Acting in solidarity: Testing an extended dual pathway model of collective action by bystander group members.

Science.gov (United States)

Saab, Rim; Tausch, Nicole; Spears, Russell; Cheung, Wing-Yee

2015-09-01

We examined predictors of collective action among bystander group members in solidarity with a disadvantaged group by extending the dual pathway model of collective action, which proposes one efficacy-based and one emotion-based path to collective action (Van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, & Leach, 2004). Based on two proposed functions of social identity performance (Klein, Spears, & Reicher, 2007), we distinguished between the efficacy of collective action at consolidating the identity of a protest movement and its efficacy at achieving social change (political efficacy). We expected identity consolidation efficacy to positively predict collective action tendencies directly and indirectly via political efficacy. We also expected collective action tendencies to be positively predicted by moral outrage and by sympathy in response to disadvantaged outgroup's suffering. These hypotheses were supported in two surveys examining intentions to protest for Palestine in Britain (Study 1), and intentions to attend the June 4th vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre among a sample of Hong Kong citizens (Study 2). The contributions of these findings to research on the dual pathway model of collective action and the different functions of collective action are discussed. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Citizen Science for public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Den Broeder, Lea; Devilee, Jeroen; Van Oers, Hans; Schuit, A Jantine; Wagemakers, Annemarie

2016-12-23

Community engagement in public health policy is easier said than done. One reason is that public health policy is produced in a complex process resulting in policies that may appear not to link up to citizen perspectives. We therefore address the central question as to whether citizen engagement in knowledge production could enable inclusive health policy making. Building on non-health work fields, we describe different types of citizen engagement in scientific research, or 'Citizen Science'. We describe the challenges that Citizen Science poses for public health, and how these could be addressed. Despite these challenges, we expect that Citizen Science or similar approaches such as participatory action research and 'popular epidemiology' may yield better knowledge, empowered communities, and improved community health. We provide a draft framework to enable evaluation of Citizen Science in practice, consisting of a descriptive typology of different kinds of Citizen Science and a causal framework that shows how Citizen Science in public health might benefit both the knowledge produced as well as the 'Citizen Scientists' as active participants. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

How corporatist institutions shape the access of citizen groups to policy makers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Peter Munk; Mach, André; Varone, Frédéric

2018-01-01

similar socio-economic and political challenges during this period, but the political opportunity structure is more favorable towards citizen groups in Switzerland than in Denmark. The Swiss referendum institution makes parliamentarians more open to popular demands while in Denmark strong unions, a strong...

ICTs, Openness and Citizen Perceptions of Government: How Civic Technologies Can Facilitate External Citizen Efficacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca Rumbul

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article examines whether civic technologies deliver an effective technique for developing the political efficacy of citizens and altering their perceived accountability of governments. Employing a survey-based methodology, a quantitative analysis was performed on the users of civic technology sites in the USA, UK, Kenya and South Africa. The primary question posed is whether the specific citizen monitoring actions facilitated by these sites cause a related effect in altering the extent to which citizens believe that governments are responsive to citizen-audit. The results indicate an enhancement in citizen efficacy and perceptions of government accountability. Notable differences detected in the user demographics between the countries studied demonstrate a wide spectrum of citizen usage; however, with common confidence displayed by respondents in the efficacy of the ICT. The findings indicate that the publication and citizen-audit of government information through civic technologies in developed and developing countries increases feelings of external efficacy and perceived government accountability.

Group dynamics in the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongh, M.S. de

2013-01-01

In 2006, the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations set up a national citizen assembly on electoral reform. One hundred and forty Dutch citizens were asked to work together for nine months to investigate various electoral systems for choosing members of the Parliament, and eventually

Climate change discourses and citizen participation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Inger; Horsbøl, Anders; Bonnen, Kersten

2011-01-01

of Denmark. We analyze how central actors are called upon to act, and how citizens are addressed in the call for action in the two sets of data. Paving the way for the empirical analysis, the first part of the article gives a review of contemporary literature on climate change typologies and discourses......Citizen participation is a recurrent and democratically important issue in the ongoing debate about climate change. However, different meanings are ascribed to citizen participation in different contexts and discourses, ranging from top-down involvement to bottom-up engagement. This article...... within different research fields, assessing how citizen participation is articulated within these discourses. Finally, we address some needs for increased citizen participation in the climate change debate....

Private behaviors for the public good: Citizens' actions and U.S. energy conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Bolsen, Toby

Why and when do individuals take political actions? Why do some, but not all, citizens make sacrifices for the sake of the public good? Outside of work on participation, political scientists have paid little attention to these questions. I seek to fill this gap by exploring the factors that drive political behaviors. I focus specifically on an important class of behaviors: actions regarding the consumption of energy. I begin by developing a theory that brings together the potentially interactive effects of individual and environmental factors that shape individuals' decisions to take action. I test predictions generated by my theory in three empirical chapters: a media content analysis, laboratory experiment, and survey experiment. The content analysis allows me to assess frames in a communication toward energy consumption, which I examine later in terms of effects. I use the theory and experiments to evaluate the impact of competing forces on attitudes toward energy conservation, willingness to pay for energy saving devices, and actual behavior (e.g., a purchasing decision and financial contribution). My results suggest a primacy of norms, which is fascinating because the impact of norms is under-studied relative to research evaluating the impact of political communications.

Citizen Science Terminology Matters: Exploring Key Terms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eitzel, M.V.; Cappadonna, Jessica L.; Santos-Lang, Chris; Duerr, Ruth Ellen; Virapongse, Arika; West, Sarah Elizabeth; Kyba, Christopher Conrad Maximillian; Bowser, Anne; Cooper, Caren Beth; Sforzi, Andrea; Metcalfe, Anya Nova; Harris, Edward S.; Thiel, Martin; Haklay, Mordechai; Ponciano, Lesandro; Roche, Joseph; Ceccaroni, Luigi; Shilling, Fraser Mark; Dörler, Daniel; Heigl, Florian; Kiessling, Tim; Davis, Brittany Y.; Jiang, Qijun

2017-01-01

Much can be at stake depending on the choice of words used to describe citizen science, because terminology impacts how knowledge is developed. Citizen science is a quickly evolving field that is mobilizing people’s involvement in information development, social action and justice, and large-scale

Outreach Through Action: Using Citizen Science Pathways to Educate and Engage the Public While Collecting Real Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wickline, A.

2016-02-01

Citizens in Lewes, DE monitor local waterways by collecting physical and chemical data and checking for harmful algal blooms since 1991 through the University of Delaware Citizen Monitoring Program (UD CMP). This effort has produced lengthy time series for some sites dating back to 1991, as well as an engaged cohort of local citizens interested in coastal and estuarine processes. Though their primary goal is to monitor for conditions that could potentially be harmful to human and aquatic health, we saw an opportunity to reach out and expand their efforts by asking these citizens to sample the zooplankton community, providing more ecological context for their data. Over the past year, we have worked to engage this group through a series of talks and trainings. We explained the basics of zooplankton dynamics in our region, recruited volunteers to collect zooplankton at their sites, and worked with them to analyze their data. This small pilot project exemplifies the dual benefits of citizen science programs: collecting credible data while provided people with non-science backgrounds a chance to learn science through a hands-on project. The interactions with researchers and opportunities to work with real data offer citizens the one of the most robust science experiences, going beyond those provided by attending lab open houses or listening to talks.

