ALA presentation: underpinning citizen science in Australia

ALA presentation: underpinning citizen science in Australia

Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion, Meetings and Events
ACSA-ACT & Region invites you to join a special online presentation by Peter Brenton of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). This presentation will provide an overview of the ALA, including the tools, services and information it provides. It will also cover the benefits to data providers in making their data freely available through the ALA. Time will also be allocated to a Q&A session were your ALA questions will be answered. Underpinning citizen science in Australia Presented by: Peter Brenton Date: 30 July 2020 Time: 7:30PM Format: Online (Zoom) Register here! The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is our national facility for biodiversity data, aggregating occurrence observations and other biodiversity information from thousands of sources into a standardised public access data repository which is used by the general public,…
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Environmental biosecurity webinar series – begins in 2 weeks

Environmental biosecurity webinar series – begins in 2 weeks

Communication & promotion, Meetings and Events
The Environmental Biosecurity Office (EBO) is excited to inform you about a new monthly environmental biosecurity webinar series beginning in two weeks. The monthly webinars will run during the last week of each month using Microsoft Teams, and will be held in place of the Environmental Biosecurity Roundtables for 2020. Each webinar will feature three keynote speakers and explore a particular theme relating to environmental biosecurity. The speaking sessions will run for no more than one hour and be followed by a half hour facilitated discussion for those who wish to dive deeper into the topic being discussed. If you have a spare 60 or (even better) 90 minutes a month, you may like to consider logging on for this engaging series! The EBO is planning to use the department’s…
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Global Citizen Science practitioners invited to contribute to UNESCO’s 2021 initiative to promote Open Science

Global Citizen Science practitioners invited to contribute to UNESCO’s 2021 initiative to promote Open Science

Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion, Social research in CS
Open Science, the movement working to make research more accessible and transparent, has been developing since the late 1990s. Citizen Science, has been developing in parallel and benefits from many of the technological advances that have allowed Open Science to flourish. As our networks have been working hard to raise the profile, understanding and uptake of Citizen Science so those encouraging the practice of Open Science have been doing the same with increasing success. Now with an understanding of the importance of the widespread collaboration of communities and science to address urgent planetary challenges, UNESCO has identified the need to encourage science to be more connected to societies’ needs and to offer real opportunities to allow everyone to participate and benefit from what science can offer. They have established a…
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Putting a Citizen Science Stamp on it!

Putting a Citizen Science Stamp on it!

ACSA development, Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion
By Michelle Neil At the end of March 2019 I had just returned from the USA Citizen Science Association’s Conference in Raleigh NC and I had just submitted my ACSA blog about my adventures. I was still buzzing about everyone I had met, the sheer volume of people (over 800!) that were at the Conference and how well citizen science was presented plus the funding and grant opportunities and global collaborations that we talked about. Yet back in Australia, I was frustrated.  Despite the Australian Citizen Science Association’s (and my) best efforts, many Australians still didn’t know what citizen science is or how anyone can contribute to increase scientific knowledge. My husband, John, overheard my grumbling and, with the latest Australia Post Stamp Bulletin in hand, said, “You know what…
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Bushfire recovery Project Finder is live

Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion
In mid-April CSIRO officially announced its partnership with ACSA and the Atlas of Living Australia in producing the Citizen Science Bushfire Project Finder. CSIRO’s Chief Executive Larry Marshall and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews were both quoted in the media release with Minister Andrews reiterating her commitment to citizen science “Despite the challenges we are facing, the Australian spirit remains strong and it is obvious that our citizens are eager to do their part in the bushfire recovery process.” The Bushfire Project Finder features a geographic filter enabling users to identify available projects in their area. It can be accessed here.  The media release prompted a number of media inquiries with some great publicity resulting from this work. Have a listen to ALA’s Director Andre Zerger on ABC’s Goulburn-Murray (time stamp 2.19) or ACSA Chair Erin Roger followed by the Australian Museum’s Paul Flemons on ABC…
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“Join Flutracking” Prof Paul Kelly urges Australians

“Join Flutracking” Prof Paul Kelly urges Australians

Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion, Engaging citizens
On 6 April 2020 Professor Paul Kelly, Deputy Chief Health Officer, encouraged all Australians to join Flutracking to help track the spread of COVID-19. Following this  Dr. Craig Dalton, co-ordinator of Flutracking.net reached out to ACSA and asked for our assistance in spreading this message far and wide. Participating in this citizen science project is easy, and will provide incredibly valuable information that can help us track COVID-19 and other illness in real time. Join Flutracking at https://info.flutracking.net/ and complete a simple 30 second survey once a week. Join Flutracking now.
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City Nature Challenge is GO!

City Nature Challenge is GO!

Communication & promotion, Engaging citizens
“Imagine how many species we could document if everyone in Australia just spent a few hours a day for four days documenting the biodiversity in their own backyard!” Sick of staying indoors? Have you heard about the biggest backyard bioblitz Australia has ever seen?  For the first time ever the City Nature Challenge is being contested by four Australian cities. Due to COVID-19, the City Nature Challenge (Australian organisers) are also encouraging everyone in Australia to join in the fun and bioblitz their own backyards (or balconies) in the name of science! It all takes place from the 24th to 27th April inclusive, but there are also daily challenges leading up to the big event, so get the kids involved too! Please note: the iNaturalist app is rated as ages…
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Welcome to Global CitSciMonth!

Welcome to Global CitSciMonth!

Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion, Engaging citizens
Citizen Science Month offers thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. There’s something for everyone, everywhere! If you are #HomeSchooling, #StayAtHome or just having a #Staycation you can join a project or event from wherever you are to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you. There is something on every day (and night) during CitSciMonth and most are suitable for students to join in online. Check out the calendar for more information here such as the Grey Mangrove Hunt or join the ACSA team in the Stall-A-Thon where we will be helping to find a cure for Alzheimers with Stall Catchers. Note: Check the time zones before you sign up for web events as this is a global events month. Is your favourite citizen science project…
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Are you ready to BioBlitz?

Are you ready to BioBlitz?

Communication & promotion, Engaging citizens
With less than 50 days until the 5th City Nature Challenge (CNC) the four Australian cities competing are busy training citizen scientists and getting the word out on social media. International founders and organisers, Lila Higgins (Natural History Museum of LA County) and Alison Young (California Academy of Sciences), anticipate more than 40,000 people worldwide will make & share over 1 million observations of nature in over 230 cities from the 24th to 27th of April inclusive. All Australian iNaturalist research-grade observations are added to the Atlas of Living Australia via the iNaturalist Australia node. You can read more about that here. Philip Roetman and ACSA SA recently hosted their first CNC training session. Part one of "Using iNaturalist" can be found on the Adelaide City Nature Challenge YouTube channel…
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ACSA-Vic event: How can Citizen Science contribute to public health?

ACSA-Vic event: How can Citizen Science contribute to public health?

Communication & promotion, Engaging citizens, Meetings and Events
Join our next Citizen Science event and discover how citizen science can contribute to public health. When: 3pm - 5:00pm, 25 March, 2020 Where: Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre, 251 Faraday St, Carlton. RSVP: via Eventbrite Guest presenters: Ann Borda, Centre for the Digital Transformation of Health - The University of Melbourne  Ann is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for the Digital Transformation of Health at The University of Melbourne. Ann has a PhD in information science from University College London which has served as a springboard for her commitment towards transdisciplinary scholarship. Ann's own research focuses on participatory health, digital health literacy, and smart cultural heritage. Ollie Conlan, Bicycle Network More than two thirds of Australians, including children, don’t get enough exercise. The stats tell us…
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