Stephen Fricker Across the globe's diverse landscapes, a quiet revolution is taking place. It's a movement where everyday people, armed with curiosity and a passion for nature, are driving scientific discovery forward. This revolution is citizen science, and at its core are initiatives like the Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB), celebrating the awe-inspiring biodiversity of the southern hemisphere—from the majestic eucalyptus trees to the intricate beauty of tiny species. The GSB is a citizen science initiative designed to observe as many species as possible during the Southern Hemisphere's spring. Launched in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating bushfires in Oceania and South America, the GSB was inspired by the City Nature Challenge. Beginning in Australia, it quickly spread…

18Mar 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

ACSA represented at UNEA-6

Collaboration & partnerships, International, Meetings and Events

As the world’s top decision-making body on the environment, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) aims to restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. UNEA-6, the 6th session of UNEA, focused on tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste through multilateralism, strong science, and engagement with society. It was held at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya from 26 February to 1 March 2024. Dr Bridie Schultz, who recently joined the ACSA Management Committee, attended UNEA on behalf of ACSA. She did a stellar job advocating for citizen science inclusion in a variety of UN Environment Programme (UNEP) endeavours as part of a global citizen science delegation. The following was written for the…

24Jan 2024 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Expression of Interest Open for a Discussion Paper Coordinator (paid) – Deadline extended to Wed 20 March

Collaboration & partnerships, CS Project, EMCR

The Australian Citizen Science Association is proud to partner with the Australian Academy of Science’s Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) to support the development of a discussion paper that will focus on ways to identify and strengthen linkages between citizen science and universities. ACSA are currently seeking an early- to mid-career researcher (EMCR) to lead coordination of this discussion paper through this paid opportunity. EMCRs represent the future of Australian research and ACSA seeks to strengthen collaborations with EMCRs to help to build research partnerships that can advance the Australian citizen science community of practice and provide meaningful opportunities for EMCRs to contribute to the development of a rapidly growing and powerful field in Australia and abroad. For more information about the role please see the EOI here.

12Dec 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

CitSciOz23 – Listen to the podcasts recorded at the conference

Communication & promotion, Conferences, Engaging citizens

Ian Campbell, Christine Kemeny and Nadine Gaffney from CitizenScience.Show attended the CitSciOz23 conference last month and recorded a series of interviews about citizen science from multiple different perspectives - including ACSA representatives, citizen scientists, practitioners, and a very insightful discussion with the wonderful Costa Georgiadis. Many of the podcasts have now been released, with more to come... so watch this space, and subscribe to them if you can so you don't miss any episodes! Follow this link to find all the podcasts on Spotify, or go to your favourite podcast app and search for "Citizen Science Show". So far you can hear from: Michelle Neil - ACSA Costa Georgiadis - Landscape Architect and TV Presenter Clare Hawkins - Bookend Trust, NatureTrackers and University of Tasmania Alex Chapman - ACSA WA,…

Author: Lisa Evans - ACSA