CitSciOzOnline; Connections & Partnerships Session
Channel: Australian Citizen Science Association
Date: 2020-10-22

FULL SESSION UNCUT
The Connections and Partnerships Stream of ACSA Online presents four speakers each discussing the role of connections and partnerships in supporting citizen science at different levels – from the policy level (macro), at an institutional level (meso), and finally at the individual/community level (micro).  The four speakers then participate in a short Q&A discussion afterward.


Tahlia Perry
Echidna CSI, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide
Tahlia Perry is a finishing Ph.D. student at The University of Adelaide, where she has combined her passions for molecular biology and public outreach to aid in the conservation and captive breeding of the iconic short-beaked echidna. During her Ph.D., Tahlia created and continues to run the Australia-wide citizen science project EchidnaCSI. This project has engaged thousands of the general public to submit echidna sightings and scat material in order to gain unprecedented insights into wild echidna populations across the country. Tahlia will discuss how EchidnaCSI joins together various research fields such as ecology, genetics, and microbiology in combination with citizen science to increase the knowledge surrounding the biology and health of wild echidnas. Tahlia will also discuss the partnerships formed between EchidnaCSI and Taronga and Perth Zoos to inform better captive management and breeding of echidnas.


Cassie Thompson
Senior Advisor, NSW Natural Resources Commission
Cassie is an ecologist with a background in ecological consultancy, working for multi-national engineering companies and smaller boutique firms. After a decade in consultancy, she made the switch to government working as a biodiversity specialist at Transport for NSW. She is now working with the Natural Resources Commission, leading fauna work and guiding the Citizen Science Strategy under the NSW Forest Monitoring Improvement Program. The Program aims to deliver data-based evidence to improve management and outcomes for NSW forests, and where possible, harnessing the power of citizen science to help achieve this goal.
Cassie is passionate about Australia’s biodiversity and achieving ecologically sustainable outcomes, focused on providing robust and practical solutions to challenging ecological issues. She is also an avid volunteer and has been assisting with the annual NPWS surveys of the Mountain Pygmy Possum in Kosciusko National Park for over 12 years, as well as other citizen science projects throughout the State.


Anntonette Dailey
Executive Director, Operations and Communications at the Australian Space Agency
Anntonette is an Executive Director at the Australian Space Agency and commenced in the Agency soon after it was established in July 2018. Anny is responsible for the operations of the Agency and ensuring it meets its government requirements as well as establishing its governance arrangement. In addition to managing the parliamentary interaction, finances, human resources, and event management, Anny is also responsible for all communications for the Agency and has a personal goal to meet the key values of the Agency – namely to inspire Australians and ‘do cool stuff’.



Allie Mokany
Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment

Allie Mokany is a Science communication specialist with the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, with over 10 years’ experience in translating on-ground research outcomes into information that can be used for practical decision making. She is the communication manager for the National Environmental Science Program acting as the conduit between public-funded research and the translation of that research into useful products for influencing public policy.


Session Chair: Stephanie Von Gavel, ACSA Vice-Chair 7 CSIRO. 
Q&A / Chat Moderator:  Associate Professor Alice Motion, University of Sydney & ACSA Host Organisation Representative.


With thanks to our Sponsors:
Australian Academy of Science
The Environment Instistute
Minderoo Foundation
Australian Museum