Citizen groups in enviromental protection. Voluntary and honorary work in enviromental protection. Buergerinitiativen im Umweltschutz. Freiwillige und ehrenamtliche Arbeit im Umweltschutz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noeke, J [ed.

1989-01-01

The changed awareness of many citizens regarding their natural environment in connection with a strong desire to achieve a reduction of environmental degradation have contributed to the circumstance that citizens continue to be active in 'honorary conservation'. By order of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, the Institute for Environmental Protection at Dortmund University, FRG, developed a description of the current situation of citizen groups active in environmental protection in the Federal Republic of Germany. On the basis of a written questionnaire and the analysis of several case studies, the report describes, inter alia, the historical development, the current fields of activity, the motivation, the social structure and the orgaisational structure of citizen groups in environmental protection. (orig.).

Advertising Citizen Science: A Trailer for the Citizen Sky Project

Science.gov (United States)

Wyatt, Ryan; Price, A.

2012-01-01

Citizen Sky is a multi-year, NSF funded citizen science project involving the bright and mysterious variable star epsilon Aurigae. The project was conceived by the IYA 2009 working group on Research Experiences for Students, Teachers, and Citizen-Scientists. Citizen Sky goes beyond simple observing to include a major data analysis component, introducing participants to the full scientific process from background research to paper writing for a peer-reviewed journal. As a means of generating interest in the project, the California Academy of Sciences produced a six-minute "trailer” formatted for both traditional and fulldome planetariums as well as HD and web applications. This talk will review the production process for the trailer as well as the methods of distribution via planetariums, social media, and other venues_along with an update on the Citizen Sky Project as a whole. We will show how to use a small, professionally-produced planetarium trailer to help spread word on a citizen science project. We will also show preliminary results on a study about how participation level/type in the project affects science learning.

Who are the active citizens?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agger, Annika

group. This article argues that there are no `ordinary´ citizens, and claims that citizens are very different and participate in various ways. A criticism raised in relation to participatory processes is that these often tend to favour certain modes of communication based on an implicit ideal...... of the citizen as being resourceful, mastering political skills and know-how and time. However, many citizens do not `fit´ this stereotype, and thus there is a risk that many citizens are biased by the way the institutional settings for participation are designed. A characterization of active citizens...

The role of citizen public-interest groups in the decision-making process of a science-intensive culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinclair, M.P.

1991-01-01

This study explores how concerns about the environment have escalated in the past three decades from being peripheral to that of a mainstream social movement. Most environmental concerns stem from the deployment of technologies where technical expertise is essential to effective participation in the decision-making process. The manner in which the current policy for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste was devised and passed by Congress provides the information base through which the role of citizen groups in the decision-making process in a science-intensive culture is explored, as they seek to overcome the adverse environmental impacts and economic inequities of this Act. The actual process by which citizens have confronted this current flawed policy is described, which includes how technical expertise from various sources made the citizens' case credible and effective. Several existing and theoretical models of citizen participation are described. Recommendations and conclusions are presented briefly, and a recommended model based on the concept of sustainable development is proposed

Citizens United, public health, and democracy: the Supreme Court ruling, its implications, and proposed action.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiist, William H

2011-07-01

The 2010 US Supreme Court Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 US 876 (2010) case concerned the plans of a nonprofit organization to distribute a film about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Court ruled that prohibiting corporate independent expenditures for advocacy advertising during election campaigns unconstitutionally inhibits free speech. Corporations can now make unlimited contributions to election advocacy advertising directly from the corporate treasury. Candidates who favor public health positions may be subjected to corporate opposition advertising. Citizen groups and legislators have proposed remedies to ameliorate the effects of the Court's ruling. The public health field needs to apply its expertise, in collaboration with others, to work to reduce the disproportionate influence of corporate political speech on health policy and democracy.

[Geriatric health promotion and prevention for independently living senior citizens: programmes and target groups].

Science.gov (United States)

Dapp, U; Anders, J; Meier-Baumgartner, H P; v Renteln-Kruse, W

2007-08-01

Nearly all diseases in old age that are epidemiologically important can be reduced or prevented successfully through consequent changes in individual lifestyle, a systematic provision of measures in primary prevention (i.e. vaccination programmes) and the creation of health promoting settings. However, at the moment the amount of potential for preventative interventions is neither systematically nor sufficiently utilised in Germany. Two different preventative approaches: a) multidimensional advice session in small groups through an interdisciplinary team at a geriatric centre (seniors come to seek advice offered at a centre) or b) multidimensional advice at the seniors home through one member of the interdisciplinary team from the geriatric centre (expert takes advice to seniors home) were tested simultaneously with a well-described study sample of 804 independent community-dwelling senior citizens aged 60 years or over, without need of care and cognitive impairments recruited from general practices. Information about target group specific approaches in health promotion and prevention for senior citizens were retrieved from analyses of sociodemographic, medical, psychological and spacial characteristics of this study sample. The majority of the study sample (580 out of 804 or 72.1%) decided to participate: a) 86.7% (503 out of 580) attended at the geriatric centre and sought advice in group sessions and b) 13.3% (77 out of 580) decided to receive advice in a preventive home visit. A total of 224 seniors (224 out of 804 or 27.9%) refused to participate at all. These three target groups were characterised on the basis of their age, gender, education, social background, health status, health behaviour, use of preventive care, self perceived health, functional disabilities, social net and social participation and distance or accessibility of preventative approaches. The 503 senior citizens who participated in small group sessions at the geriatric centre were

The Arab Citizens of Israel: Motivations for Collective Action

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gust, Eric J

2008-01-01

..., and the expropriation of Arab lands. Most studies of collective action and social mobilization predict that repressed groups will eventually mobilize if inclusion in the political process is denied...

Mind the gap in clinical trials: A participatory action analysis with citizen collaborators.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Amy; Liew, Su May; Kirkpatrick, Jo; Price, Jazmin; Lopreto, Taylor; Nelken, Yasmin

2017-02-01

What are the strengths, gaps, expectations, and barriers to research engagement in clinical trials as communicated through social media? Clinical trials test treatments to provide reliable information for safety and effectiveness. Trials are building blocks in which what is learned in earlier research can be used to improve treatments, compare alternatives, and improve quality of life. For 20 years, the percentages of clinical trials volunteers have decreased whereas the costs of running clinical trials have multiplied. Participants enroll in trials to access latest treatments, to help others, and to advance science, but there is growing unrest. The priorities of those running the trials differ from those of the participants, and the roles for public research involvement lack clarity. Changes to bridge these gaps in the research culture are proposed through the use of participatory action research (PAR) in which stakeholders collaborate to improve research methodology, galvanize citizen participation, multiply health knowledge, problem-solve barriers to access, and explore the value of research volunteers as collaborators. PAR enabled the inclusion of citizens as full collaborators. Social media data were gathered for 120 days until saturation was reached. De-identified data were organized into a Strengths Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats framework and coded into themes for analysis. After the analysis, the authors prioritized potential solutions for improving research engagement. Strengths and opportunities remained constant through trial phases, disease burdens, and interventions. Threats included alienation, litigation, disparity, and shaming. Poor management and barriers to inclusion were identified as weaknesses. Opportunities included improving resource management and information quality. Barriers were minimized when relationships between staff and participants were inclusive, respectful, tolerant, and open to change. Participants' communications

Energy in Solid Waste: A Citizen Guide to Saving.

