Lisa Evans – ACSA – Australian Citizen Science Association

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,…

29Nov 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

2023 ACSA Seed Grant Winner

CS Project, Grants, Showcasing science outcomes

ACSA is very pleased to announce that Adelle Mansour has won the 2023 ACSA Seed Grant of $2,000 to be put towards publication of a citizen science related paper in an open access journal. Adelle presented a pre-recorded talk about her project at the CitSciOz23 conference, detailing the fascinating work she will be doing for her PhD at the University of Melbourne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DXduWSnXOA Watch Adelle's talk from the #CitSciOz23 conference University of MelbourneAdelle MansourIn the face of the climate crisis, housing plays a critical role in protecting the health and wellbeing of its occupants – for example, by keeping them cool during heatwaves. Yet, our housing stock in Australia is increasingly unable to both withstand and mitigate the impacts of environmental hazards (e.g. floods, temperature extremes). Improved housing policies are…

02Nov 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Notice of the 2023 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:23 November 2023Time:AGM will commence at 13:25 AEST (QLD time)Place:Innovation Centre Auditorium, University of the Sunshine CoastRSVP:Please submit this online form ASAP to help us ensure we meet quorum requirementsInfo:Download the ACSA Annual Report for 2022-23 Please find links to forms and downloading documents: an 2023 ACSA AGM Agenda for this meeting previous 2022 AGM minutes an ACSA AGM Proxy Form for you to download, fill out, and email back to appoint another ACSA member to be your proxy and attend the AGM on your behalf (signature required) an online form where you can: RSVP to attend the ACSA AGM in person or…

27Sep 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

2023 ACSA Management Committee nominations NOW OPEN!

ACSA development, Meetings and Events

Do you think it’s important to ensure everyone in the community can play a part in answering big questions and solving big problems using science? Are you interested in supporting the growth of a national not-for-profit that’s making this happen?If you answered yes to these questions, consider nominating yourself to join the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) Management Committee! Joining the Management Committee is a great opportunity to offer your expertise in shaping the future of ACSA and the citizen science community. It also provides unique networking and learning opportunities about citizen science and ACSA. Management Committee positions are voluntary and are 2-year terms from November 2023 to November 2025. You can choose to self-nominate for one of three positions that are open in this year’s election: The Chair The Treasurer One General…

05Sep 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA 1 Comment

Seed Grants 2023 – Call for applications!

Grants

ACSA is excited to announce our sixth round of Seed Grants! As a way of giving back and investing in our members we are offering a grant of $2000 to an ACSA member to seed their professional growth or their project’s growth. What’s in it for you? $2000 to seed your professional development or your project’s growth, or assist with publication costs for an open access journal. Exposure for your project and/or organisation. Motivation to initiate something you have always wanted to do. Quick and easy application process (online application form). Last year our two ACSA Seed Grant winners were: PlantingSeedsDr Judy Friedlander A national school BioBlitz, held in National Biodiversity Month, to generate STEM skills and biodiversity data, with associated resources, curriculum links and workshops for teachers. Read their…

05Sep 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

2022 Seed Grant – PlantingSeeds progress report

CS Project, Education, Field-based citizen science, Grants

By Dr Judy Friedlander, winner of a 2022 ACSA Seed Grant The awarding of an ACSA Seed Grant to PlantingSeeds Projects in 2022 enabled the organisation to kick-start the National School Citizen Science B&B BioBlitz and generate interest and engagement in schools around Australia. The BioBlitz attracted educational institutions from every Australian State and Territory and saw over 60 schools participating, with over 2,300 observations and 635 species recorded. Student citizen scientists taking images during the B&B BioBlitz Most schools are located in urban areas, which makes them particularly valuable sites for scientific research. Many threatened plant and animal species live in urban areas, yet only 5% of citizen science projects in Australia are urban-based. The National School Citizen Science B&B BioBitz involved students taking images of plant and animal…

11Aug 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

AI-powered photos to help predict catastrophic Australian bushfires

Blogs, CS Project, Engaging citizens, Field-based citizen science

The National Bushfire Resilience Network (NOBURN) is a citizen science project empowering people to use their mobile phones to collect information that will help predict bushfire hotspots and minimise their impact. The project is the culmination of two years’ research through an alliance of world-renowned researchers in artificial intelligence, forestry, human factors and science communication at the University of the Sunshine Coast and University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning, in partnership with Noosa Shire Council and funded through the Federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources. NOBURN was developed in the wake of the 2019-20 bushfires that burned more than 10 million hectares of forest, destroyed 2000 homes and claimed dozens of lives. For more information, check out their 2-minute video from researcher, Dr Sam Van Holsbeeck, or…

11Aug 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Citizen Science: Theory and Practice – Call for abstracts for a special collection

Communication & promotion, Showcasing science outcomes, Social research in CS

The open-access, peer-reviewed journal Citizen Science: Theory and Practice is seeking a range of papers including research papers, review and synthesis papers, case studies, and essays for their special collection AI and the Future of Citizen Science. Abstracts should be submitted by September 8, 2023 Visit the CSA announcement for more details about the special collection and how to submit your abstracts.

Author: Lisa Evans - ACSA