Engaging Science Grants
The Engaging Science Grants program is now accepting applications for STEM-based events or education and engagement projects in Queensland. Read more
National Science Statement and National Science and Research Priorities.
Department of Industry, Science and Resources have released the new National Science Statement and National Science and Research Priorities.Science is at the centre of the Australian Government’s ambition to deliver a Future Made in Australia and respond to 21st century challenges. The statement is a framework to shape science policy and leadership across governments, labs, research institutions and boardrooms, to 2034. The priorities emphasise the science and research we need to solve our greatest challenges. Read more
Two ACSA chairs reflect on their experiences and the growth of ACSA over the past 10 years
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…
Exploring the Power of Citizen Science and Nature Connection: The Great Southern Bioblitz Journey
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…
AI-powered photos to help predict catastrophic Australian bushfires
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…
Citizen Science in QLD Schools
In June our social media moderator, scientist, keen citizen scientist and #CitSciOz23 Conference co-convener, Michelle Neil was invited to present to over 150 Queensland primary and secondary school students and their teachers at the 2023 Sustainability and Science Schools Showcase hosted by Queensland’s Office of the Chief Scientist at Queensland Museum’s The Edge. How do you galvanise the next generation of citizen scientists into action? How do you explain citizen science in fewer than 7 slides and under 3 minutes? Introducing the tools of citizen science Have you seen our citizen scientists’ t-shirts? The pictures represent the tools of a citizen scientist. You might use one tool for your project or all of them – there really is no limit. The tools include; a computer mouse and mobile phone to…
Citizen science – there’s something for everyone, everywhere
ACSA-WA member Dr Tegan Douglas was thrilled to be able to present to the Lesmurdie branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A) earlier this month. True to the Noongar season of Makuru, the weather was cold and blustery, but not even hail was enough to stop this group of curious minds and life-long learners from gathering at Falls Farm in Lesmurdie to hear about how easy it is to get involved with citizen science. Photo courtesy of Heidi Pember Tegan introduced the group to ACSA, demonstrated how citizen science worked, and the benefits that science and society can get from it. Using her background in bird conservation, she drew examples of how the power of citizen science can track population trends in native and introduced bird species, and…
ACSA-SA and Cosmos Science collaboration launch
By Isabella Wilson and Katie Irvine of ACSA-SA To celebrate a new collaboration between the South Australian Chapter of ACSA and Cosmos Science we teamed up to hold a launch event 'How to Become a Citizen Scientist' at RiAus @ The Science Exchange, Adelaide, in May. Project coordinators displayed flyers, posters, and banners and enjoyed the nibbles and company. The event aligned with the submission date for the South Australian Government Citizen Science small grants applications - so everyone was ready to let their hair down and celebrate! Cosmos Science is now endeavouring to publish weekly Citizen Science content and is on the hunt nationally for stories for publication. Click here to submit your story Cosmos has 1.5-2 million readers each month online, a little over half of whom are…
New insect species discovered by high school citizen scientists!
This is an exciting story you may have seen in the news lately. Beerwah State High School students in Queensland have recently announced the discovery of a new insect species, which was found by Year 8 students participating in the Insect Investigators project. This makes Beerwah SHS the latest out of 8 schools who have discovered previously unidentified insects since this project began. They announced the discovery on their Facebook page: After almost 12 months, the DNA tests and study by University of Adelaide (@uniofadelaide) taxonomists Mollie-Rosae Slater-Baker (a PhD candidate) and Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, show that we have discovered a new species of wasp.It is a tiny parasitic wasp in the genus Mirax which lay eggs in caterpillars which then eat the caterpillar from the inside-out!Beerwah SHS Facebook page…
CitSciOz21: reflections & summaries
By Luise Manning Luise was the recipient of one of ACSA’s complimentary conference regsiterations, available to those people who did not have organisational support to attend CitSciOz21 Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, the 3rd ACSA Conference, which was planned to be held on the Gold Coast last year, went from a face-to-face conference to an on-line event. The induction videos on how to use the platform were useful to test your equipment before attending the conference. This was my first ACSA conference and I was quite impressed by the ease of registering and the easy-to-understand home page containing the timetable of events for each day. It was very professionally done and provided a wide variety of topics and content. The benefits of the on-line conference meant that even if two…