CitSci Alberta Conferences
Connecting People & Science
A FOUR-PART WEBINAR SERIES AND IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
Hosted by: Citizen Science Alberta Community of Practice (CitSci Alberta)
In Fall 2024, the Citizen Science Alberta Community of Practice convened individuals and organizations engaged in citizen science to explore our collective impact on policy development, decision-making, and public engagement. Participants included practitioners, researchers, environmental managers, educators, project coordinators, and volunteers.
Wednesday Webinars took place from Sept. 25th to Oct. 23rd with over 200 attendees. Then, an in-person workshop was hosted in Edmonton on October 30th, with nearly 70 attendees. These events brought together the citizen science community to learn, engage, network, and explore our collective impact on policy development, decision-making, and public engagement.
We were able to host this event series because of support from Alberta’s Office of the Chief Scientist and with local sponsorship from the City of Edmonton.
CitSci Alberta is proud to share the below conference resources, including two videos showcasing the webinar speakers and other Community of Practice members sharing their insights on how their work is driving change.
Conference Agenda
Financial support provided by:
Webinar Wednesdays
1: DIVERSE APPLICATIONS OF CITIZEN SCIENCE WORLDWIDE
Date: September 25, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (MT)
Speaker: Prof. Muki Haklay, University College London
Prof Mordechai (Muki) Haklay FAcSS, is a professor of Geographic Information Science at University College London (UCL). He is the co-director of the Extreme Citizen Science group at UCL. He is also the co-founder of Mapping for Change, a social enterprise dedicated to community mapping and citizen science. In addition, is the citizen science team leader at the Learning Planet Institute, Paris. Muki has over 20 years of experience in participatory science activities.
About the Webinar:
Muki Haklay, co-director of Extreme Citizen Science at University College London and citizen scientist extraordinaire, gives us the lay of the land of citizen science in Europe.
2: Empowering Future Stewards
Date: October 2, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (MT)
Speaker: Lynn Smith, Peavine Metis Settlement
Lynn Smith is a proud member of the Peavine Metis Settlement in Northern Alberta. In her role at the Settlement’s Consulting Department she developed a partnership with NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and is leading her community in being stewards of their homeland.
3: TRANSFORMATIVE TOOLS: Managing Big Data
Date: October 9, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (MT)
Speaker: Kyle Horner, Birds Canada
Kyle Horner is a lifelong birdwatcher and science communicator based in Guelph, Ontario. As the NatureCounts Engagement Coordinator at Birds Canada, he works to raise awareness and adoption of the NatureCounts data platform, and to help users make the most of this unique resource. Currently he is part of a team developing the State of Canada’s Birds, a new online resource that will make citizen science bird data accessible, understandable, and meaningful to all Canadians.
About the Webinar:
Kyle Horner, Birds Canada’s NatureCounts Engagement Coordinator, discusses innovative tools to support the effective collection, management, and use of citizen science data.
4: PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIPS
Date: October 23, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (MT)
Speaker: Patrick Hanington, University of Alberta
About the Webinar:
In this webinar, Dr. Patrick Hanington, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, talks on his research aimed to advance our understanding of organisms in our aquatic ecosystems by connecting DNA-based surveillance with community, school, industry and government partnerships. Using this participatory research approach, Patrick and his research group have cast an Alberta-wide net to advance our understanding of microbes that impact recreational waters, invasive species, species at risk and aquatic pathogens. This talk was followed by an opportunity for questions.
In-Person Workshop
CITIZEN SCIENCE & Policy: Monitoring to DRIVING CHANGE
Date: October 30, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: Bison Lodge, 9430 Scona Rd NW, Edmonton, AB
About the Workshop:
Citizen Science & Policy: Monitoring to Driving Change is a workshop dedicated to supporting citizen science projects, creating a network of organizations and individuals committed to citizen science, and engaging citizen science in Alberta. The workshop aimed to collectively advance citizen science in Alberta. The workshop also showcased the new Hub as a means to enhance resources and skills available to citizens, practitioners, and researchers in the citizen science community.