Science.gov (United States)

Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality.

This booklet contains information for citizens on solid wastes. It discusses the possible energy available in combustible and noncombustible trash. It suggests how citizens can reduce waste at home through discriminating buying practices and through recycling and reuse of resources. Recommendations are given for community action along with state…

Citizen participation and citizen initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthoefer, H.

1977-01-01

Contents: Social conditions for citizen initiatives - technical change and employment - crisis behaviour - socio-psychological analysis of political planning; legitimation - presentation and criticism - conditions for citizen initiatives coming into being within the field of tension citizen : administration - legal problems of citizen initiatives - environmental protection in the energy discussion; participation; models. (HP) [de

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing the Uruguayan Dietary Guidelines in Everyday Life: A Citizen Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Machín, Leandro; Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Patiño, Angelina; Moratorio, Ximena; Bandeira, Elisa; Curutchet, María Rosa; Martínez, Joseline; Bove, Isabel; Molina, Verónika; Giménez, Ana; Ares, Gastón

2017-12-01

An in-depth understanding of the citizen's perception and behavior is needed for the development of targeted public policies and interventions that can successfully encourage people to shift their dietary patterns and contribute to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. The present work aimed to identify barriers and facilitators for the adoption of the new Uruguayan dietary guidelines from a citizen perspective. Twelve semistructured focus groups were conducted with a total of 91 people (81% female, age 18-64 years) from 3 Uruguayan cities. Findings identified several multifaceted barriers, including lack of value given to food, meals and cooking, taste preferences for unhealthy foods, the unsupportive social context in terms of household preferences, customs and social norms, and lack of control of the situation through insufficient food capabilities, time scarcity, and an adverse food market environment. The potential facilitators discussed in the focus groups were mainly related to policies and regulations to discourage consumption of unhealthful products and the provision of more education and information. In addition, respondents acknowledged the need for own actions in terms of seeking greater cooking skills and enjoyment, incorporating changes in their daily routines and promoting a more supportive social environment. Results suggest that supportive actions are needed to support citizen's adoption of the new Uruguayan dietary guidelines.

Geometry, rigidity, and group actions

CERN Document Server

Farb, Benson; Zimmer, Robert J

2011-01-01

The study of group actions is more than a hundred years old but remains to this day a vibrant and widely studied topic in a variety of mathematic fields. A central development in the last fifty years is the phenomenon of rigidity, whereby one can classify actions of certain groups, such as lattices in semi-simple Lie groups. This provides a way to classify all possible symmetries of important spaces and all spaces admitting given symmetries. Paradigmatic results can be found in the seminal work of George Mostow, Gergory Margulis, and Robert J. Zimmer, among others.The p

Geometric modular action and transformation groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Summers, S.J.

1996-01-01

We study a weak form of geometric modular action, which is naturally associated with transformation groups of partially ordered sets and which provides these groups with projective representations. Under suitable conditions it is shown that these groups are implemented by point transformations of topological spaces serving as models for space-times, leading to groups which may be interpreted as symmetry groups of the space-times. As concrete examples, it is shown that the Poincare group and the de Sitter group can be derived from this condition of geometric modular action. Further consequences and examples are discussed. (orig.)

Building up a citizen-based project of renewable energies. Energy transition by local actors: stakes and modalities - Recommendation guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This guide first presents the energy and social context which could lead to citizen-based projects, presents some European examples and identifies some French limitations, and defines a citizen-based project. The second part proposes an overview of such a project and its various steps, and outlines the importance of some basic actions: to build up a pilot group and to define the project, to choose the right moment and to retain control of the project, to communicate and to mobilise. The next part presents the project methodology: elaboration of specification, establishment of partnership, definition of a business model, choice of a legal status. The last part addresses how to mobilise local and citizen funding: own funds and bank loan, participation of citizen and local communities

Conformal group actions and Segal's cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werth, J.-E.

1984-01-01

A mathematical description of Segal's cosmological model in the framework of conformal group actions is presented. The relation between conformal and causal group actions on time-orientable Lorentzian manifolds is analysed and several examples are discussed. A criterion for the conformality of a map between Lorentzian manifolds is given. The results are applied to Segal's 'conformal compactification' of Minkowski space. Furthermore, the 'unitary formulation' of Segal's cosmology is regarded. (Author) [pt

Climate Action and Activism: Scientists as Citizens and Communicators

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, M. B.; Peacock, K.

2015-12-01

Humans are not particularly good at being rational, either individually or socially; in the case of climate change, our concerns are chiefly social. The denial of climate change and its costs (ranging from denial of basic principles to using high discount rates to reduce the current value of future losses, and supported by fossil fuel companies and their many political allies) has delayed an effective response to a problem that gets worse and more costly the longer action is delayed. The central role of fossil fuels in our economies and of fossil fuel interests in our politics leads many to worry about the costs of change while denying or ignoring the costs of business as usual. Rational decision makers would not be so selective, either about the evidence or about the costs and benefits that hang in the balance. Effective communication can help call attention to the evidence and to the costs and benefits that have been neglected. Our society has no formal rules requiring scientists to become activists, even when the results of their work provide sound reasons for taking action. But ideals of citizenship and humanitarianism provide strong justification for those who choose to engage with the issues. A reticent scientist might feel that her job is done once the results of her research are published. The rest is arguably the responsibility of others—of politicians, journalists and citizens in general, to learn the relevant facts (now available as part of the published literature) and to bring those facts to bear in decisions ranging from the personal to the political and economic. But I urge scientists who feel this way to reconsider—not because their view of where the real responsibility lies is wrong, but because they are in a position to make a difference. In situations like these, where powerful interests are threatened by inconvenient facts, scientists can be very effective communicators: they have high credibility with the public (as deniers' repeated claims

Exploring Citizen Infrastructure and Environmental Priorities in Mumbai, India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sperling, Joshua; Romero-Lankao, Patricia; Beig, Gufran

2016-06-01

Many cities worldwide seek to understand local policy priorities among their general populations. This study explores how differences in local conditions and among citizens within and across Mumbai, India shape local infrastructure (e.g. energy, water, transport) and environmental (e.g. managing pollution, climate-related extreme weather events) policy priorities for change that may or may not be aligned with local government action or global environmental sustainability concerns such as low-carbon development. In this rapidly urbanizing city, multiple issues compete for prominence, ranging from improved management of pollution and extreme weather to energy and other infrastructure services. To inform a broader perspective of policy priorities for urban development and risk mitigation, a survey was conducted among over 1200 citizens. The survey explored the state of local conditions, the challenges citizens face, and the ways in which differences in local conditions (socio-institutional, infrastructure, and health-related) demonstrate inequities and influence how citizens perceive risks and rank priorities for the future design and implementation of local planning, policy, and community-based efforts. With growing discussion and tensions surrounding the new urban sustainable development goal, announced by the UN in late September 2015, and a new global urban agenda document to be agreed upon at 'Habitat III', issues on whether sustainable urbanization priorities should be set at the international, national or local level remain controversial. As such, this study aims to first understand determinants of and variations in local priorities across one city, with implications discussed for local-to-global urban sustainability. Findings from survey results indicate the determinants and variation in conditions such as age, assets, levels of participation in residential action groups, the health outcome of chronic asthma, and the infrastructure service of piped

Science experiences of citizen scientists in entomology research

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Louise I.

