2nd Annual International Conference on Participatory Research, Citizen Sciences and Fab Labs for Peace and Development - 12 and 13 December, 2017, United NationsOrganized by Objectif Sciences International, in Official Partnership with ECSA

(Other continental or worldwide networks, please contact us)

Minutes 2017 :

International Annual Conference on the Participatory Researches, Citizen Sciences and Fab Labs
December 11-15, 2016
United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

Fab Labs / Citizen Science / Participative Researches

Several public or associative organizations that are active in the domain of Citizen Sciences or Participative Research, federated or organized, at the national level. The main national actors, the federations, and the specific operators, organized presently at the international level, and are called to meet annually at the end of the civil year, at the International Annual Conference on the Citizen Sciences and the Participative Researches, at United Nations, in Geneva.

This annual space of sharing results and pooling of skills, allow to the actors of the domain to exchange practices, solutions, ideas, needs.

Your Annual Exchanges Resource

In the following of the national and continental meetings that are organized in each country and continent by the local federation, this International Annual Conference at United Nations allow the actors to implement in consultation, or to inform mutually, of progress and actions they lead during the year, or that they have in project.

The participants at this Conference are:

• Local and regional actors of different countries
• Thematic Actors by scientific disciplines
• Regional or national federations
• Thematic Federations, by scientific disciplines
• Large Institutions of Science or Education
• Government departments (Education, Research, Environment, Industry ...) and international associations of Ministries
• Specialized Journalists (science, environment, education, sustainable development ...)
• UN agencies (UNDP, UNEP ...)

Subjects that are in the agenda of December 2017 are:

• Standards and references of exchange on Citizen Science practices between national and international organizations
• National and international Charts of Citizen Science, examples, projects, ongoing discussions of shares
• Financing Solutions of the actions of Citizen Science
• Access of citizen actors to the Research beyond their simple contributions
• Administrative Status / legislative / recognition / etc of actors of Citizen Science projects
• The Citizen Research, beyond the digital interface
• Expected Features of web portals of Citizen Science
• Services for Citizen Science provided by FabLabs
• Dissemination and Exploitation of the results to the uninvolved Big Public
• Road map for the mutual opening of the data collected

Detailed Program

Exchanges between stakeholders of the meeting will happen in a round table between speakers and debates with the audience of the Assembly.

Organiser : NGO Objective Sciences International, Geneva
Chairman : Thomas EGLI, President of Objective Sciences International
Opening KeyNotes Citizen Science : Tiina Stämpfli, Head of Project Citizen Science at Science et Cité
Opening KeyNotes Crowd Innovation : Jan Van MOLL, Head of AddictLab

Official Opening Session - Wednesday 13 December 14:00

Session organised in partnership with ECSA, AddictLab, Science et Cité and Objectif Sciences International.

• Keynotes
• Remarks on current situation
• Remarks about concepts of the International Annual Conference

Presentations already validated

Opening KeyNotes Citizen Science : Tiina Stämpfli, Head of Project Citizen Science at Science et Cité Automatic word wrap

Swiss Citizen Science Network - 13/12/2017 - Tiina Sämpfli

Opening KeyNotes Crowd Innovation : Jan Van MOLL, Head of AddictLab

FabLab Presentation by AddictLab Academy - 13/12/2017 - Jan Van Moll

Sur les Traces des Dinosaures, à 3’000 mètres d’altitude en Suisse - Etude d’empreintes fossilisées de dinosaures réalisées par des jeunes de 13 à 25 ans

Par les Volontaires du Programme de Recherche Participative DINO EMOTION

A small step for an archosaurus, but a giant leap for paleontology - 13/12/2017 - David BOURGEOIS & Isidore FONTAINE

Etude des mines du Val d’Anniviers en Suisse - Une illustration d’une action de recherche en géologie menée sur le terrain par des enfants, des adolescents et des adultes.

Débutant au Moyen Age les recherches et les exploitations en Val d’Anniviers ont culminé au milieu de 19éme siècle ou des succès notables sont à mentionner. Exploitation de Cu, Ag, Co, Ni, Bi, Pb, Zn, Mg, amiante, pierre ollaire, Fe depuis plus de 3 siècles avec des périodes ou l’exploitation minière était parfois intense. A ce jour on a recensé 36 mines et d’innombrables indices métallifères en Anniviers, cela en fait la région de Suisse la plus riche en mine et la plus riche minéralogiquement.
Pourtant ces mines très peu visibles dans le paysage restent peu étudiées. Depuis 2014, Objectif Sciences International recence, cartographie et échantillonne ces mines. En 2017, du métal pur a même été produit et analysé.

