We at Österreich forscht also congratulate Maria Peer on her well-deserved award: https://www.citizen-science.at/blog/auszeichnung-fuer-die-masterarbeit-von-maria-peer

The lack of sustainability in human activity is leading to the global destabilisation of our natural systems. The resulting biodiversity and climate crises require a transformation to an environmentally sustainable society. However, the expertise in the field of taxonomy required for this transformation is often only shared by a few experts. This leads to a bottleneck in biological species knowledge, where, depending on the group of organisms, often only a few citizen scientists have the expertise to identify species. The ABOL-BioBlitzes have set themselves the goal of making these rare competences available to society.

Correct species identification of organisms is the basis for recording biodiversity and its changes. Traditional identification using morphological characteristics is very time-consuming and requires many years of experience and expertise; as a result, very many species can only be reliably identified by a small number of people. DNA barcoding is an innovative, resource-efficient form of species identification. DNA barcodes are standardised, species-specific DNA sequences from clearly identified individuals and thus serve as comparative references for DNA-based identification. The ABOL BioBlitzes help to populate the "digital identification book" (reference database) on the basis of DNA barcodes. This makes it possible to identify species even from tissue residues, larvae or environmental and mixed samples, such as a water sample from a pond. DNA barcoding helps to better fulfil the increased monitoring requirements (e.g. insect mortality, climate change). Scientists around the world are working on filling the reference database. The ABOL initiative (Austrian Barcode of Life) coordinates the creation of DNA barcode references for animals, plants and fungi that occur in Austria and ensures that this data is made available to the general public. ABOL works together with many national research institutions and private experts and is also networked with European and international initiatives.

With the ABOL-BioBlitzes everyone has the opportunity to help building up this reference database! The ABOL BioBlitzes are (usually) linked to annual "Biodiversity Days", which are organised by national parks, biosphere reserves or associations and take place in various regions of Austria. Biodiversity experts and scientists meet at these events to record biodiversity in a defined area within 24 hours. As part of the ABOL BioBlitz, species are not only documented, but also genetically analysed, i.e. DNA barcodes are created. Tissue samples of organisms that have been collected and identified by experts are handed over to the ABOL team, which initiates the creation of the DNA barcode. The corresponding data is then published in the international open database "Barcode of Life Data System" (BOLD).

The ABOL BioBlitz not only fills the reference database as a basis for future monitoring, but also secures the knowledge acquired by private and institutional experts in the long term. The results of the ABOL BioBlitz are published in a scientific journal approximately every two years, with all participants being able to contribute. 

What happened so far

The first ABOL BioBlitz took place in 2019 at the GEO-Tag der Natur in the Biosphere Reserve Nockberge. Since then, 4-6 ABOL-BioBlitzes followed each year throughout Austria. A summary of the results was published in the journal Acta ZooBot with the collaboration of many ABOL BioBlitz participants. Forty experts collected 2,172 individuals or 1,040 species. DNA barcodes of most individuals could be generated and are available to national and international researchers and nature conservation experts in the barcoding reference database BOLD. The results of all previous ABOL BioBlitzes are summarized on the ABOL homepage, where reviews of each ABOL BioBlitz can also be found on the ABOL blog.

If you don't want to miss future ABOL BioBlitzes, you can also subscribe to the ABOL newsletter!

What is the project about?

The crowdsourcing project "Letters 1914-1919" is about the transcription of the unique letter collection of the Vienna City Library from this period. In contrast to historical printed works, which are now subjected to automatic full-text recognition as standard, this is still not so easy to do for manuscripts - especially when the documents come from many different writers, as in this case. Since the democratization of knowledge plays a central role in the range of tasks of the Vienna City Library and only readable and comprehensible knowledge can be brought to life, the idea arose to ask the crowd for help in indexing the content. The historically significant period from 1914 to 1919 was chosen as the starting point.

The Vienna City Library will digitize all correspondence - more than 200,000 items - by 2025 and make them freely available in the Digital Library in compliance with copyright law. Due to the alphabetical approach, the crowdsourcing project's holdings will successively expand up to the letter Z.

How can one contribute?

Participation is open to all interested persons. After registering, you can choose between two tasks: Transcribe letters or check letters already transcribed by others. If errors are discovered, they can be changed and a new version created. Three independent confirmations are necessary for a transcription to be classified as correct.

What happens to the results?

