Education – Australian Citizen Science Association

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…

29Jun 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA 4 Comments

Citizen Science in QLD Schools

Blogs, Communication & promotion, Education, Engaging citizens

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…

29Jun 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

Citizen science – there’s something for everyone, everywhere

Blogs, Communication & promotion, Education, Engaging citizens, Meetings and Events

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…

17Mar 2023 by Lisa Evans - ACSA 2 Comments

New insect species discovered by high school citizen scientists!

Blogs, CS Project, Education, Grants

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…

25Oct 2022 by Lisa Evans - ACSA No Comments

B&B Schools BioBlitz results

Collaboration & partnerships, CS Project, Education, Engaging citizens, Field-based citizen science, Showcasing science outcomes

Here is latest news from Planting Seeds about the B&B Schools BioBlitz, which was supported by ACSA. Planting Seeds is also a recipient of a 2022 ACSA Seed Grant. Thank you to everyone who participated! The B&B BioBlitz blitzed biodiversity! Scheduled for September’s National Biodiversity Month, schools from every State and territory engaged in citizen science, took observations in their school grounds and uploaded the images to iNaturalist and the CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia.Over 60 schools participated recording approximately 2345 observations of 635 species. Our leaderboard shows St Monica's College in Melbourne took the most observations at a grand total of 213, followed by Wahroonga Adventist School (188) and Mulgoa Public School (153).Unusual species photographed included the Two-tailed Spider and there were beautiful images of bugs and birds including the…

20Sep 2022 by Lisa Evans - ACSA 2 Comments

2022 ACSA Seed Grant winners

CS Project, Education, Field-based citizen science, Grants, Social research in CS

We are very pleased to announce that two great projects have been selected to receive our $1,000 seed grants. Ferox AustralisDr Larissa Braz SouzaLarissa’s grant will be put towards the costs of publishing a paper in the open-access journal Citizen Science: Theory and Practice. It will explore and publish the outcomes of the Great Southern Bioblitz, a co-created citizen science initiative.From their application:The Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB) is a co-created citizen science initiative to observe as many species as possible over spring in the Southern Hemisphere. As GSB is reaching its third year, we have identified the need to analyse its development and implementation, and assess challenges and opportunities to reach new areas. Thus, we propose using quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the GSB framework, outcomes and future directions resulting…

14Apr 2021 by Amy Slocombe No Comments

Citizen Science and Education

Education

We are often asked to provide examples of citizen science projects that are suitable for children and those that educators can adopt in classrooms or can be used by community groups such as Scouts. In honour of Citizen Science Month, we’ve adapted an email our Social Media Moderator, Michelle Neil, prepared in response to an inquiry from a member of our community. Let us know if you have other projects or initiatives that are great for children that should be included. Using their devices for good (not evil) - Cooloola Bioblitz 2019. Pic: Michelle Neil “Hi there! My name is Michelle. I am a parent, an analytical chemist, avid citizen scientist, science communicator, CSIRO STEM Professional in School volunteer, Joey Scout leader and a virtual volunteer with ACSA." Here are…

15Feb 2021 by Amy Slocombe No Comments

Citizen Science Lunchtime Seminars

ACSA development, Collaboration & partnerships, Communication & promotion, Education, Inclusivity, Meetings and Events

The Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) Early-Mid career researchers (EMCR) Working Group is excited to announce a new series of lunchtime seminars discussing exciting developments in Australian citizen science research. With a goal to unite citizen science aligned researchers and practitioners in Australia, these seminars are a space to advance scholarship, provide support, share resources and advocate for new opportunities. We will hear from researchers conducting citizen science research in Australia, discuss challenges and opportunities we face while conducting such research and offer support for researchers taking their first steps into citizen science. Who will be the speakers? As the seminars are intended to share current research conducted in Australia and discuss its developments, opportunities and challenges, the speakers will be members of our growing community. We have three brave…

14Aug 2020 by Amy Slocombe No Comments

National Science Week

Communication & promotion, Education, Engaging citizens, Meetings and Events

ACSA is proud to support Australia’s National Science Week (15-23 August). There will be a number of citizen science activities to mark the week. Remember these are all online so anyone can participate! 15/08: The Secret life of nudibranch (Gold Coast Libraries) 15/08: Get the GC Reef lowdown (Gold Coast Libraries) 17/08: Whales in the city with Dr Olaf (Humpbacks & High Rises) 17/08: Introducing citizen science to younger people (ACSA ACT & Region) 19/08: Lunimary Lecture: Whales in the city (Gold Coast Libraries) 20/08: What Makes Science Good? (The University of Adelaide) 25/08: The Science and Citizens of the Coorong (Murraylands & Riverland Landscape Board) For more citizen science Science Week activities please click here, and for a complete list of all the National Science Week activities please visit the official website.

04Sep 2019 by Amy Slocombe No Comments

Get that job! CV & Cover Letter tips and tricks

Communication & promotion, Education

I want that job. What should my CV look like? What do I include in my cover letter? Presenting an exclusive opportunity for ACSA members only, this training will help you understand what Government and other employers are looking for when reviewing job applications. Presented by our Chair Erin and Vice-Chair Stephanie, who between them have 26 years' experience in the government sector, you will learn how to best structure, format and present your CV and cover letter to give you the best chance of being selected for interview. Sound good? Please register your interest and we'll contact you with further details soon. Not yet a member? You can sign up here!

Category: Education