Universität Zürich has been a partner in the Una Europa alliance since 2022. Our new podcast episode is a great opportunity to learn more about them and the city of Zürich by looking at how the people who live and who do research there are involved in citizen science projects.
In this episode we get to know the initiative Citizen Science Zürich, which has the Universität Zürich as one of its main partners and acts as a crucial player in connecting academics and citizen scientists. Olivia Höhener tells us about the activities of Citizen Science Zürich and some of its projects which want to make the city more accessible and understand more about its inhabitants, including the city’s cats.
We also dive a little bit deeper into a citizen science project based at the Universität Zürich. CrowdWater is a research project and app designed to collect data on rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. CrowdWater is accessible and easy to use for everyone.
We meet Sara Blanco Ramirez, Franziska Clerc-Schwarzenbach, and Bret Leslie, who have all been involved with CrowdWater at different stages in their career, from writing a master’s thesis, researching a PhD project, to being a citizen scientist. They present fascinating insights into how a research project can involve various stakeholders – from individual citizens, groups of school children, to academics and many more – and how these people collect data that can create a noticeable impact on the environment locally and globally.
" Water is such a crucial resource, connecting many areas of life and society with each other. And we still don’t know much about water; there is still a lack of data. This is why we need observations through the CrowdWater app and why it would be nice if people can contribute water data and thereby help themselves because it helps a resource that they need. "
Franziska Clerc-Schwarzenbach, Universität Zürich.
Our third podcast episode also offers valuable insights into citizen science for early-career researchers. Our experts let you in on their experiences with summer schools that focus on citizen science approaches in research and share how citizen science can be an inspiration to research and a great way to connect to people within academia and beyond.
Tune in to our newest podcast episode and learn why Zürich is not just worth a touristic visit but how the city and Universität Zürich are host to a fascinating range of citizen science projects. All listeners who always wanted to become active contributors to citizen science and environmental protection can take a closer look at the CrowdWater app and become citizen scientists today.
If our podcast episode hasn't satisfied your appetite for knowledge, you can find a lot more perspectives and information on citizen science in our Una Europa Citizen Science Toolkit.
Olivia Höhener
Sara Blanco Ramirez
Franziska Clerc Schwarzenbach
Bret Leslie
