Welcome to the Newsletter that Matters!
Science For Change
We promote collaborative science. We boost change with citizens. #CitizenScience
Here you can keep up to date with everything that's happening at SFC and stay current with what's new in the citizen science sector.
The time for change is here!
What's been going on
Digital divide: a reality to be tackled collaboratively
The “Digital divide” project begins, which will qualitatively study the gap between the inhabitants of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat with different socio-economic levels and their opportunities to access and use information and communication?technologies (ICT).
Mapping the sound of our cities with citizen science
The project "SoundCollect, the sound of the community" has begun, in which a free citizen science app is being developed, with which citizens will be able to record acoustic data from quiet urban areas.
Upcoming events
Upcoming SoundCollect sessions
SoundCollect, the sound of the community has already been in Girona, Barcelona and has even reached the classrooms, but in case you missed it, here are the next sessions:
Participate in our activities !
OdourCollect and elderly people: digitizing and co-creating our olfactory memory
OdourCollect will be in the Basque Country, at the LURLAB in Ataún, where three sessions will be carried out and participants will share their olfactory memories using ICTs.
La Festa de la Ciència 2024
Science For Change will participate in this year's edition of "La Festa de la Ciència ", presenting the project "OdourCollect and elderly people: digitizing and co-creating our olfactory memory".
There will also be a workshop to explore smells and our olfactory memory, through arts and ICT.
The interview of the month
- What is your career path and how did you come to SFC?
I have developed my professional career in the field of biomedical research, teaching at the higher education level and in the field of practice and research in science communication, with a gender perspective.
I would like to highlight interdisciplinarity, collaborative and international work as transversal axes since the beginning of my career. From my PhD thesis - through a Doctoral Network, of the Marie Sklodowska Curie programme - to the latest projects in which I was involved: a public-private one funded by the IMI to create the largest data platform for patients with osteoarthritis, for a better classification towards personalized medicine, and another funded by the INTERREG programme, for the creation of a bioengineering institute between Galicia and the North of Portugal.
In connection with my research career, I led co-production projects of scientific communication products in which we involve citizens and/or groups that are usually underrepresented.
This process made me rethink the approach of ongoing research projects, brought me new questions, and made me more alert to potential biases. For me, the impact of science communication should not only have an impact on the different audiences, but also on the fact that, by opening up processes of knowledge generation, we have a positive impact on scientific quality and excellence itself.
Another point that needs to be added is my work as a volunteer and member of different non-profit associations in which we aim to inform evidence-based public policies. Science For Change appeared at a time when I wanted to go a step further in strengthening my commitment to knowledge transfer oriented towards the social innovation of science and supporting others in the process.
- What motivated you to join SFC?
The fact that we had aligned goals and values. On the other hand, knowledge-based social enterprises, in which Science For Change's work is framed, are part of an expanding market with projections with high social, economic, political, scientific and environmental impact, so I thought it was a good challenge to be part of a team that is paving the way in this field, both nationally and internationally.
In addition, I believe that this is happening at a very opportune time if we take into account the paradigm shift of modern science, towards an open science model, the need for new research methods, such as citizen science, effective science communication and its professionalization. It is evident that with the current panorama of different challenges that we face as a society, the role we can play in mediating solutions is very relevant.
- What is your role in the company?
Well, my role in the company can be said to be focused on two parts right now. One, to the research, management and technical implementation of projects related to citizen science and science communication. And on the other hand, in the management of the business unit of science communication of the company.
- What projects are you currently working on at SFC and what are their goals?
Currently, I am working on the scientific coordination of COALESCE , which will establish the European Centre of Competence in Science Communication, its creation being the main objective. The Competence Centre will be a virtual platform linked to different national and/or regional physical hubs in different European countries. In the future, it will be possible to find resources, tools, literature and an Academy that will contribute to the education and training of personnel, both researchers and in the field of science communication and journalism, as well as contribute to managing future crises, in which science and science communication play a fundamental role.
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I would also like to emphasize the role of informing public policies will have regarding the professionalization of the sector, the recognition of scientific careers and the need for long-term funding programs not only in the practice of science communication but also in research in the area.
On the other hand, I am also contributing to the IMPETUS project, in which Science For Change coordinates the accelerator of 125 citizen science projects.