Citizen science is an increasingly popular collaboration between members of the public and the scientific community to pursue current research questions. In addition to providing researchers with much needed volunteer support, it is a unique and promising form of informal science education that can counter declining public science literacy, including attitudes towards and understanding of science. However, the impacts of citizen science programs on participants' science literacy remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to balance the top-down approach to citizen science research by exploring how adult citizen scientists participate in entomology research based on their perceptions and pioneer mixed methods research to investigate and explain the impacts of citizen science programs. Transference, in which citizen scientists transfer program impacts to people around them, was uncovered in a grounded theory study focused on adults in a collaborative bumble bee research program. Most of the citizen scientists involved in entomology research shared their science experiences and knowledge with people around them. In certain cases, expertise was attributed to the individual by others. Citizen scientists then have the opportunity to acquire the role of expert to those around them and influence knowledge, attitudinal and behavioral changes in others. An intervention explanatory sequential mixed methods design assessed how entomology-based contributory citizen science affects science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects in adults. However, no statistically significant impacts were evident. A qualitative follow-up uncovered a discrepancy between statistically measured changes and perceived influences reported by citizen scientists. The results have important implications for understanding how citizen scientists learn, the role of citizen scientists in entomology research, the broader program impacts and

Advice and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Citizen-Science Environmental Health Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzyk, Timothy M; Huang, Hongtai; Williams, Ronald; Kaufman, Amanda; Essoka, Jonathan

2018-05-11

Citizen science provides quantitative results to support environmental health assessments (EHAs), but standardized approaches do not currently exist to translate findings into actionable solutions. The emergence of low-cost portable sensor technologies and proliferation of publicly available datasets provides unparalleled access to supporting evidence; yet data collection, analysis, interpretation, visualization, and communication are subjective approaches that must be tailored to a decision-making audience capable of improving environmental health. A decade of collaborative efforts and two citizen science projects contributed to three lessons learned and a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that address the complexities of environmental health and interpersonal relations often encountered in citizen science EHAs. Each project followed a structured step-by-step process in order to compare and contrast methods and approaches. These lessons and FAQs provide advice to translate citizen science research into actionable solutions in the context of a diverse range of environmental health issues and local stakeholders.

Formation in Citizen Culture, Space for the Social Responsibility of Business Organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elita Marina Méndez Jiménez

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In Venezuela, we live together in a time of thirst for peace, commitment and social coexistence, social equality, every day we hear that there is a social crisis, a crisis of values. At this juncture, the education imparted is the central factor in reflecting, inculcating, strengthening and consolidating in the citizens, values, personal formation, ethical training and other binding issues, in short, citizen culture. It is the purpose of this essay to generate reflections around the citizen's culture, for it mentions some roles, that as managerial actions of social co-responsibility, can realize the private business organizations, to strengthen the social action of the individual in order to promote the necessary stimuli to reach the status of a good citizen, for whom the idea of ​​living in a prosperous and participatory community is represented in a space where education, good treatment, equality in opportunities and respect for their fellow human beings, habitat and life in any of its expressions are the norm.

Rethinking Political Legitimacy: Citizen Inclusion and Social Digital ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

documenting the practices that users of social media develop to influence the public sphere; ... political parties, and mass communication media) perceive and respond to citizen-based actions generated by social media. ... Related content ...

"Here we're all in the same boat"--a qualitative study of group based rehabilitation for sick-listed citizens with chronic pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Lotte Nygaard; Kohberg, Maria; Herborg, Lene Gram; Søgaard, Karen; Roessler, Kirsten Kaya

2014-08-01

Musculoskeletal pain impacts upon everyday life. A degree of chronicity may pose an increased risk of sickness absence. One of two rehabilitative interventions, "Tailored Physical Activity" or "Chronic Pain Self-Management Program", was offered to sick-listed citizens who experienced pain. The objectives of this paper were to: (1) Assess what factors are experienced as problematic for sick-listed citizens in everyday life with chronic pain, and (2) Evaluate the significance of two distinct rehabilitative interventions on the future everyday lives of sick-listed citizens. Seven semi-structured interviews with sick-listed citizens were analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. Results were discussed by applying the theoretical framework of Antonovsky's salutogenetic model and Yaloms principles for group psychology. The potential for development of citizen's coping is evaluated based on Roessler's notion of progression. The analysis revealed four main themes: (1) Living with pain and unemployment; (2) "Putting my foot down" and "asking for help"; (3) Significance of the group, including instructors, and; (4) Aspects significant to progression. Unemployment is a major life event that promotes stress and can be accompanied by problems related to depressed mood, acceptance of the life situation, feelings of not being useful, feelings of losing control and identity conflicts. Group characteristics that gave a significant basis for progression in the self-management program are both emotional and instrumental, while the physical training program offers a "here-and-now"-experience and motivation to participate. This study indicates that the self-management program could potentially improve coping while the physical activity program revealed one example of a means of progression. © 2014 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Wyhl - analysis of a citizens' initiative against nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obst, R.

1976-01-01

The fact-finding report at hand attempts, on the basis of a systematic evaluation of authentic material from citizens' actions, interviews, etc., to portray the importance, the problems, and the effects of the actions of the opponents of nuclear power plants. (orig./HP) [de

Why Citizen Science Without Usability Testing Will Underperform

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, C.; Gay, P.; Owens, R.; Burlea, G.

2017-12-01

Citizen science projects must undergo usability testing and optimization if they are to meet their stated goals. This presentation will include video of usability tests conducted upon citizen science websites. Usability testing is essential to the success of online interaction, however, citizen science projects have just begun to include this critical activity. Interaction standards in citizen science lag behind those of commercial interests, and published research on this topic is limited. Since online citizen science is by definition, an exchange of information, a clear understanding of how users experience an online project is essential to informed decision-making. Usability testing provides that insight. Usability testing collects data via direct observation of a person while she interacts with a digital product, such as a citizen science website. The test participant verbalizes her thoughts while using the website or application; the moderator follows the participant and captures quantitative measurement of the participant's confidence of success as she advances through the citizen science project. Over 15 years of usability testing, we have observed that users who do not report a consistent sense of progress are likely to abandon a website after as few as three unrewarding interactions. Since citizen science is also a voluntary activity, ensuring seamless interaction for users is mandatory. Usability studies conducted on citizen science websites demonstrate that project teams frequently underestimate a user's need for context and ease of use. Without usability testing, risks to online citizen science projects include high bounce rate (users leave the website without taking any action), abandonment (of the website, tutorials, registration), misunderstanding instructions (causing disorientation and erroneous conclusions), and ultimately, underperforming projects.

