CitSciOzOnline: Innovation in Citizen Science (Uncut)
Channel: Australian Citizen Science Association
Date: 2020-11-01

Innovation in Citizen Science


7pm AEDST, Wednesday 28th October 2020


New approaches and technology are pushing the boundaries of the ways that citizen science can contribute to a range of social and ecological outcomes - uniting enabling technologies with citizen science approaches and highlight opportunities for new research.

Speakers:

Dr Yaela Golumbic - The Breaking Good Project
Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Sydney and Science Communication Researcher

Dr Golumbic is is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Sydney, where she is leading the research on student and public participation in the Breaking Good initiative. an international citizen science initiative that empowers members of the public to be active researchers in projects that will improve human health. To date, Breaking Good includes lab-based projects exploring the synthesis of new drug candidates or the recreation of expensive medicines with high school students and undergraduates, and an online project exploring the accessibility of the world’s most important medicines. Yaela is designing a holistic framework for measuring citizen science project success, one which acknowledges the various meanings and definitions of success by multiple stakeholders involved in the project- students, teachers, scientists and more. Yaela has developed, designed and managed several citizen science projects, focusing on co-creation processes and examining its benefits and challenges for science and society.


Dr Michelle Blewitt - AUSMAP
Project Director – AUSMAP Total Environment Centre
Dr Michelle Blewitt, is a Marine Scientist with a passion for education, research and conservation and currently the Program Director of AUSMAP – Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (Total Environment Centre, Sydney).
With a PhD in marine mammal bioacoustics and the effect of anthropogenic disturbance, her main focus is now marine debris, particularly microplastics – designing and implementing research and education programs based on microplastic hotspots and impact of litter in the aquatic environment.  She is also an Adjunct Lecturer in the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University of South Australia and a Research Associate in the Marine Studies Institute (MSI) at The University of Sydney, where she continues her research on marine mammals.  She is a passionate environmental scientist and has been working with the team at the Total Environment Centre since early 2017, educating and empowering young and old about the impact of marine debris and raising community awareness.


Dr Jasmin Packer - Fungimap
Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute 
Dr Jasmin Packer is a Research Fellow in The University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute, Vice President of Fungimap Inc., Australia’s national NGO for our native fungi, and Co-Founder of iBandi, a creative little pop-up citsci project designed for endangered bandicoots in novel habitats. Together with PhD Candidate, Matt Bowie, she is also discovering new ways to engage citizen scientists as Co-Convener of University of Adelaide’s Ecology and Evolution Seminar Series. But most of all, Jasmin is passionate about finding better ways to protect our most threatened communities and species.


With special guests:
Wendy Warren (iBandi, Environment Institute)
Rosalie & Robert (Wild Orchid Watch)


Innovating for a better world: kick-starting a conversation on principles for innovation in citizen science