Par M. Arthur Brignone, 13 ans, volontaire du Programme de Recherche Participative MINEO

MINEO Research and education program - Emilie Delpech

MINEO - Research and education program - 13/12/2017 - Emilie Delpech

Etopia-Unizar, Citizen Science Laboratories
The University of Zaragoza, through the Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems have been granted with 2 million Euro from the European Regional Development Fund in order to set up a Supercomputing and Cloud Center (1.500.000 €) and up to eight laboratories devoted to Citizen Science (500.000€). Within a collaborative design, 16 different groups from the University, the hacker and the artistic communities from Zaragoza have contributed to the selection of the different equipment. In this way a high degree of use of the laboratories is guaranteed.
One has to have in mind that only three things are needed to do scientific research, knowledge, time and resources. It seems clear that nowadays this knowledge is getting out of the traditional track and citizens are having more and more free time. So we must ensure that these needed resources are available for citizens.
All this infraestructure is supporting different types of actors: scientists, artists, start-ups and citizens, creating a positive multiplier effect in the community. Bringing knowledge and technology between the scientific community and citizens is essential to take advantage of the maximum potential that these citizens can offer to Science. Having citizens as mere observers or circumstantial actors without initiative do not allow us to obtain all the possible outcome. There are several aspects why physical mix between citizens and professional researchers is well worth.
Firstly, for citizens, work together with professional scientists, allow them to understand and practice the scientific method, secondly, the citizen science community has access to some resources traditionally reserved to professional researchers, thirdly it allows the scientist to use the resources citizen science offers for their own research and last but not least, understand and improve the scientific process .
Mr Francisco SANZ, BIFI Institute Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain

Third-places to transform academy and the city

Aurore Dandoy (PSL, Université Paris-dauphine) and Serge Bolidum (McErnest), respectively coordinators of RGCS Paris and RGCS Berlin, will present the events and experimentations organized by the RGCS between 2015 and 2017, and how they draw on third-places cultures, techniques and governance to produce transformative effects on academic practices and the city.
Mrs Aurore DANDOY, Research Group on Collaborative Spaces RGCS, France, www.dauphine.eu

Collaborative places to transform academy and the city - 13/12/2017 - Aurore Dandoy

Observatoire des Formations Citoyennes d’Ingénieurs
Ingénieurs sans frontières questionne depuis 35 ans les pratiques des métiers d’ingénieurs et leurs influences dans la structuration de la société au Sud comme au Nord. De nombreux constats dans le cadre de missions de terrain, et des échanges avec des partenaires de solidarité internationale, ont permis de renforcer la vision de l’association sur les dérives technicistes de l’ingénierie et l’uniformisation des réponses aux problématiques socio-environnementales qu’elles entraînent : Ingénieurs sans frontières croit plus juste d’ouvrir le champ des possibles et de permettre à chacune des parties prenantes d’en débattre, l’ingénieur étant l’une des interfaces entre science et société.
Au fil du temps, il a paru évident de s’intéresser aussi aux formations des ingénieurs, qui influencent le rôle de l’ingénieur en activité et ses impacts. Mieux comprendre la façon dont les étudiants en ingénierie sont formés ne serait-il pas un moyen pertinent pour pouvoir analyser comment le métier est exercé ? - Cette réflexion marque la naissance de l’Observatoire des Formations Citoyennes (2015) qui s’intéressera aux axes de recherche suivants :

• La Gouvernance des Établissements
  L’intérêt est de comprendre comment doit s’organiser le jeu d’acteurs pour mettre en place des formations en ingénierie axées à la fois sur l’aspect technique mais aussi soucieuse des impacts sociaux et environnementaux du milieu.
• Contenu des Enseignements et Formats Pédagogiques
  Si la reconnaissance de l’importance des sciences sociales dans les formations en ingénierie semble acquise, il n’est cependant pas évident de comprendre de quelle manière ces cours sont dispensés, sous quelles formes et avec quels objectifs.
• Vie Politique de l’Établissement et Implication des Parties Prenantes
  Ce volet mettra en valeur l’emploi des savoirs acquis par les étudiants au travers de projets tuteurés, d’expériences associatives et professionnelles. Il semble important de signaler qu’une partie des actions menées par les étudiants n’ont pas encore de reconnaissance de la part de l’établissement (stages réalisés dans le milieu associatif, par exemple).
  Cette enquête repose sur une dynamique de recherche-action où plusieurs acteurs de la société civile sont impliqués dans la mise en place du projet dès sa conception. La pluralité des acteurs, notamment les étudiants-ingénieurs, constitue une richesse pour la réussite du projet, car elle permet la mise en débat et la prise en compte des avis divergents de toutes les parties prenantes impliquées dans l’organisation des formations en ingénierie.
  Les objectifs de l’observatoire sont donc :
• D’animer des formations dans les établissements afin d’assurer et de garantir la prise en main des outils par les participants à la démarche ;
• De faire une veille scientifique sur la réalité des formations sur les axes de recherche mentionnés ci-dessus afin d’ouvrir le débat sur ces questions, de proposer des alternatives et construire des plaidoyers solides.
  PALMIERI Eduardo, France, Ingénieurs sans Frontières - France, https://isf-france.org/
  

  

