dr. E. Egorova (Katja)

GEO CS and Pre-University: building a bridge between school education and digital technology for geo citizen science

Digital tools are essential in geosciences. ITC’s state-of-the-art Geospatial Computing Platform provides such tools for research and education purposes. Many of the provided tools are also useful for citizen science (CS) projects and ITC can significantly facilitate such activities through the platform. However, the threshold to start using them is currently high and any serious attempt to support CS requires a well-designed approach with training targeting citizen scientists. This includes primary and secondary school students, whose curricula pay special attention on digital technology and promote involvement to CS activities. This project focuses on this group and aims to find out how pre-university students and teachers can be supported to use a modern digital geoscience toolbox for CS projects. In cooperation with UT Pre‑U, a feasibility study will be performed to identify how the platform and available tools can be used for CS activities, including blitz campaigns. Potential use cases and expected impacts will be documented. Finally, a roadmap for developing well-written training material for the target audience will be prepared in consultation with teachers. This project is conducted in collaboration with Serkan Girgin (project PI) and Jan Jaap Wietsma, and has been funded by the Geographic Citizen Science Seed Fund.