The finished transcriptions are integrated into the Digital Library of the Vienna City Library at regular intervals and can then be retrieved and searched at any time. This makes the contents of the letters accessible to all interested persons - something that was previously reserved for a limited circle of experts.

Crowdsourcing platform crowdsourcing.wien 

The project "Letters 1914-1919" is part of the crowdsourcing platform crowdsourcing.wien - a cooperation of Wien Museum and Vienna City Library. The aim of this joint platform is to make original sources on the history of Vienna from various institutions accessible to all interested persons with the help of the crowd. Because only knowledge that can be read and comprehended can be brought to life and made available for inclusive debate.

More information: New platform crowdsourcing.wien and "Letters 1914-1919" www.wienbibliothek.at/ueber-uns/presse/presseaussendungen/neue-plattform-crowdsourcingwien-briefe-1914-1919

Podcast episode

In July 2023, project coordinator Alexandra Egger was guest on the Österreich forscht podcast Wissen macht Leute - you can listen to the episode here (in German).

Picture gallery

• Letter from Franz Josef Böhm to Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 24.4.1914, HIN-130022, Vienna City Library Letter from Franz Josef Böhm to Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 24.4.1914, HIN-130022, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Herberg Eulenberg to Franz Servaes, 13.6.1917, HIN-137743, Vienna City Library Letter from Herberg Eulenberg to Franz Servaes, 13.6.1917, HIN-137743, Vienna City Library
• Postcard from Raoul Auernheimer to Johannes Wilhelm Auernheimer from Constantinople, 8.5.1914, HIN-154569, Vienna City Library Postcard from Raoul Auernheimer to Johannes Wilhelm Auernheimer from Constantinople, 8.5.1914, HIN-154569, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Friedrich Bitterlich an Richard Weiskirchner, 26.3.1915, HIN-214005, Vienna City Library Letter from Friedrich Bitterlich an Richard Weiskirchner, 26.3.1915, HIN-214005, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Richard Beer-Hofmann to Theodor Reik, 23.11.1917, HIN-247438, Vienna City Library Letter from Richard Beer-Hofmann to Theodor Reik, 23.11.1917, HIN-247438, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Peter Altenberg to Margarete Frenzel, 27.9.1917, HIN-248841, Vienna City Library Letter from Peter Altenberg to Margarete Frenzel, 27.9.1917, HIN-248841, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Lily Braun to Friedrich Umlauft, 1.4.1914, HIN-35245, Vienna City Library Letter from Lily Braun to Friedrich Umlauft, 1.4.1914, HIN-35245, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Leo Ascher to Ben Tieber, 9.9.1918, HIN-39713, Vienna City Library Letter from Leo Ascher to Ben Tieber, 9.9.1918, HIN-39713, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach to Auguste Wilbrandt-Baudius, 25.1.1914, HIN-56820, Vienna City Library Letter from Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach to Auguste Wilbrandt-Baudius, 25.1.1914, HIN-56820, Vienna City Library
• Letter from Henriette von Bombelles to Richard von Kralik, 13.4.1914, HIN-97626, Vienna City Library Letter from Henriette von Bombelles to Richard von Kralik, 13.4.1914, HIN-97626, Vienna City Library
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Language is one of the most important means of human communication, an essential part of our culture and it can also fulfill an identity-forming function. At the same time, it is constantly changing with the society that uses it. There are words that were used a century ago, but that no one knows today. Simultaneously, there are other words are still in use but have changed their meaning.

With the "ABCs of Dialect" you can rediscover old German dialect words and help us process the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Bavarian-Austrian language area!

What is it about?

Citizens have always played a significant role in linguistics. Especially in the field of lexical variation – long before the term Citizen Science was established – they were not only passive suppliers of linguistic data, but actively participated in its collection. A prominent example is the “Wörterbuch der bairischen Mundarten in Österreich” (WBÖ) (‘Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria’), whose data was originally gathered by citizens. Already since 1914, this project has been dedicated to the comprehensive documentation and lexicographic analysis of the rich and unique dialect landscape of (historical) Austria. Now we want to invite citizens back to process and evaluate the data and to (re)discover their linguistic and cultural heritage.

