Science as community builder

Citizen science can work as a way to empower local communities

Using science for public good in new ways

Live sketching on Citizen Science conference – Illustration and text by Frits Ahlefeldt

First I thought Citizen Science was a tool for scientists to do research, then slowly over the days of the conference, I understood that in new ways, when communities help science thrive, science helps communities thrive

Citizen science is both all new, as nerds all over the world use digital technology to connect and share knowledge and build data observations on a global scale. But it is also ancient, as citizens meet up in the local public house or inn, to build knowledge and understandings on a local scale, getting out together, counting butterflies, counting stars or digging habitats for endangered frogs.

Getting to know each other as they wait for the migrating birds, celebrating their results afterwards together, as the young say: IRL – In Real Life…

Keywords: CitizenScience, participatoryscience, citsci2022dk, citizenscience conference aarhus Citizen science, civic science, crowd science, community, urban planning, city