Action Recognition Using Discriminative Structured Trajectory Groups

KAUST Repository

Atmosukarto, Indriyati

2015-01-06

In this paper, we develop a novel framework for action recognition in videos. The framework is based on automatically learning the discriminative trajectory groups that are relevant to an action. Different from previous approaches, our method does not require complex computation for graph matching or complex latent models to localize the parts. We model a video as a structured bag of trajectory groups with latent class variables. We model action recognition problem in a weakly supervised setting and learn discriminative trajectory groups by employing multiple instance learning (MIL) based Support Vector Machine (SVM) using pre-computed kernels. The kernels depend on the spatio-temporal relationship between the extracted trajectory groups and their associated features. We demonstrate both quantitatively and qualitatively that the classification performance of our proposed method is superior to baselines and several state-of-the-art approaches on three challenging standard benchmark datasets.

Effective citizen advocacy of beneficial nuclear technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKibben, J. Malvyn; Wood, Susan

2007-01-01

In 1991, a small group of citizens from communities near the Savannah River Site (SRS) formed a pro-nuclear education and advocacy group, Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA). Their purpose was to: (1) counter nuclear misinformation that dominated the nation's news outlets, (2) provide education on nuclear subjects to area citizens, students, elected officials, and (3) provide informed citizen support for potential new missions for SRS when needed. To effectively accomplish these objectives it is also essential to establish and maintain good relations with community leaders and reporters that cover energy and nuclear subjects. The organization has grown considerably since its inception and has expanded its sphere of influence. We believe that our experiences over these fifteen years are a good model for effectively communicating nuclear subjects with the public. This paper describes the structure, operation and some of the results of CNTA. (authors)

Citizen Goals Online

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catalin Vrabie

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to give to public institution Web designers a better understanding of the citizens’ objectives when accessing a Web page. Understanding citizen online goals is critical because it gets to the heart of what the public institution website should or could “do.” Approach: The challenge for e-marketers is that for most agencies/institutions, there are likely to be multiple goals that represent the “reason why” citizens could come to the website. For example, a national theatre website might be very effective for people who have already been there, they know effectively what place is the best, who are the actors, etc. Research limitations: The nature of a public institution activity almost dictates the different types of goals that consumers have when visiting the site. It is clear that a citizen has a different goal when accessing a theatre Web page or when he’s accessing a municipality Web page. This is the biggest impediment for drawing a good conceptual model for a public institution Web page. Practical implications: there are likely to be many other goals that could lead people to visit the site, like receiving customer service or leaving a remark. Value: Since citizen online goals represent the starting point for Web design efforts (for public institutions, this article has attempted to highlight the nature and types of goals that e-marketers might consider when planning what their website should do in order to create. Findings: The goal a site visitor has when arriving at a website tends to be very action oriented. If the visitor has never visited the site before, the goal may simply be to evaluate the website and figure out what the site is and if it will help him. On the other hand, if the visitor has reached the site as the result of a directed search or is a repeat visitor, the user goal is likely to be specific and functional. If important citizen goals are not supported by the website, the public

Citizen Goals Online

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catalin Vrabie

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to give to public institution Web designers a better understanding of the citizens’ objectives when accessing a Web page. Understanding citizen online goals is critical because it gets to the heart of what the public institution website should or could “do.”Approach: The challenge for e-marketers is that for most agencies/institutions, there are likely to be multiple goals that represent the “reason why” citizens could come to the website. For example, a national theatre website might be very effective for people who have already been there, they know effectively what place is the best, who are the actors, etc.Research limitations: The nature of a public institution activity almost dictates the different types of goals that consumers have when visiting the site. It is clear that a citizen has a different goal when accessing a theatre Web page or when he’s accessing a municipality Web page. This is the biggest impediment for drawing a good conceptual model for a public institution Web page.Practical implications: there are likely to be many other goals that could lead people to visit the site, like receiving customer service or leaving a remark.Value: Since citizen online goals represent the starting point for Web design efforts (for public institutions, this article has attempted to highlight the nature and types of goals that e-marketers might consider when planning what their website should do in order to create.Findings: The goal a site visitor has when arriving at a website tends to be very action oriented. If the visitor has never visited the site before, the goal may simply be to evaluate the website and figure out what the site is and if it will help him. On the other hand, if the visitor has reached the site as the result of a directed search or is a repeat visitor, the user goal is likely to be specific and functional. If important citizen goals are not supported by the website, the public

Psychotropic medication in a randomly selected group of citizens receiving residential or home care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Futtrup, Tina Bergmann; Helnæs, Ann Kathrine; Schultz, Hanne

2014-01-01

-dementia drugs (20.9%). Citizens treated with anti-dementia drugs were also prescribed antipsychotics (20.0%) and antidepressants (54.3%). Doses over 20 mg and 10 mg of citalopram and escitalopram, respectively, were given to 28.0% of the citizens treated with these antidepressants. CONCLUSION: Compared...

Topological entropy of continuous actions of compactly generated groups

OpenAIRE

Schneider, Friedrich Martin

2015-01-01

We introduce a notion of topological entropy for continuous actions of compactly generated topological groups on compact Hausdorff spaces. It is shown that any continuous action of a compactly generated topological group on a compact Hausdorff space with vanishing topological entropy is amenable. Given an arbitrary compactly generated locally compact Hausdorff topological group $G$, we consider the canonical action of $G$ on the closed unit ball of $L^{1}(G)' \\cong L^{\\infty}(G)$ endowed with...

Academics and Citizens Working Together

Science.gov (United States)

Bogen, D., Jr.

2017-12-01

Traditionally Academics and citizens have contributed to each other lives but friction has always existed between the two. When there is a hostile relationship between community members and Academics, the collection of data suffers, which in returns hurts the potential solutions to community problems. Combining Community Based Participatory Research and the BISCO Community Organizing Model, {Listens, Identify, Research, offer solution}, these frictions can be limited, creating better working environments, and producing better data. Helping create and participating in workgroups, including NGO's, Academics and Citizens leaders, have produce better working environments. Using these methods within the work groups I observed, relationships being form between Academics and Citizens. Some of the relationships were both public and private. The workgroups that created space for professional and personal stories telling produced the most relationships. Listening and understand each other, before research have proven to be successful in producing trust between Academics and Citizens. When Academics and Citizens developed trust between themselves, each party respects the other limitation. Knowing each limitation is perhaps the most key element in working together, which eliminates over promises and culture hindrance within the community. It's amazing like getting the answers to the test before you take it. The project becomes richer in design, when there is trust in the process before it begins. Working together to eliminating potential road blocks ahead of time, enhance the project chances to produce, richer data.Academics cannot produce good data if citizens withhold information and citizens cannot solve their social ills if they do not have good data, in short we need each other.

Living with a carbon allowance: The experiences of Carbon Rationing Action Groups and implications for policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, Rachel A.