  L’Observatoire des Formations Citoyennes - 13/12/2017 - Eduardo Palmieri

  

  The Observatory of Citizen Trainings - 13/12/2017 - Eduardo Palmieri

A novel open innovation approach for public engagement to tackle research challenges on mental health of children and adolescents
The Austrian Ludwig Boltzmann Society (LBG) aims to engage citizen actors in research beyond simple contributions. Therefore, LBG started an ‘Open Innovation in Science’ (OIS) initiative aiming to systematically open up processes of scientific discovery to enrich research with new knowledge crossing disciplinary and professional boundaries. To intensify research that benefits society directly, science is redesigned to enter a dialogue with the public: individuals become experts, science acquires new insights, and research develops innovative solutions for societal challenges. Opening up the research process to potential beneficiaries of the research (e.g. crowds of patients, family members, nursing staff or medical doctors in the case of health sciences) holds the potential of identifying novel and relevant knowledge gaps that have previously not been considered. This bottom-up approach may benefit the general society by linking societal needs more closely to scientific research. LBG’s crowdsourcing project ‘Tell Us!’ encouraged patients, family members, and health care professionals to contribute open research questions within the field of mental health. From more than 400 contributions from 83 countries, “Children of mentally ill parents” emerged as the highest-ranked challenge for the LBG. As a result, the LBG announced a research call to fund Research Groups with €6 Mio. (2018-2021). To encourage more unusual disciplines to apply for the call increasing innovation potential, open innovation methods were employed. A broad range of disciplinary areas were targeted both close to the research topic e.g. psychiatry, psychology, paediatrics and neuroscience, and more distant disciplines e.g. sociology, health sciences, arts, computer sciences, educational sciences, law, media and communication sciences. More than 900 key players in research from the aforementioned disciplines were targeted internationally and advertisements made in a range of networks, universities, institutes, and well-known journals. A total of 136 applications from 28 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Australia were received, where half of all applicants were reached directly via the search activities of LBG. The success of this method is demonstrated in the volume of quality international applications received and in the spread of disciplinary areas: 51% of applications come from core disciplines such as psychiatry, 26% from linked disciplines such as health sciences and sociology, and 23% from distant disciplinary areas such as arts and computer sciences. During a multi-day interactive workshop, known as Sandpit/Ideas Lab, 30 applicants/researchers were selected and brought together with the goal to form interdisciplinary research teams. Researchers were specifically encouraged to think out-of-the box and dissolve disciplinary boundaries to develop research projects resulting in a sustainable impact for children of mentally ill parents. Researchers were supported by mentors, experts in the field, and their project ideas were evaluated on five criteria: novelty, interdisciplinarity, engagement, feasibility and impact. To ensure a strong interaction between the researchers and the community at the Ideas Lab and beyond, LBG committed to its mission by employing a liaison manager to bridge the science-to-society gap. The community was engaged during all process stages from contributing research questions to building Research Groups. For example, patients were invited to the Ideas Lab to inspire researchers by sharing with their personal experience. From this Ideas Lab approach, two Research Groups were selected. Both will be embedded in a dynamic partner network and are expected to strongly connect to the community by engaging them in the research processes. Furthermore, a partner network including patient organisations and user crowds was established to stay in close contact with patients and family members and encourage them to take part in the research process. However, for an efficient and effective engagement between science and society, it is important to offer training programs to professionalize public engagement through an iterative feedback process using digital technology. With this mutual learning approach potentially new insight on how to actively involve the community in research is established. This novel interdisciplinary and community engaging research approach enables innovation potential to find new solutions tackling societal relevant challenges. Moreover, it secures that the community stays an integral part of research to benefit from applied solutions. Based on the experiences of the first Crowdsourcing project “Tell us!”, LBG is currently working on another challenge to generate research questions through a crowdsourcing process in the field of trauma surgery. This project to involve crowd-based external knowledge carriers will go online in spring 2018.
Mrs Raphaela Elisabeth KAISLER, Austria, Ludwig Boltmann Society - www.ideaslab.lbg.ac.at - www.ois.lbg.ac.at

CREATE AN IMPACT THROUGH ENGAGEMENT - 13/12/2017 - Raphaela Elizabeth Kaisler

Coexiscience : Sciences as a commons
Coexiscience is a recent living lab including researchers, makers, social business mens and womens and artists who contribute to the realization and valorization of scientific commons in Lyon (France). Coexiscience is based on the dynamics of Lyon en communs group, which organised two festivals in october 2013 and 2015, a factory in september 2016, and a seminar on urban commons “Faire la ville en (biens) communs”, in october 2015. About 60 initiatives have been linked to this dynamic for 3 years.
Coexiscience considers production and scientific dissemination as commons. Coexiscience is based on values such as peer to peer collaboration, the refusal of exclusive ownership of research results, the ethical, social and environmental responsibility of science, and open access to scientific experimentations.
In order to achieve these objectives, Coexiscience proposes to test new economic, social, legal and technological and methodological tools.
BROSSAUD Claire, France, Coexiscience, http://coexiscience.fr