The basis for the WBÖ is data from the so-called ‘Hauptkatalog’ (‘main catalogue’), a collection of paper slips covering approximately 3.6 million entries with dialect samples that were collected in the first half of the 20^th century. The major part of the dialect data in this collection was obtained indirectly with the help of so-called collectors (“Sammler”) on the basis of questionnaires. While a large part of the paper slips (from letter D onwards) has already been digitized for editorial and archival reasons and is publicly accessible as a database via the Lexikalisches Informationssystem Österreich (LIÖ) (‘Lexical Information System Austria’), only the physical paper slips for letters A, B/P and C as well as scans exist. At this point, the project “The ABCs of dialect: exploring historical notes digitally” starts.

What are the tasks of the citizens?

• Citizens transcribe original WBÖ paper slips (collection of letter A to C) and thus help complete the already existing WBÖ database.
• Citizens reflect on the content of the 100-year-old paper slips with regard to current dialect usage and hence are integrated into analyses of dialect change in the course of the last 80-100 years. (e.g.: Is a dialect word still in active use in Austria? Has the meaning of a particular word changed?).

In this way, interested persons (particularly from Austria, but not limited to) should be given access to their linguistic and regional heritage. In addition, by dealing with the historical information, a reflection on current language use and a connection to current research on vocabulary, language use and language change should be established.

How can I participate?

Citizens can participate via the Zooniverse platform by transcribing old paper slips and the handwritings on them. In addition, they can reflect on their own or general current language use by answering questions about the words they have copied, e.g. whether they still know the word or even use it themselves.Participation is possible anywhere and anytime via the Zooniverse platform. The only requirement is internet access. Not necessary but very helpful is the ability to read Kurrent handwriting, which was used on some of the paper slips.

At introductory workshops, citizen scientists are familiarised with the platform and the paper slips and trained in the tasks. In the course of this, some participants are trained as experts who other participants can then turn to. However, it is also possible to contribute to the project without prior training.

Who can participate?

Everyone who is interested in language or dialects and the cultural heritage of Austria is invited to contribute to the “ABCs of dialects”. We want to involve both younger and older Citizen Scientists, since older people typically have high dialect skills and are still familiar with the diverse handwriting systems that we find on the paper slips in the collection, while younger people have high digital skills. In this way we bring generations and their skills and abilities together and encourage intergenerational collaboration. At the same time, their competence and knowledge are not only valued, but also made visible to the outside world in a linguistic and cultural context.

A special added value of the project consists in that the historical material, which was collected about 100 years ago using citizen science methods (even if they were not called such at the time), is made accessible to the citizens and they contribute to the evaluation and transcription of this historic material.

 Further information at https://abc-mitmachen.acdh.oeaw.ac.at/.

Podcast episode

As part of the episode "The Citizen Science Award 2024 - behind the scenes", Cornelia Sommer-Hubatschke, teacher at BG & BRG Stockerau, who took part in the ABCs of Dialect with a school class, talked about her experiences in the project in the podcast Wissen macht Leute. You can listen to the episode on our blog or on the podcast app of your choice (the episode is in German). You can find all the details here.

Picture gallery

• paper slip from Vienna on the word Erdapfel paper slip from Vienna on the word Erdapfel
• paper slip from Moschendorf on the word alles paper slip from Moschendorf on the word alles
• paper slip from Reidling on the word Federpennal paper slip from Reidling on the word Federpennal
• paper slip from Weidenthal on the word Pfiffikus paper slip from Weidenthal on the word Pfiffikus
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Counselling centres for women* are important institutions that have been founded since the 1980s by the second women's movement. In the project, researchers are conducting research together with counsellors and clients of Viennese women's* counselling centres. We are interested in the life stories of women* who seek help at counselling centres. How can women lead a good life in this society today and what role can women's counselling play in this? In workshops, questions and methods are developed together with the project partners. The women* and the counsellors are guided to document their knowledge and experiences in the form of narrated stories or/and with visual methods. The use of a critical participatory action approach enables both counsellors and clients to reflect on changes that have occurred through a feminist, psychological counselling process.

The perspective of women clients has very rarely been considered in the history of psychology. Especially structurally disadvantaged women* are often not heard, e.g. migrant women or single parents affected by poverty. Research with clients aims to empower women* and to explore with them how social circumstances have shaped their lives. 

"The Psychological is Participatory - Feminist critical participatory action research with women's counselling centres and their clients" (2022-2023), funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF (TCS 112 Top Citizen Science) and co-financed by the Women and Family Department of the Arbeiterkammer.

Project management: Ass.-Prof. Dr. Nora Ruck

Project team: Dr. Barbara Rothmüller, Julia Struppe-Schanda, MSc.