2012-01-01

Carbon Rationing Action Groups (CRAGs) are grassroots voluntary groups of citizens concerned about climate change, who set themselves a carbon allowance each year and provide support to members seeking to reduce their direct carbon emissions from household energy use and personal transport. Some groups have a financial penalty for carbon emitted in excess of the ration, and systems whereby under-emitters are rewarded using the monies collected from over-emitters. CRAGs therefore operate the nearest scheme in existence to the proposed policy of Personal Carbon Trading (PCT). This paper reports the findings of a study of the opinions and experiences of individuals involved in CRAGs (‘CRAGgers’). In general, interviewees have made significant behavioural changes and emissions reductions, but many would be unwilling to sell spare carbon allowances within a national PCT system. The choices made by CRAGgers with respect to the design and operation of their ‘carbon accounting’, their experiences of reducing fossil fuel energy use, and their views on personal carbon trading at CRAG and national level are discussed. Some possible implications for PCT and other policies are considered, as well as the limitations of CRAGs in informing an understanding of the potential impacts and operation of PCT. - Highlights: ► Reports opinions and experiences of members of Carbon Rationing Action Groups (CRAGs). ► Many interviewees have made significant reductions to their carbon footprint. ► CRAGs offer insights into individuals' experiences of living with a carbon allowance. ► Most CRAGs involve highly motivated individuals and avoid trading. ► They nonetheless offer some insights into Personal Carbon Trading and other policies.

Environmental protection belongs to the public: A vision for citizen science at EPA

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, A.; Dosemagen, S.

2017-12-01

As a collaborative and open approach to science, citizen science has the potential make science more actionable, applicable, and usable, especially when designed with scientists, communities and decision-makers as partners. In response to recent interest in citizen science from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology provided EPA with advice and recommendations on how to integrate citizen science into the core work of EPA. The Council's 28 members—representatives of academia; business and industry; nongovernmental organizations; and state, local and tribal governments—identifies citizen science as an invaluable opportunity for EPA to strengthen public support for EPA's mission and the best approach for the Agency to connect with the public on environmental protection. The report recommends that EPA embrace citizen science as a core tenet of environmental protection, invest in citizen science for communities, partners, and the Agency, enable the use of citizen science data at the Agency, integrate citizen science into the full range of work of EPA. This presentation will outline principles and strategy for integrating citizen science into science and policy at the national level, increasing the usability of citizen science data for decision-making and policy, and leveraging citizen science for environmental protection.

Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection

Science.gov (United States)

McKinley, Duncan C.; Miller-Rushing, Abe J.; Ballard, Heidi L.; Bonney, Rick; Brown, Hutch; Cook-Patton, Susan; Evans, Daniel M.; French, Rebecca A.; Parrish, Julia; Phillips, Tina B.; Ryan, Sean F.; Shanley, Lea A.; Shirk, Jennifer L.; Stepenuck, Kristine F.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Wiggins, Andrea; Boyle, Owen D.; Briggs, Russell D.; Chapin, Stuart F.; Hewitt, David A.; Preuss, Peter W.; Soukup, Michael A.

2017-01-01

Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field of conservation biology. We describe the two interwoven paths by which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path includes building scientific knowledge, while the other path involves informing policy and encouraging public action. We explore how citizen science is currently used and describe the investments needed to create a citizen science program. We find that:Citizen science already contributes substantially to many domains of science, including conservation, natural resource, and environmental science. Citizen science informs natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking and fosters public input and engagement.Many types of projects can benefit from citizen science, but one must be careful to match the needs for science and public involvement with the right type of citizen science project and the right method of public participation.Citizen science is a rigorous process of scientific discovery, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can provide sound science, efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems.

Strengthening accountability to citizens on gender and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Murthy, R K

2008-01-01

Accountability refers to the processes by which those with power in the health sector engage with, and are answerable to, those who make demands on it, and enforce disciplinary action on those in the health sector who do not perform effectively. This paper reviews the practice of accountability to citizens on gender and health, assesses gaps, and recommends strategies. Four kinds of accountability mechanisms have been used by citizens to press for accountability on gender and health. These include international human rights instruments, legislation, governance structures, and other tools, some of which are relevant to all public sector services, some to the health sector alone, some to gender issues alone, and some to gender-specific health concerns of women. However, there are few instances wherein private health sector and donors have been held accountable. Rarely have accountability processes reduced gender inequalities in health, or addressed 'low priority' gender-specific health needs of women. Accountability with respect to implementation and to marginalized groups has remained weak. This paper recommends that: (1) the four kinds of accountability mechanisms be extended to the private health sector and donors; (2) health accountability mechanisms be engendered, and gender accountability mechanisms be made health-specific; (3) resources be earmarked to enable government to respond to gender-specific health demands; (4) mechanisms for enforcement of such policies be improved; and (5) democratic spaces and participation of marginalized groups be strengthened.

Action group for nuclear power information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1978-01-01

Following the nuclear power controversy in the Swedish general election of 1976, a group of technical employees of ASEA-Atom formed an action group for nuclear power information. This was a spontaneous move in which management was not involved. The object was to provide a balance to uninformed campaigns by 'environmental' action groups. The level of political activity among technical personnel is low, but once the threshold has been crossed the desire for information by the public has been shown to be great. It has however been difficult to obtain a hearing in radio, TV or the national press. The local press has on the other hand proved open. While no significant effect among the public can be demonstrated, there seems to have been some influence on politicians. There has been contact with corresponding organisations in Denmark, Finland and the UK, and in the Federal Republic of Germany in July 1978 a European Energy Association was formed to balance such organisations as European Environmental Bureau. (JIW)

Citizen Sky, IYA 2009 and What's To Come

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Rebecca; Price, A.; Henden, A.

2010-01-01

Citizen Sky is a multi-year, NSF funded citizen science project involving the bright and mysterious variable star eps Aur. The project was conceived by the IYA 2009 working group on Research Experiences for Students, Teachers, and Citizen-Scientists. Citizen Sky is going beyond simple observing to include a major data analysis component. The goal is to introduce the participant to the full scientific process from background research to paper writing for a peer-reviewed journal. During IYA 2009 the Citizen Sky team was fully assembled, the website was developed and put online, and the first of two participant workshops was held. However, Citizen Sky does not stop or even slow down with the conclusion of IYA 2009. The project will continue to grow in the coming years. New participants are being recruited and trained as the observing phase of the project continues, a second participant workshop is planned for 2010, and the data analysis phase of the project will begin in earnest.

Bearing Witness: Citizen Journalism and Human Rights Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Allan, Stuart; Sonwalkar, Prasun; Carter, Cynthia

2007-01-01

This article assesses the potential of online news reporting to create discursive spaces for emphatic engagement--of bearing witness--at a distance, especially where human rights violations are concerned. Taking as its focus the emergent forms and practices of citizen journalism, it examines the spontaneous actions of ordinary people compelled to…

Citizen involvement in future drug R&D

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møldrup, Claus; Morgall, Janine Marie; Almarsdóttir, Anna Birna

2000-01-01

This article adopts a prospective approach in an attempt to explore the potential benefit of citizen involvement in decision making concerning future drug R&D. This is one of the first Delphi studies to fully utilize internet technology to collect and process data. The results show an increasing...... individual autonomy among respondents, which also affects the drug R&D process in general. Human, liberal and ethical values are reported as crucial values to citizens. On this basis, respondents reported that patient organizations, representative citizen groups and ethical councils can contribute...... with important input to ensure these values in decision making concerning future drug R&D. Paying attention to citizen needs, demands and ideas may protect the research, development and eventual marketing of unacceptable drugs on a societal and ethical level....