I contribute to the definition of the accelerator program, including training activities in scientific communication skills, and on the other hand I also contribute to mentoring some of the projects involved, especially with respect to those in the area of health .
- What do you like most about your job at SFC?
To be able to contribute to enriching communities in a mutual way and to create a new model of science that is more diverse, inclusive and representative of society. The future of science will depend on citizen participation and there is no turning back, and this is part of the DNA of the projects we develop at Science For Change. On the other hand, continuing to maintain interdisciplinary and multicultural aspects that I have always nurtured throughout my career is also, and it always will be, very enriching.
- Could you share one of your most significant projects at SFC and how it impacted the community or field of work?
The most significant project is COALESCE because of its relevance, and this is a direct legacy of NEWSERA and its 7 sister projects (including ENJOI ).
At NEWSERA we worked with 39 citizen science projects in Portugal, Italy and Spain, co-creating communication strategies for different audiences. The impact for them (and for the entire consortium) was great, especially in the transformation of the way of thinking about scientific communication and how it can impact not only different audiences, but the fact of working with and for them also has an impact on the process of knowledge generation, giving rise to new research questions.
In addition, the project has generated a range of opportunities, both in the creation of new cross-border spaces in which citizen science can contribute to face common challenges, opening new doors for new audiences that were not contemplated, influencing public policies, and valuing the data generated by citizens.
We have also planted a small seed in the field of citizen science journalism, in which we have carried out some pilots with the collaboration of journalists from these three countries, and which we hope will open up new opportunities.
- How do you think SFC is contributing to society?
Science For Change as a startup and small and medium-sized enterprise, it is helping to open up a new field in science-based (citizen) companies with social impact. It is based on participatory methodologies that cut across all scientific areas and seek to achieve a greater impact on society and with society.
We already have different examples of contribution and real impact, such as OdourCollect and the D-NOSES project, in the field of odour pollution. On the one hand, at the European political level, with the mention for the first time of this type of pollution and the relevance of citizen science, in the Zero Pollution Action Plan, or for example at a more technical level, the contribution to the first UNE standard that includes citizens to measure odour pollution.
Another clear example is the case of the TRANSFORM project and the health pilot with people with endometriosis, which has led to the implementation of recommendations to improve primary health care at the Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona.
- Could you recommend any books, articles, or resources that have inspired your work?
I would like to recommend two books and a resource. In different circumstances and moments, each of them opened windows of thought for me to rethink science, the process of generating knowledge and what it means to be a (woman) scientist.
- What do you like to do in your free time?
Learn. It's a constant rooted in me. But right now, being connected to nature and people off-screen is my priority. I have joined as a volunteer in a wonderful community garden that gives me serenity and a huge learning experience with the different generations that meet there. It is also a way that I have found to give back to the city that currently hosts me (Barcelona), my little grain of affection and gratitude.
Interesting content
New policy brief on excellent science communication for society at large through informal activities
This report, published by the COALESCE project, recommends a series of policies to promote the incorporation of excellent scientific communication into society through informal activities with citizens.
Do you know the 10 principles of citizen science?
This document brings together the 10 key principles on what constitutes good citizen science. The document has been developed by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) team and translated into different languages.
Did you know...?
At Science For Change, we use citizen science to address social, environmental and health challenges. And we do so to achieve an ambitious goal: to seek a paradigm shift that includes the real, active and inclusive participation of society as a method of generating knowledge.
For this reason, one of our areas of expertise is the co-design of technological services for citizen science projects. Two examples of this are the citizen science apps of OdourCollect and SoundCollect.
SoundCollect is an innovative technological tool for recording and managing sound data based on the active listening of citizens. Citizen participation is essential in the project to co-design solutions that allow the preservation of the quiet urban areas of our environment.
The app will soon be available, and is currently in a collaborative testing phase.
OdourCollect is a free app that allows citizens to map and share odour obsevations anytime, anywhere through citizen science. Collaborating with the community, we generate accurate and valid scientific data that allows us to make visible the smells that surround us. With this already consolidated app, we are launching different initiatives to include all people in science.
For this reason, in collaboration with FECYT we have launched the project "OdourCollect and the elderly: digitizing and co-creating our olfactory memory" which consists of three workshops.