In the project we are conducting research together with Dr. Bettina Zehetner from the counselling centre Frauen* beraten Frauen* and Dr. Sigrid Awart and Dr. Andrea Kaiser-Horvath from the counselling centre Peregrina as well as with 12 clients from both counselling centres. Prof. Michelle Fine & Prof. María Elena Torre (CUNY), Prof. Thomas Stefan (Postdam) and Prof. Alexandra Rutherford (Toronto) advise us on the Advisory Board of the project. The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2023.

SoilPlastic is a citizen science project that collects data on plastic in soils. No prior knowledge is needed to participate and you can enter your observations in the SoilPlastic app in just a few minutes.

What is it about?

Plastic products and their remains are ubiquitous. However, we still know little about how much and which types of plastic end up in soils and what effects this has. Observations by citizen scientists help scientists to fill this knowledge gap. This is an important field of (citizen) science, as we rely on soils to produce 95% of our food. 

How can you participate?

With the SoilPlastic app for Android and iOS, observations can be entered anywhere and at any time. Entries can also be made via the browser in the web-based app. So if you spot plastic in the environment while walking, cycling or on your way to work/school, enter your observation as a "spot" in the app. GPS localisation on your smartphone should be activated so that the spot is automatically placed in the right location. A spot needs at least information about the amount and size of the plastic found, about the surroundings (field, park, etc.) and a photo of your observation. 

Other details are optional: colour of the plastic, type of plastic, information about the soil (texture, soil life), other material found. This will help the research team to understand the distribution of plastic and the site more precisely. Of course, the environment will be happy if you take the found objects with you and dispose of them in the correct waste bin.

What do I get out of it as a citizen scientist?

The citizen scientists become part of the EU research project MINAGRIS (Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agricultural Soils) and make an important contribution to a clean environment by adding knowledge and collecting the found objects from the environment and disposing of them properly. You will also learn new things about plastics, soil and (citizen) science in a fun way. Furthermore, the SoilPlastic app allows you to connect with other Citizen Scientsts who probably have similar interests. As the SoilPlastic app is part of the citizen science platform Spotteron, you can use the same account as in other Spotteron apps and communicate about different topics and projects.

What is the data used for?

The collected data is used in the MINAGRIS project to get an overview of the amount and type of visible plastic on soils. Among other things, MINAGRIS investigates the effects of plastic on soils and biodiversity and develops a sustainable use of plastic. In addition, the data collected in the Citizen Science Award 2023 in Austria will be published in a scientific article (anonymised, of course). The spots in the SoilPlastic app are also visible to everybody interested. 

Links:

Article about the SoilPlastic App

MINAGRIS LinkedIn

MINAGRIS Twitter

MINAGRIS is funded by the European Union's Horizon2020 programme for research and innovation under contract number 101000407.

Picture gallery

• © Spotteron © Spotteron
• © Spotteron © Spotteron
• © AGES © AGES
• © AGES © AGES
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Development of the app by Spotteron

SoilPlastic is part of the EU project MINAGRIS

Flexibilisation of WF-mowing dates according to the phenological model 

The ÖPUL-measure Nature Conservation results in farmers usually having an agreement on a fixed mowing date. Due to the ongoing climate change, vegetation development fluctuates more and more especially during spring and early summer. Therefore, it was proposed to expand the flexibility of harvest date requirements. For this purpose, over a hundred farmers all over Austria started to observe the course of panicle development and the blooming of black elderberry. Based on this data, a phenological model is calculated for each region. During a warm year with an early onset of vegetation development, the farms can mow their meadows before the date given by the project confirmation. The new, earlier date is then communicated via www.mahdzeitpunkt.at.

Roles and responsibilities

Project lead

Austrian council for agricultural engineering and rural development

Project partners

GeoSphere Austria (former Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics)

Modeling of the annual vegetation development with the additional inclusion of weather data from GeoSphere Austria. Analysis and handling of meteorological data and phenology data from GeoSphere in cooperation with experts.

LACON landscape planning consulting

Modeling of the annual vegetation development with the additional inclusion of weather data from GeoSphere Austria as well as annual organization and supervision of the observations by the Citizen Scientists.