SCIENCE AS A COMMONS : THE COEXISCIENCE PROJECT - 13/12/2017 - Claire Brossaud

Coexiscience - 13/12/2017 - Claire Brossaud

Multidimensional review of citizen science projects
Citizen Science covers multiple forms of engagement and involvement of citizens who collaborate with professional research to enrich scientific process. These contributions occur in all the steps of the research cycle. Outcomes of this trans disciplinary approach range on scientific, social, educational, policy or environmental issues. In this presentation we will overview citizen science outcomes, barriers and drivers through the experience of the Ibercivis Foundation (www.ibercivis.es) paying special attention to those that reach un-expected audiences. This Spanish institution has deployed and supported more than 60 projects including the Socientize (www.socientize.eu) project that delivered the White Paper on Citizen Science for Europe in 2014. Currently Ibercivis leads the Spanish Observatory of Citizen Science (www.ciencia-ciudadana.es with more than 150 cases in its catalogue), a platform that monitors the evolution on citizen science at national and international level. One example of the activities carried out by this Observatory is the global study of gender of authors publishing in JCR journals. This presentation will also summarize the steps taken by the major scientific and science policy actors at national and local levels that engaged together to create Ibercivis and to deliver a number of services to the Spanish citizen science community.
Mr Fermin SERRANO SANZ, Spain, Ibercivis Foundation

Multidimensional review of citizen science projects - 13/12/2017 - Fermín Serrano

La Plateforme Afriscience pour répondre à un besoin d’accès à la culture scientifique en Afrique
La plate forme associative Afrisciences est soucieuse de sensibiliser le plus grand nombre aux enjeux et aux avancées de la recherche. Dans les pays du Nord, cette politique de diffusion et de sensibilisation vise à partager avec la grande masse le savoir, le savoir-faire et les enjeux de développement et de développement durable sur le continent africain. Dans les pays du Sud, l’initiative de la plate forme se justifie par la nécessité de mener des actions de diffusion de la culture scientifique auprès des populations afin qu’elles saisissent au mieux les enjeux socio-économiques et environnementaux actuels et futurs. Ce qui permettrait de les outiller davantage pour accroître leur résilience face aux phénomènes, notamment les catastrophes naturelles qui frappent les territoires de nos jours. Il y a donc lieu de s’approprier les enjeux contemporains de développement socio-économique et de développement durable par l’accès à la connaissance et au savoir. Ces enjeux sont entre autres: *Enjeux environnementaux (Changement climatique, Développement durable etc) *Enjeux économiques (innovation, globalisation...) *Enjeux sociaux et sociétaux (urbanisation, démographie, éducation, savoir etc.) S’il est vrai que les attentes des populations du Nord vis à vis de la culture scientifique sont relativement connues et mieux exprimées, il n’en demeure pas moins que leur accès au savoir scientifique en provenance de l’Afrique reste peu importante. Cela semble se superposer au peu de visibilité que les productions scientifiques du continent africain ont dans les revues internationales. Il est donc important d’apporter des approches de solution en vue d’une meilleure vulgarisation des résultats de travaux de recherche et des savoirs et savoir-faire locaux sur le continent africain (travaux de recherche effectués par des chercheurs autant du Nord que du Sud). Quant aux populations du Sud, leurs attentes quant à l’accès et à la participation de la construction de la connaissance ne sont pas particulièrement connues et exprimées. Mais des études (IRD, 2003) révèlent un certain nombre de facteurs qui démontrent à suffisance qu’elles sont insatisfaites de l’état et du niveau de diffusion de la culture scientifique et qu’elles sont demandeuses par la même occasion, d’une plus large diffusion à travers des outils et des moyens qui leur sont les plus accessibles. En témoignent les succès populaires connus par des initiatives d’apprentissage grand public. D’après l’IRD, ces succès témoignent de la demande, parfois même avide des populations de connaître les avancées de la recherche scientifique et technique qui puissent leur permettre de mieux comprendre le monde et d’y vivre dans de meilleures conditions. Un deuxième élément qui justifie la naissance de ce projet associatif est la pénétration fulgurante des technologies de la communication au sein des masses populaires en Afrique. Il est prouvé, en effet, que l’Afrique est le continent qui consomme le plus le téléphones portables de nos jours. Et de plus en plus, les terminaux sont connectés à internet permettant aux populations de surfer sur la toile à la quête d’information de tout genre pour accroître leur savoir afin de répondre plus efficacement à de nombreux problèmes de la vie socio-économique. Beaucoup de Start-uppers tirent la quintessence des informations nécessaires à la construction de leur business sur le net et au moyen d’un téléphone portable, cela est possible. Tout ceci traduit l’existence d’une demande en information nécessaire à la production et à la connaissance de façon générale. Le deuxième élément qui garantit le succès de l’initiative Afrisciences est le potentiel de ces outils opérationnels: web tv, festival de sciences. Ces outils sont attractifs et novateurs. Ils présentent de ce fait, des capacités pour drainer du monde. Dans la même lancée, et notamment par rapport aux populations du Sud, un facteur important qui conforte l’idée de ce projet est l’enthousiasme des populations lorsque les informations leur sont partagées et expliquées aussi dans les langues locales. Dans la phase de développement de la web tv de Afrisciences, c’est une nécessité de traduire les différents contenus en des langues majeures dans bien des pays de l’Afrique. Les expositions et les rencontres itinérantes organisées jusqu’ici par dans le cadre de la médiation scientifique dans d’autres pays (Maroc, Sénégal etc), doivent en grande partie leur succès à la présence d’animateurs qui usent des langues nationales pour la diffusion du savoir auprès du grand public. Les témoignages sont souvent satisfaisant d’autant que les populations analphabètes y trouvent leur compte. A ces langues s’ajoute aussi le français qui est tout aussi compris d’un grand nombre. Dans le sens contraire, les connaissances et savoirs locaux mobilisés dans les villes et villages africains peuvent être traduits en français et en anglais pour le public international.
Mr Sourou Wilfrid Enock TCHEKPO, BENIN - FRANCE, AFRISCIENCES (Plate forme de médiation scientifique), www.afrisciences.com