Citizen Journalism & Public Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brynskov, Martin; Strøbech, Kristian; Bang, Jørgen

2011-01-01

of views or plain information dissemination. Form the media institution’s point of view the goal was to create a platform for hyper local journalism as a source for journalistic coverage in commercial media. The group investigating civic communication within the Digital Urban Living project...... followed the upstart of Dinby.dk in 2008 and has returned to the experiment in 2010. Our main interest is to explore the condition in which it is possible to create hyper local citizens produced digital content. And, furthermore, to understand which incitements are needed to make local actors or groups act...... as digital providers of their own activities. In the paper we present our findings and reflect them in relation to the design of the web-portal and the profile of the users. Finally we discuss the further perspectives of this form of user/citizens involvement in public communication....

Crowd-funded micro-grants for genomics and "big data": an actionable idea connecting small (artisan) science, infrastructure science, and citizen philanthropy.

Science.gov (United States)

Özdemir, Vural; Badr, Kamal F; Dove, Edward S; Endrenyi, Laszlo; Geraci, Christy Jo; Hotez, Peter J; Milius, Djims; Neves-Pereira, Maria; Pang, Tikki; Rotimi, Charles N; Sabra, Ramzi; Sarkissian, Christineh N; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Tims, Hesther; Zgheib, Nathalie K; Kickbusch, Ilona

2013-04-01

Biomedical science in the 21(st) century is embedded in, and draws from, a digital commons and "Big Data" created by high-throughput Omics technologies such as genomics. Classic Edisonian metaphors of science and scientists (i.e., "the lone genius" or other narrow definitions of expertise) are ill equipped to harness the vast promises of the 21(st) century digital commons. Moreover, in medicine and life sciences, experts often under-appreciate the important contributions made by citizen scholars and lead users of innovations to design innovative products and co-create new knowledge. We believe there are a large number of users waiting to be mobilized so as to engage with Big Data as citizen scientists-only if some funding were available. Yet many of these scholars may not meet the meta-criteria used to judge expertise, such as a track record in obtaining large research grants or a traditional academic curriculum vitae. This innovation research article describes a novel idea and action framework: micro-grants, each worth $1000, for genomics and Big Data. Though a relatively small amount at first glance, this far exceeds the annual income of the "bottom one billion"-the 1.4 billion people living below the extreme poverty level defined by the World Bank ($1.25/day). We describe two types of micro-grants. Type 1 micro-grants can be awarded through established funding agencies and philanthropies that create micro-granting programs to fund a broad and highly diverse array of small artisan labs and citizen scholars to connect genomics and Big Data with new models of discovery such as open user innovation. Type 2 micro-grants can be funded by existing or new science observatories and citizen think tanks through crowd-funding mechanisms described herein. Type 2 micro-grants would also facilitate global health diplomacy by co-creating crowd-funded micro-granting programs across nation-states in regions facing political and financial instability, while sharing similar disease

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, Patricia

2006-01-01

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleming, Patricia [Creighton Univ., Omaha (United States). College of Arts and Sciences/Philosophy

2006-09-15

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens.

Who are the citizens in public participation GIS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Henning Sten; Reinau, Kristian Hegner

2006-01-01

to face discussions between the citizens. Equal opportunities to express their opinions and an open debate between people are the basic foundation for democracy. Therefore the design of participatory processes must take outset in the citizens and their knowledge and commitment concerning the issue...... stakeholders among a broader group of citizens, and ask for their opinion. Especially women and younger generations are much more needed in the participatory process. Therefore the county administration must consider these findings to make the participation tools more targeted in the future....

Inspiring Glocal Citizens

Science.gov (United States)

Tichnor-Wagner, Ariel

2017-01-01

In an era when overlapping, intersecting national and cultural identities are a reality for many K-12 students in the United States, it is schools' responsibility to nurture skills and attitudes that help students feel empowered as citizens of their local area or country as well as of other cultural groups they identify with--and of the world.…

Multi-task learning with group information for human action recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Li; Wu, Song; Pu, Nan; Xu, Shulin; Xiao, Guoqiang

2018-04-01

Human action recognition is an important and challenging task in computer vision research, due to the variations in human motion performance, interpersonal differences and recording settings. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-task learning framework with group information (MTL-GI) for accurate and efficient human action recognition. Specifically, we firstly obtain group information through calculating the mutual information according to the latent relationship between Gaussian components and action categories, and clustering similar action categories into the same group by affinity propagation clustering. Additionally, in order to explore the relationships of related tasks, we incorporate group information into multi-task learning. Experimental results evaluated on two popular benchmarks (UCF50 and HMDB51 datasets) demonstrate the superiority of our proposed MTL-GI framework.

Zeta Functions, Renormalization Group Equations, and the Effective Action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hochberg, D.; Perez-Mercader, J.; Molina-Paris, C.; Visser, M.

1998-01-01

We demonstrate how to extract all the one-loop renormalization group equations for arbitrary quantum field theories from knowledge of an appropriate Seeley-DeWitt coefficient. By formally solving the renormalization group equations to one loop, we renormalization group improve the classical action and use this to derive the leading logarithms in the one-loop effective action for arbitrary quantum field theories. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

Operation of the Selected Local Action Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukáš Nevěděl

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this article is to compare the current operation of elected local action group with the concept of learning regions. This comparison is built on detailed knowledge and understanding of the operation of local action group Podbrnensko citizens’ association (Podbrnensko CA and learning regions in general. The following is assumed: the understanding of community-based processes from the perspective of residents, the important stakeholders who influence the operation of communities or locations. The operation of local action groups is in line with the current concept led by local community development (community led local development, CLLD, which uses elements of the LEADER method. In this method the solution of development problems comes primarily from the inside, not from the outside of the studied territory. The methods used for the collection of empirical data were mostly observation and interviews with all partners involved in LAG (31 people, all mayors in LAG (29 people and 176 people from region, i.e. methods, which result in so called deep data. Between the primary techniques applied in the research are: participant observation, unstructured or semi-structured interviews and public debates.

Invariant subsets under compact quantum group actions

OpenAIRE

Huang, Huichi

2012-01-01

We investigate compact quantum group actions on unital $C^*$-algebras by analyzing invariant subsets and invariant states. In particular, we come up with the concept of compact quantum group orbits and use it to show that countable compact metrizable spaces with infinitely many points are not quantum homogeneous spaces.