Citizen Scientists

Monitoring and documentation of the phenology of cock's-foot and elder

DESIGNING AN INFORMATION TOOL FOR CARDIAC REHABILITATION

Background

Previous research has shown that after an acute cardiac event, such as a heart attack, patients can feel uninformed about the follow-up care and cardiac rehabilitation. Digital technologies have the potential to make health-related information available at any time and in a layman-friendly manner.

The aim of the project was to develop a digital prototype that provides patients with information regarding cardiac rehabilitation following an acute cardiac event.

The HERO-Project

The HERO co-design workshop series was carried out in collaboration between four scientists from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Prevention (LBI DHP) and a total of 16 research partners (ten cardiac patients, six healthcare professionals and one professional with a cardiac patient history).

The workshops were based on the principles of generative co-design. In addition to presentations and group work, which enabled an exchange of experiences, the following methods were used to answer the questions: A brainstorming session in an acute hospital setting to prioritise information and to discuss where to possibly place information in the hospital. Afterwards, paper prototypes were designed to identify latent needs and to define requirements for a digital information support tool. Figure 1 shows impressions from the workshops.

Figure 1. Impressions from the co-design group work.

Based on the results of the co-design workshops, a digital prototype was developed that addresses the expressed needs and contains the defined requirements. The next step will be to develop an app, which will then be tested by cardiac patients in the acute hospital setting.

Get involved!

We are always looking for people who are interested in testing our app! Currently we are looking for:

• Cardiac patients who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation programme
• Healthcare professionals from the cardiology sector (nursing staff, therapists, doctors...)

Please feel free to get in touch with us!

Additional information and contact

Isabel Höppchen, MSc
PhD student Human-Computer Interaction

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Prevention
Lindhofstr. 22, 5020 Salzburg

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click here for the project website.

Biodiversity and ecology of freshwater bacteria

The bacterial genus Aquirufa, which was discovered and scientifically described in cooperation with pupils, is the eponym and focus of the research project. The aim is to research the ecology, biodiversity and distribution of Aquirufa in water bodies through the active and creative participation of citizen scientists in the entire research process.

Many people only know bacteria as pathogens, although only a small proportion of bacteria belong to this group. Environmental bacteria drive material cycles and are involved in primary production; without their metabolic activities, the ecosphere as we know it would not exist. They are also absolutely essential organisms for our ecosystems, such as water bodies. Despite this importance, there is still a great need for research. According to estimates, there are probably several million species of bacteria, but only a little over 20,000 of them have been named and described. This enormous wealth of species is therefore still largely undiscovered. The project therefore aims to draw attention to this world hidden from the naked eye and to awaken understanding for scientific work, especially basic research.

School classes and other citizen scientist groups will collect water samples from self-selected or specified water bodies and process them microbiologically under supervision. Smaller groups will also work in the laboratory and help with sampling campaigns. With the involvement of the citizen scientists, newly discovered Aquirufa species will also be scientifically named and described during the course of the project.

Interested citizens can participate in the project in workshops in Mondsee and in the Weitwörther Au (near Salzburg). More information is available on the project homepage. You can also follow the project on Instagram.

Citizen Science Seminar

In 2023, poject coordinator Alexandra Pitt held a lecture about the project Aquirufa (in German) as part of the lecture series "Citizen Science Seminar" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU). You can watch the video recording of the lecture at the end of this page.

Video

Videos (in German)

The sale of electrical and electronic equipment is constantly increasing and accordingly e-waste has already become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Our society needs to face this challenge without delay, so the Recycling Heroes project aims to raise awareness about e-waste, especially among students but also in society in general, by combining the principles of the circular economy with citizen science methods.

Participation

As citizen scientists, the students develop a comprehensive questionnaire to ask their family or neighbours what electronic products are used for and over what period of time, and what happens to devices that are no longer used. Afterwards, the students analyse the results of the survey and consider what could be done to ensure proper disposal and increase the recycling rate. In addition, the students look into the development of electronic products that can be used in other current citizen science projects. These new products can be developed, for example, as a mesh-up of e-waste parts and new parts - sustainability is the focus here! Subsequently, the developed and tested prototypes will be duplicated in small numbers and distributed to other partner schools in the project. These schools will use the prototypes to collect data on temperature, noise, humidity and particulate matter in the school environment, for example, and then make them available to Citizen Science projects.

Aims

The project aims to strengthen the students' environmental awareness and recycling culture, as well as their understanding of eco-design and development processes. In addition, the students learn to develop suitable survey instruments and to sharpen their scientific thinking with regard to citizen science.