Project of platform creation AFRISCIENCES - 13/12/2017 - Wilfrid Tchekpo

Projet de création de la plate associative AFRISCIENCES - 13/12/2017 - Wilfrid Tchekpo

Citizen Science in Tunisia: ATUTAX, YFS and NGB experiences
In Tunisia, several NGOs are working on educational sciences and awareness on environmental issues with public since several years. Recently, they tried to develop citizen sciences with universities. Here, we introduce the experience of three NGOs, the Tunisian Association for Taxonomy (ATUTAX), Youth For Sciences Foundation (YSF) and Notre Grand Bleu (NGB). The ATUTAX proposes to organise workshops and scientific camps on taxonomy in Tunisians protected areas. In March 2018, for example, a regional workshop will be held in the National Park of El Feija (north-western Tunisia). During this event, participants will learn with researchers how to collect, identify and conserve samples of flora and fauna of the park, specially birds, deers and arthropods. This event will be organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Science of Tunis and the natural history museum. YFS organises annually a scientific camp during the summer for 10 - 18 years’ youths. During these camps, YFS promotes science culture and helps youths to discover science through practical workshops on different topics such DNA, drone, chemistry, applied mathematics, astronomy, marine biodiversity, origami, etc… NGB collaborates with public institutions to manage the Kuriat Island, a future “Marine Protected Area”. This NGO develops different activities and surveys with local population and tourists to manage the area such as eradication of invasive species in the island since 2015 and protection of sea turtles nesting in the island.
Mrs Rym Zakhama-Sraieb, Tunisia, ATUTAX / YFS / NGB

Citizen Science in Tunisia: ATUTAX, YFS and NGB experiences - 13/12/2017 - Rym Zakhama-Sraieb

L’autonomie alimentaire, ça s’apprend, et c’est l’affaire de tous ; Projet d’implication citoyenne de sciences appliquées à l’agriculture urbaine intégrée.
Aujourd’hui, l’Humanité dispose de toutes les connaissances pour revenir à l’autonomie alimentaire des populations en tous lieux. Alors que manque-t-il pour y parvenir ? Une vision commune partagée et cocrée par les habitants au sein d’une démarche participative rendue possible par un programme d’éducation populaire en open-source, une gouvernance libre et auto-gérée par des collectifs citoyens autonomes et enfin, la restauration des circuits courts d’approvisionnement en lien avec des micro-fermes urbaines et péri-urbaines de permaculture, connectées au sein de réseaux multi-acteurs coopératifs et conscients. Car c’est l’état de conscience qui dessine les territoires. Découvrez la feuille de route pour 2020 des 21 actions rendant possible l’autonomie alimentaire des villes, à l’aide d’exemples concrets montrant que cette réalité est déjà à l’œuvre.
François Rouillay, conférencier-formateur en agriculture urbaine 3.0 – Association Les Cercles Vertueux – France

Food autonomy, we can learn it! - 13/12/2017 - ROUILLAY François

Citizen Science in Switzerland – crowdsourcing sustainable development
We have only 13 more years to achieve the ambitious UN Sustainable Development Goals! The Citizen Cyberlab in Geneva (a partnership between University of Geneva, CERN and UNITAR) and the new Citizen Science Center in Zurich (an ETH – UZH collaboration) are joining forces to support scientists, students, and citizens working together to tackle the Goals.
Rosy Mondardini

Citizen Science in Switzerland - 13/12/2017 - Mondardini Rosy

Les Rencontres du Vingt : Chercheurs et acteurs sociaux engagés autour de la médiation numérique
Les "Rencontres du Vingt", un cycle de rencontres mensuelles se déroulant le... 20 de chaque mois, sont des espaces de dialogue entre chercheurs, acteurs sociaux et collectivités territoriales centrés sur la question de la médiation numérique.
Le déploiement des technologies numériques dans nos quotidiens et leurs appropriations inégales teste les limites et les capacités d’adaption des acteurs publics et sociaux. Espaces d’échange, de confrontation des pratiques, les Rencontres du Vingt sont une expérimentation en cours en Île-de-France et à Nancy pour initier une dynamique ouverte et impertinente autour de ces questions.
Jérôme TRICOMI, France, LES PETITS DÉBROUILLARDS, http://www.lespetitsdebrouillards.org

Rencontres du Vingt - 13/12/2017 - TRICOMI Jérôme

Rencontres du Vingt (Presentation) - 13/12/2017 - TRICOMI Jérôme

Advancing Citizen Science for Coastal and Ocean Research

Citizen Science is an approach which involves members of the public in gathering scientific data and, in more advanced cases, also involves them in the analysis of such data and in the design of scientific research. Benefits of this approach include enhancing monitoring capabilities, empowering citizens and increasing Ocean Literacy, which can itself lead to the development of environmentally-friendly behaviours. There is a long history of citizen participation in science as a general concept. However, the process of studying and understanding the best ways to develop, implement, and evaluate Citizen Science is just beginning and it has recently been proposed that the study of the process and outcomes of Citizen Science merits acknowledgement as a distinct discipline in its own right.

Considering the vastness of the ocean, the extensiveness of the world’s coastlines, and the diversity of habitats, communities and species, a full scientific exploration and understanding of this realm requires intensive research and observation activities over time and space. Citizen Science is a potentially powerful tool for the generation of scientific knowledge to a level that would not be possible for the scientific community alone. Additionally, Citizen Science initiatives should be promoted because of their benefits in creating awareness of the challenges facing the world’s ocean and increasing Ocean Literacy.

Responding to this, the European Marine Board convened a Working Group on Citizen Science, whose main aim was to provide new ideas and directions to further the development of Marine Citizen Science, with particular consideration for the European context.

This position paper introduces the concept and rationale of Citizen Science, in particular regarding its relationship to marine research. The paper then explores European experiences of Marine Citizen Science, presenting common factors of success for European initiatives as examples of good practice. The types of data amenable to Citizen Science are outlined, along with concerns and measures relating to ensuring the scientific quality of those data. The paper further explores the social aspects of participation in Marine Citizen Science, outlining the societal benefits in terms of impact and education. The current and potential future role of technology in Marine Citizen Science projects is also addressed including, the relationship between citizens and earth observations, and the relevance of progress in the area of unmanned observing systems. The paper finally presents proposals for the improved integration and management of Marine Citizen Science on a European scale. This leads to a detailed discussion on Marine Citizen Science informing Marine Policy, taking into account the requirements of the Aarhus Convention as well as the myriad of EU marine and environmental policies.

The paper concludes with the presentation of eight Strategic Action Areas for Marine Citizen Science in Europe. These action areas, which are aimed not only at the marine research community, but also at scientists from multiple disciplines (including non-marine), higher education institutions, funding bodies and policy makers, should together enable coherent future Europe-wide application of Marine Citizen Science for the benefit of all.

REFERENCE
Garcia-Soto, C., van der Meeren, G. I., Busch, J. A., Delany, J., Domegan, C., Dubsky, K., Fauville, G., Gorsky, G., von Juterzenka, K., Malfatti, F., Mannaerts, G., McHugh, P., Monestiez, P., Seys, J., Węsławski, J.M. & Zielinski, O. (2017) Advancing Citizen Science for Coastal and Ocean Research. French, V., Kellett, P., Delany, J., McDonough, N. [Eds.] Position Paper 23 of the European Marine Board, Ostend, Belgium. 112pp. ISBN: 978-94-92043-30-6
Mr Carlos GARCIA SOTO, European Marine Board, Spain, http://www.marineboard.eu/ - Presented by Ms DELANY Jane

Advancing Citizen Science for Coastal and OceanResearch - 13/12/2017 - Jane Delany

Projets de Films en Sciences Citoyennes dans le domaine de l’Energie

Bref état des lieux de la situation énergétique mondiale avec focus sur l’utilisation des ressources de la planète en la préservant.

Présentation des actions participatives possibles.

Projection d’un court métrage en relation FIFEL.

