Citizen Science/University of Victoria & Citizen Science

Status Quo

A growing number of research projects led by or with participation of University of Victoria (UVic) experts include community participation. The core values behind citizen science align with the university's strategic plan and UVic Libraries’ strategic directions, both of which promote community-engaged learning and research.

Stakeholders

CIFAHL Victoria

At the University of Victoria, CIFAL Victoria works with The United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) to connect "the region with the global community and supports international knowledge-sharing and partnerships, as well as gathering and measuring data on our impact in advancing the SDGs, with a focus on four key themes:

• Oceans, climate and sustainability
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Decolonization and Indigenous knowledge
• Global health and well-being"

Oceans Network Canada

Is involved in several Citizen Science projects, for example:

Project Examples (Selection)

• The SchoolShake project will collect seismographic data by partnering up UVic researchers with K-12 schools across Vancouver Island.
• Digital Fishers is only one of several Citizen Science projects by Ocean Networks Canada at UVic. It asks for help from Community Scientists to identify maritime animals in a video-game-like web application.
• The Adult Salmon Diet Program is a study under the leadership of Dr. Will Duguid, which is teaming up with recreational fishers to gather data on the diet of adult Chinook and coho salmon found along the coast of BC.
• The Metchosin Flying Insect Biomass Project is a long-term research project led by Dr. Neville Winchester, that collects and analyzes data on the development of insect population levels with the help of community scientists.

UVicSpace Datasets

UVicSpace, the institutional repository for research publications at the University of Victoria (UVic), contains a number of datasets originating from UVic-based citizen science projects. Examples include:

• UNESCO Knowledge Democracy/ Participatory Research collection – The Libraires negotiated an agreement with the UNESCO Co-Chairs to hosts a satellite collection of the UNESCO Knowledge Democracy collection. The collection hosts articles, reports, annual reports, case studies, etc. authored by the global community. We currently have 117 items deposited and the collection is growing.

• Community-based Research Laboratory (CBRL) - is a knowledge hub created by Dr. Jutta Gutberlet in 2005 and located in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria. CBRL hosts a group of researchers and students that are committed to participatory oriented and community-based research in Canada and around the world. Our Vision is to bridge global challenges with local actions, effecting sustainable change through collaborative partnerships with universities, government, civil society, NGOs, business sector, and grassroots initiatives to improve the livelihoods of individuals and communities. Our Mission is to conduct and engage in participatory action research with community members in order to achieve progressive social, economic and environmentally sustainable and transformative change.

Author: Christian Schmidt (talk) index.php?title=Category:Citizen Science index.php?title=Category:UVic index.php?title=Category:Datasets