Citizen Science is leading to remarkable developments worldwide, and in Australia in particular. Between bushfires and a global pandemic, and being a country that faces the effects of climate change on a large scale, it has seen an influx in citizen-driven science projects in recent times, uniting people to achieve a common goal. This October, the CitSciOZ21 conference is taking place under the motto "Celebrate, Communicate, Co-Create". Apart from the opportunity to network with fellow attendees, speakers and sponsors, it will showcase some of the most successful Citizen Science projects in the country and worldwide. Read more on the Citizen Science Blog!
The IPM-Popillia Horizon 2020 project aims to address the challenge of a new risk to plant health in Europe's agriculture and food safety: the invasion of the Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica. This invasive species was introduced accidentally to mainland Europe in 2014 and can quickly spread by transportation and trade. As a species with a wide range of feeding plants, P. japonica threatens the entire agricultural sector, urban landscapes, and biodiversity in invaded areas.
In Europe and globally, substantial numbers of young people are at risk of social exclusion. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop more knowledge and innovation to create inclusive and youth-friendly societies. The Horizon 2020 R&I Project YouCount contributes to these needs by developing 'actionable' knowledge for social inclusion of disadvantaged youths in the European Union and creating better means for social inclusion through citizen social science.
StreetMind contributes to a better understanding how environmental factors like urbanicity or climate change influence how individuals across Europe and the world feel, act, and behave. Participants make up their minds with fellow citizens and scientists and share their daily experiences of their surroundings and the environment where they live, work, and interact.