Prof Daniel Favrat, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne et Président de la Fondation FIFEL et Natalia SIGNORONI, Directrice de la Fondation FIFEL

Presentations curently in Validation process

NEXT YEAR

Spurring up research through a collaborative research platform : Seintinelles
Cancer is a tangible reality for all of us. 14 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in the world, and it is estimated that these numbers will increase by 70% in the next 20 years (1). In France, 385,000 new cases are diagnosed each year (2): one in four people will have cancer during their lifetime. Hence, we are all concerned, and it would be beneficial for all, whether directly or indirectly, if tomorrow the illness were better covered and more easily curable. So-called personalised medicine is a hope in cancerology. In order for it to truly be effective for patients, an adapted combination must be identified between a type of cancer, a treatment and a patient. Doctors and researchers must therefore have access to a significant amount of data, to be able to predict how such or such a treatment will operate on such or such a type of cancer, and to adapt it to each individual. This can only be made possible thanks to the civic action of the community as a whole. There will be no personalised medicine without strong collective action. Furthermore, as new technologies have become a strong part of our lives, they are also taking on a role in health and research. The potential and the stakes are there. Researchers used to be technically limited when it came to analysing the data available to them. Today, their analytical potential has increased: what once took months, even years, sometimes takes less than 24 hours nowadays, such as decoding the human genome, for instance. Today, researchers are able to analyse great quantities of data very quickly, namely thanks to technological advances and the advent of digital technology in the health field. But paradoxically, they have a shortage of data at their disposal to do so. Indeed, the recruitment process of participants in a study is long, slow and costly. Each year, hundreds of cancerology research projects are financed in France, yet some never succeed or are heavily delayed, due to a lack of volunteering participants, and despite researchers having gathered the necessary funds and authorisations. This is where the contribution of the general public steps in. By volunteering to make their data available to researchers, they can contribute to accelerating the research process. A recent study has shown that 64% of citizens would be willing to take part in a research project involving their own pathology or that of their loved ones (3). Yet, a dearth of information on the possibility of being involved in key research issues can be felt: Who can one turn to? How to proceed? We were aware of two populations, researchers and the general public, who each needed the other, yet had no canal at their disposal to enable them to collaborate more efficiently, to make advances in cancer research. This observation planted the idea of Seintinelles (4): the first collaborative research platform on cancer in France. Seintinelles is a non profit-making charity under the French law of 1901, supported by the ARC Foundation, the National Cancer Institute and the Chantelle lingerie firm. Its mission is to accelerate the research process by enabling a closer collaboration between the field of research and civil society, whilst increasing all at once quantity, quality and variety of data made available to researchers. The platform launched in 2013 as a first step to this collaboration enabled over 15 research projects on all forms of cancer (and not only breast cancer) to come to fruition, and approximately 17,000 volunteers, men or women, ill or not, to come forward. Whereas recruitment formerly took researchers months to complete, today it only takes a few weeks, even a few days, thanks to the active participation of the general public. References. 1. World Health Organisation, 2012 2.National Cancer Institute. Epidemiology of cancers. http://www.e-cancer.fr/Professionnels-de-sante/Les-chiffres-du-cancer-en-France/Epidemiologie-des-cancers, 2015 3. Ipsos Sopra-Steria Research survey ; May 2016 4. Seintinelles.
Mr Fabien REYAL, France, Association Seintinelles, http://www.seintinelles.com/

Networking for Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities from Sparkling Science
Sparkling science is a participatory research program in Austria with the specific characteristic: scientistis work side by side with young people in current scientific research projects. As junior colleagues schoolchildren take an active part of the research project, introduce important suggestions into the research approach, collaborate in the conception and conducting of investigations, conduct polls, collect data, interpret it together with the researchers and present the results in creative ways as Science Slams, animated movies, songs…
Challenges and opportunities will be shown from the case of two Sparkling Science projects “Landscape and You-th” (2012-2015) and “BreadTime” (2015-2016): the challenges and opportunities for the research partners, the meaning of reflexion, specifics of data production and evaluation, characteristics of presentation of results.
“BreadTime” focuses on the cultural sustainability and the manifold agricultural and manual practices of the cultivation and processing of grains and the production of bread.
The project “Landscape and You-th – Tracing Flax” focusses on the relationship between local knowledge, landscape and regional identity on the basis of cultivation and manufacturing of the plant flax.
In both projects students from Secondary lower schools and the Secondary upper schools were instructed in the method of oral history and interviewed elder locals about the traditional cultivation. Several media products and performances, like an app, a documentary film, a RAP song… should enhance landscape awareness and sustainable tourism in the region and offer added value for all stakeholders.
Mrs Andrea Sieber, Alps-Adria-University Klagenfurt, Austria, www.uni-klu.ac.at

STEAM - an all encompassing approach to education
We need to to encourage people to view STEM differently, to perceive Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths as a set of tools with which to create, design, troubleshoot, innovate, and imagine. We want STEAM learning to expand non-linearly and nurture a culture of multidisciplinary disruptive innovation through the power of inspiration and creativity.
We need to nurture an international network with global reach because the challenges we need to solve are global. STEAM needs to be fostered everywhere to catalyze human progress worldwide.
Dr Niamh Shaw, Function (Core), Ireland, www.functioncore.io