Collective Action Problem in Heterogeneous Groups with Punishment and Foresight

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Logan; Shrestha, Mahendra Duwal; Vose, Michael D.; Gavrilets, Sergey

2018-03-01

The collective action problem can easily undermine cooperation in groups. Recent work has shown that within-group heterogeneity can under some conditions promote voluntary provisioning of collective goods. Here we generalize this work for the case when individuals can not only contribute to the production of collective goods, but also punish free-riders. To do this, we extend the standard theory by allowing individuals to have limited foresight so they can anticipate actions of their group-mates. For humans, this is a realistic assumption because we possess a "theory of mind". We use agent-based simulations to study collective actions that aim to overcome challenges from nature or win competition with neighboring groups. We contrast the dynamics of collective action in egalitarian and hierarchical groups. We show that foresight allows groups to overcome both the first- and second-order free-rider problems. While foresight increases cooperation, it does not necessarily result in higher payoffs. We show that while between-group conflicts promotes within-group cooperation, the effects of cultural group selection on cooperation are relatively small. Our models predict the emergence of a division of labor in which more powerful individuals specialize in punishment while less powerful individuals mostly contribute to the production of collective goods.

Towards an energy transition? Which energies for tomorrow and for all, on the territory. Research-action, problematic note - Activity report 2012-2014 - Final report. Citizen recommendations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aubin, Samuel; Lemoult, Bernard; Allagnat, Bernard; Cohu, Sylvie; Gadoin, Emilie; Crochet, Moise; Dothee, Jean-Luc; Gauduchon, Marie-Veronique; Gendre, Nicolas; Musard, Denis; Retiere, Alain; Vacher, Pierre; Vilbert, Christine; Petillon, Xavier; Damerose, Clotilde

2014-11-01

This document first presents a project launched on the issue of energy choice for tomorrow for the territory, and more particularly on a shared regional diagnosis and principles for action. A second document reports activities of this research-action project which aimed at making citizen recommendations emerge, and at elaborating an operational territorial tool for energy transition. Then comes the final report of this project. After an introduction which outlines that energy transition is a major stake for the territory, a first chapter discusses which are tomorrow's energies by outlining the climatic emergency, the energy situation at the world level, the perspective of smart cities and communities, national energetic stakes, the role given to citizen, and the perspective of a new relationship to the world and to the nature. The second chapter briefly evokes the perspective for 2050. The next part discusses the societal dimension of energy transition, and examines what could be the engines for change. The next chapter identifies and discusses various debates to be held: on climate situation, on energy resource availability, on human development and on the economic model. The last chapter outlines the role of the territorial scale and of collective dynamics to elaborate and implement scenarios of energy transition

Crowd-Funded Micro-Grants for Genomics and “Big Data”: An Actionable Idea Connecting Small (Artisan) Science, Infrastructure Science, and Citizen Philanthropy

Science.gov (United States)

Badr, Kamal F.; Dove, Edward S.; Endrenyi, Laszlo; Geraci, Christy Jo; Hotez, Peter J.; Milius, Djims; Neves-Pereira, Maria; Pang, Tikki; Rotimi, Charles N.; Sabra, Ramzi; Sarkissian, Christineh N.; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Tims, Hesther; Zgheib, Nathalie K.; Kickbusch, Ilona

2013-01-01

Abstract Biomedical science in the 21st century is embedded in, and draws from, a digital commons and “Big Data” created by high-throughput Omics technologies such as genomics. Classic Edisonian metaphors of science and scientists (i.e., “the lone genius” or other narrow definitions of expertise) are ill equipped to harness the vast promises of the 21st century digital commons. Moreover, in medicine and life sciences, experts often under-appreciate the important contributions made by citizen scholars and lead users of innovations to design innovative products and co-create new knowledge. We believe there are a large number of users waiting to be mobilized so as to engage with Big Data as citizen scientists—only if some funding were available. Yet many of these scholars may not meet the meta-criteria used to judge expertise, such as a track record in obtaining large research grants or a traditional academic curriculum vitae. This innovation research article describes a novel idea and action framework: micro-grants, each worth $1000, for genomics and Big Data. Though a relatively small amount at first glance, this far exceeds the annual income of the “bottom one billion”—the 1.4 billion people living below the extreme poverty level defined by the World Bank ($1.25/day). We describe two types of micro-grants. Type 1 micro-grants can be awarded through established funding agencies and philanthropies that create micro-granting programs to fund a broad and highly diverse array of small artisan labs and citizen scholars to connect genomics and Big Data with new models of discovery such as open user innovation. Type 2 micro-grants can be funded by existing or new science observatories and citizen think tanks through crowd-funding mechanisms described herein. Type 2 micro-grants would also facilitate global health diplomacy by co-creating crowd-funded micro-granting programs across nation-states in regions facing political and financial instability, while

Towards an 'energ'ethic' transition. Renewable energies, a citizen concern?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jegoux, Coline

2013-01-01

As Germany has decided to massively invest in renewable energies, many local projects of sustainable development emerge in this country, and as, in the meanwhile, local energy governance is still in its infancy in France due to a later opening of the energy market, this academic research proposes a comparison of cooperative projects aimed at the financing of renewable energies in France and in Germany, and thus aims at highlighting the conditions needed for the emergence of citizen-based and renewable energy networks. The first part discusses the development of renewable energies as a process included in national political and economic trajectories. The author then presents and discusses the participative operation as a new mode of governance and financing which could promote the commitment of citizens in energy transition. The last part discusses a new form of citizen participation: the consum'action

The Citizen Science Landscape: From Volunteers to Citizen Sensors and Beyond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina L. Catlin-Groves

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Within conservation and ecology, volunteer participation has always been an important component of research. Within the past two decades, this use of volunteers in research has proliferated and evolved into “citizen science.” Technologies are evolving rapidly. Mobile phone technologies and the emergence and uptake of high-speed Web-capable smart phones with GPS and data upload capabilities can allow instant collection and transmission of data. This is frequently used within everyday life particularly on social networking sites. Embedded sensors allow researchers to validate GPS and image data and are now affordable and regularly used by citizens. With the “perfect storm” of technology, data upload, and social networks, citizen science represents a powerful tool. This paper establishes the current state of citizen science within scientific literature, examines underlying themes, explores further possibilities for utilising citizen science within ecology, biodiversity, and biology, and identifies possible directions for further research. The paper highlights (1 lack of trust in the scientific community about the reliability of citizen science data, (2 the move from standardised data collection methods to data mining available datasets, and (3 the blurring of the line between citizen science and citizen sensors and the need to further explore online social networks for data collection.

Citizen Journalism in Cyber Media: Protection and Legal Responsibility Under Indonesian Press Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vidya Prahassacitta

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Phenomena of citizen journalism had accepted and become part of cyber media. Cyber media owned and managed by press companies had featured citizen journalists’ information, critics, opinions, and news. Citizen journalism was part of freedom of expression. However, in Indonesia’s press law concept, it was not part of the national press. This created legal issues regarding protection and legal responsibility aspects for both parties. A qualitative research was conducting to solving these issues. Using secondary data from literature study and observation on several cyber media websites, this discovers two conclusions. First, the citizen journalist is part of freedom of the press; it means that a citizen journalist’s creation has protected form censor and bans. However, a citizen journalist still has a limitation which shall be complied videlicet Civil Code and Law No. 11 The year 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transaction. Violation of both regulations means that a citizen journalist shall be legally responsible. Second, protection and responsibility border between a citizen journalist and press company are based on an agreement. