On 17 and 18 March, two special events took place at DesignLab, University of Twente, focused on the citizen science program Civic & Citizen Science. This program, co-financed and established by the Province of Overijssel in collaboration with Citizen Science Hub Twente, centers around the key question: How can residents of Overijssel become more involved in ‘high-tech human touch’ research in their daily lives?
To mark the 60th anniversary of the University of Twente, the Province of Overijssel awarded €40,000 to the program. This funding has contributed to the launch of five citizen science projects in which residents and researchers collaborate on relevant societal challenges.
Five Ongoing Citizen Science Projects:
- Positive health in Boekelo, Usselo, and Twekkelo
- Positive health solutions for combating loneliness among the elderly in Twente
- Citizen Science Dashboards: communication about climate change and agricultural challenges in Twente, conducted at the Herenboerderij in Usselo
- Children and (geo)citizen science for climate-adaptive cities, in collaboration with children from the International School Twente
- AbilityTech: further development of tools to enhance the self-sufficiency of people with disabilities
Opening of the ‘Children and (Geo)Citizen Science’ Exhibition
On Monday, the project Children and (Geo)Citizen Science for Climate-Adaptive Cities took center stage with the opening of an exhibition at DesignLab. The exhibition, created by children from the International School Twente in collaboration with artist Vivien Reichel, showcases the project’s outcomes and will be on display until April 16.
Successful Civic & Citizen Science Program Conference
On Tuesday, the Civic & Citizen Science program conference took place at DesignLab. During the event, all participating projects presented their progress and shared key learnings. Participants expressed great enthusiasm about the collaboration between citizens and researchers. While challenges exist within citizen science, it was widely agreed that this approach is not only highly valuable but also a lot of fun. The direct involvement of citizens and the practical application of results make the outcomes even more impactful.
Citizen Science Hib Twente program continues to promote close collaboration between science and society, aiming to enhance citizen engagement in research that directly impacts their living environment.
Want to know more?
More information about Civic & Citizen Science and the involved projects can be found here. If you would like to learn more, please contact Saskia Baas at citizen-science@utwente.nl.
