Harnessing Enthusiasm: Ecosocialities and Citizens as Early-Warning Systems

由于对生物多样性数据的需求超出了专业科学家的能力（在财力和人力方面），公民科学活动变得越来越重要。该项目与森林研究所（英国主要的林业研究组织）、西尔瓦基金会（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，解决了以新的方式调动公民热情的需要，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。自世纪中期以来，志愿者、业余爱好者和热心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的热情混合在一起。智能手机的先进性和网络技术的发展，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。追踪新的“树木健康监测框架”为英国通过参与观察和半结构化的采访公民科学家，科学家，技术人员和公民数据的用户，以及国际比较研究公民监测项目在澳大利亚（在生物安全的领导者），这项研究问：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预警系统有何潜力？该项目鼓励社会和环境科学研究人员，特别是人类地理学家、地理信息系统研究人员和森林研究人员之间的对话，将发展“生态社会”概念，作为社会环境关系的一种新理论。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，负责重新连接公众与当地环境; * 组织公民科学项目的非政府组织和慈善机构;* 希望贡献科学知识并将其应用于当地社区的公众人士。为了最大限度地发挥项目的影响，计划开展以下活动：* 为期刊和会议编写学术论文; * 通过项目网站向合作伙伴提交进度报告，向媒体发布新闻稿，并向其他利益攸关方提供研究结果的详细情况; * 为研究人员、科学家、决策者和公民举办四次讲习班;* 借调一名人员到森林研究中心，以尽量增加知识交流的机会;* 透过科学馆和伦敦大学学院公众参与组的培训，发展知识交流的技巧;* 定期更新网站，提供视频和推特信息，以鼓励参与和传播调查结果。因此，这个未来研究领导者奖将：建立国际比较研究的技能;促进人文地理和GIS研究人员之间的跨学科工作;促进学者，公民和科学家之间的知识交流;并通过研究主导的硕士教学和博士监督加强教育。

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.