Combining Arts and Citizen Science - Mobilising participation
Citizen science approaches have become increasingly popular and embedded into data collection methods and participatory research. Our NGO (Bristol Natural History Consortium) has been working over the last 10 years on developing major public-facing activities that bring together tourism, heritage studies, and the arts alongside citizen science activities and educational activities. What new types of thinking and participation can we encourage through new research methods? What special opportunities does the arts provide for engaging people with the natural world? We look forward to sharing new ideas, practical activities, robust audience research and evaluation, and proposals for new collaborative international activities.
Mrs Savita Custead, Bristol Natural History Consortium, United Kingdom, www.bnhc.org.uk

Recherche participative organisationnelle: guide de pratique
La recherche participative consiste à effectuer des recherches avec les participants plutôt que sur eux. Ces derniers sont donc des partenaires de recherche. Ancrée dans les travaux de Kurt Lewin sur la recherche-action, et ceux de Chris Argyris sur l’apprentissage organisationnel (action science), la recherche participative organisationnelle (RPO) est une forme de recherche participative où les partenaires de recherche sont des universitaires et des membres des organisations impliquées. La RPO combine des méthodes de recherche quantitatives, qualitatives ou mixtes avec l’action afin d’améliorer les pratiques, les services et les politiques en soins de santé. Au sein des organisations de santé, la RPO est utilisée pour mettre en pratique des changements en répondant aux défis, en résolvant des problèmes cliniques et non cliniques, ou en développant et en mettant en œuvre des innovations ou des interventions. Elle peut également renforcer les compétences des professionnels de la santé et contribuer à leur développement professionnel et à la satisfaction des patients. Selon la RPO, les organisations partenaires recueillent des données concernant leur pratique et les utilisent pour réfléchir, comprendre et découvrir des savoirs. Par exemple, la RPO peut être appliquée pour développer une pratique réflexive et entraîner un apprentissage organisationnel Basé sur une revue de litérature systématique et validé par des experts dans le domaine, nous avons une guide de pratique de la recherche participative orgainsationnelle
Mrs Paula BUSH, Canada, Quebec-SPOR SUPPORT Unit, McGill University, http://unitesoutiensrapqc.ca/

Collaboration of Civil society with National Statistic Offices in Geo Data for a real Data Revolution
The Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Data Revolution raises many opportunities and challenges, such as the innovative use of modern technologies by citizenry in data collection and data presentation with the arising new data sources for official statistics. More recently, the UN World Data Forum was hosted in South Africa under the guidance of the United Nations Statistical Commission with special focus on Development Statistics. Among other objectives, this Forum addressed the intensification of collaboration between governments and civil society stakeholders all around the world. As civil society representatives, we learned from this experience that many governments are truly interested in civil society data base projects. Many NSOs expressed a growing interest in the Openstreetmap (OSM) geodatabase, although some are reluctant and intrigued about how to use data and how to partner with this kind of projects.
On the other hand, many worried government agencies around the world are seeing how their shrinking budgets call for a change in processes, among others for data collection. They are also intrigued about how to use these data and how to work with these civic tech groups, although they may accept that the use of external collaboration can be a great tool to their sustainable development data collection needs. Some have already accepted the assistance and contributions from civil society and other stakeholders, in particular to fill gaps on census coverages and SDG indicators. In this regard, the STATS UP project http://marketplace.data4sdgs.org/resources/stats-filling-statistics-gap-sdg-dissagregating-grassroots-help-nsos aspires to contribute to these needs bringing more allies into the SDG indicators production and census rounds, taking advantage of the effectiveness of the open source and geo open data platforms.
The moment to enhance this collaboration between Statistical Offices and civic tech groups is just right in the case of geo open data. The use of new geodata means a great opportunity for local territories to be represented in a greater scale by means of data collection, leveraging a more human scale approach to assure equality in the attainability of sustainable development goals (SDG) . Probably this is because open geodata offers a richer value to address all tiers, especially 2 and 3 level indicators. They can certainly enhance the SDG dialogue in a more “visible” and direct way. For instance, addressing Goal 3.2 asks to “end preventable deaths of newborns”. This goal claims to know and share globally the “where” of health care services, including midwives, are located and what quality of attention they offer, including distances and available means of transport for the assistance to child birth. The more visible local issues are, the easier to tackle they can be. Other many spatial objects can be found in each of the 17 Goals.
This presentation will condense the conclusions of the UN Data Forum that may need civic tech collaboration and will explain how collaboration can be more efficient based on global agreements to collaborate with governments. It will also portray the Stats Up project of citizens collecting data for the National Statistic Offices in selected countries using indicators and visualizations to illustrate. The lecture will also explain how to work out agreements with public data organizations filling identified gaps in the SDG indicators production and census coverages in candidate countries.
Finally, when possible. it will draw lessons about challenges and opportunities for citizenship to collaborate with governments and statistical offices.
Mr Javier Andres Carranza Torres, GeoCensos Foundation, Bolivia, https://youtu.be/9cfdYdQHZVY

Dancing the most pit style with fresh ideas - 13/12/2017 - Carranza Torres Javier Andrés