Harnessing Enthusiasm: Ecosocialities and Citizens as Early-Warning Systems

随着对生物多样性数据的需求超出了专业科学家的能力（在资金和人力方面），公民科学是一项变得越来越重要的活动。该项目与森林研究（英国林业研究的主要组织）、Sylva基金会（促进木材文化的慈善信托基金）和科学博物馆（国际知名的公民参与科学和技术的机构）合作，解决了利用公民热情的新方法的需求，以便为树木健康监测发展可持续的公民科学。公民科学被定义为非科学家为科学项目收集数据。自19世纪中期以来，志愿者、业余爱好者和爱好者都参与了公民科学。在21世纪，公民在监测风险和环境变化方面处于领先地位，例如在最近的日本地震和核灾难之后记录辐射水平。他们将对科学的兴趣与新技术和传统热情混合在一起。智能手机的成熟和网络技术的发展，如Flickr、Facebook、谷歌地图、维基和博客，增加了潜在参与和兴趣的广度和深度。然而，技术在公民科学和持续参与中的作用尚未得到充分理解或利用。通过参与观察和对公民科学家、科学家、技术人员和公民数据用户的半结构化访谈，以及对澳大利亚（生物安全领域的领导者）公民监测项目的国际比较研究，追踪英国新的“树木健康监测框架”，本研究提出：1。公民为什么要参与科学项目？2. 技术在公民科学中扮演什么角色？3. 科学家和其他用户如何评价公民数据？4. 公民作为生物入侵物种攻击树木的早期预警系统的潜力有多大？鼓励社会和环境科学研究人员之间的对话，特别是人文地理学家、GIS研究人员和森林研究人员，该项目将发展“生态社会”的概念，作为社会环境关系的一种新的理论。这项研究对广泛的受众有好处：*研究人、技术和自然之间关系的学者；*有兴趣实施公民科学项目以监测英国树木健康的项目合作伙伴；*政府部门，如Defra和Fera，负责重新将公众与当地环境联系起来；*举办市民科学项目的非政府机构及慈善机构；*希望为当地社区做出贡献并应用科学知识的公众成员。为了使项目的影响最大化，计划开展以下活动：*为期刊和会议撰写学术论文；*向合作伙伴提供进度报告，向媒体发布新闻稿，并通过项目网站向其他利益相关者提供研究结果的详细信息；*为研究人员、科学家、决策者和公民举办四个讲习班；*借调到森林研究部门，最大限度地扩大知识交流的机会；*透过科学馆及伦敦大学学院公众参与组的培训，发展知识交流技能；*定期更新网站的视频和推特，以鼓励参与和传播调查结果。因此，这个未来研究领袖奖将：培养国际比较研究的技能；促进人文地理与GIS研究人员之间的跨学科合作；促进学者、公民和科学家之间的知识交流；并通过以研究为主导的硕士教学和博士指导来加强教育。

Citizen science is an activity that is becoming increasingly important as demand for data on biodiversity outstrips the capacity of professional scientists (in terms of finance and manpower). Working in partnership with Forest Research (Britain's principal organization for forestry research), the Sylva Foundation (a charitable trust promoting wood culture) and the Science Museum (internationally-renowned institution engaging citizens with science and technology), this project addresses the need for new ways of harnessing citizen enthusiasm in order to develop a sustainable citizen science for tree health monitoring. Citizen science is defined as data collection by non-scientists for scientific projects. Since the mid 19th century, volunteers, amateurs and enthusiasts have participated in citizen science. In the 21st-century, citizens are leading the way in monitoring risk and environmental change, for example recording radiation levels following the recent earthquake and nuclear disaster in Japan. They are mixing an interest in science with new technologies and traditional enthusiasms. The sophistication of smartphones and developments within web technology, such as Flickr, Facebook, Google Maps, Wikis and blogs, have increased the breadth and depth of potential participation and interest. However, the role of technology in citizen science and sustaining participation has yet to be fully understood or utilised. Tracing the new 'Tree Health Surveillance Framework' for Britain through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with citizen scientists, scientists, technicians and users of citizen data, as well as international comparative research on citizen monitoring projects in Australia (a leader in biosecurity), this research asks: 1. Why do citizens participate in scientific projects? 2. What role does technology play in citizen science? 3. How is citizen data valued by scientists and other users? 4. What potential is there for citizens to act as early-warning systems for the movements of biologically invasive species attacking trees?Encouraging dialogue between researchers in the social and environmental sciences, specifically human geographers, GIS researchers and forest researchers, this project will develop the concept of 'ecosocialities' as a novel theorization of social environmental relations. This research has benefits for a wide range of audiences:* academics studying relations between people, technology and nature; * project partners interested in implementing citizen science projects to monitor tree health in the UK; * government departments, such as Defra and Fera, charged with re-connecting the public to their local environments; * NGOs and charities organising citizen science projects; * members of the public who want to contribute to and apply scientific knowledge in their local communities. In order to maximise the impact of the project, the following activities are planned: * production of academic papers for journals and conferences; * progress reports for partners, press releases for the media and details of research findings for other stakeholders via the project website; * four workshops for researchers, scientists, decision-makers and citizens; * a secondment to Forest Research to maximise opportunities for knowledge exchange;* knowledge exchange skills development through training from the Science Museum and UCL's Public Engagement Unit; * regularly updated website with videos and Twitter feed in order to encourage participation and circulate findings. Thus, this Future Research Leader award will: build skills in international comparative research; foster inter-disciplinary working between researchers in human geography and GIS; facilitate knowledge exchange between academics, citizens and scientists; and enhance education through research-led MSc teaching and PhD supervision.