Harnessing Enthusiasm: Ecosocialities and Citizens as Early-Warning Systems

公民科学是一项日益重要的活动，因为对生物多样性数据的需求超过了专业科学家的能力(在财力和人力方面)。该项目与森林研究(英国主要的林业研究组织)、西尔瓦基金会(一个促进木材文化的慈善信托基金)和科学博物馆(让公民参与科学和技术的国际知名机构)合作，解决利用公民积极性的新方法的需求，以发展可持续的公民科学，用于树木健康监测。公民科学被定义为非科学家为科学项目收集数据。自19世纪中叶以来，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，记录最近日本地震和核灾难后的辐射水平。他们将对科学的兴趣与新技术和传统热情结合在一起。智能手机的成熟和网络技术的发展，如Flickr、Facebook、谷歌地图、Wiki和博客，增加了潜在参与和兴趣的广度和深度。然而，技术在公民科学和可持续参与中的作用尚未得到充分理解或利用。这项研究通过对公民科学家、科学家、技术人员和公民数据用户的参与观察和半结构化访谈，以及对澳大利亚(生物安全领域的领先者)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”，提出以下问题：1.公民为什么参与科学项目？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重视公民数据？4.公民作为生物入侵物种攻击树木活动的早期预警系统的潜力有多大？鼓励社会科学和环境科学的研究人员，特别是人文地理学家之间的对话，与地理信息系统研究人员和森林研究人员合作，该项目将发展“生态经济学”的概念，将其作为社会环境关系的一种新的理论化。这项研究惠及广泛的受众：*研究人、技术和自然之间关系的学者；*对实施公民科学项目感兴趣的项目合作伙伴，以监测英国的树木健康；*政府部门，如Defra和Fera，负责将公众与当地环境重新连接起来；*非政府组织和慈善机构组织公民科学项目；*希望为当地社区贡献和应用科学知识的公众。为了最大限度地扩大项目的影响，计划开展以下活动：*为期刊和会议撰写学术论文；*通过项目网站为合作伙伴提供进展报告、向媒体发布新闻稿，以及为其他利益攸关方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研讨会；*借调到森林研究，以最大限度地增加知识交流的机会；*通过科学馆和伦敦大学学院公众参与部的培训，发展知识交流技能；*定期更新网站，提供视频和推特订阅，以鼓励参与和传播研究结果。因此，这一未来研究领袖奖将：培养国际比较研究技能；促进人文地理学和地理信息系统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；并通过以研究为导向的硕士教学和博士生指导来加强教育。

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.