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The Israel Center for Citizen Science at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History was established in early 2022, to promote public participation in environmental research to promote biodiversity science and conservation in Israel.
The center will foster sustainable technological, scientific, and social facets, to forge stronger foundations for citizen science in Israel. It will be the hub, source of knowledge and support, for existing citizen science programs and future initiatives, nationally.
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen science, also known as participatory or community science, is the active involvement of the public in scientific research. It involves scientists and non-scientists—activists, volunteer groups, students, youth, and others — working together to gain new scientific knowledge through collaborative projects.
As a relatively new field of research and practice, citizen science has grown rapidly, primarily as a result of technological advancements that facilitate easy participation and direct communication with research teams. The significant contribution of citizen science and the importance of public participation in research, are expressed through its many contributions to science, society, and individual participants. There are thousands of active citizen science projects worldwide spanning a variety of fields, including astronomy, medicine, climate change, humanities, biodiversity and the environment. Volunteers in these projects participate in various stages of the research, from selecting potential topics and formulating research questions, through collecting data and analyzing the results, to publishing and presenting the findings.
The vision of the Citizen Science Center
The Israel Center for Citizen Science at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History will facilitate public participation in environmental research to promote biodiversity science and conservation in Israel.
The Center’s goals are to provide technical, scientific, and methodological support to existing and new citizen science initiatives in Israel; to ensure that research data and results are accessible to the public, stakeholders, and decision-makers; to establish globally shared FAIR data.
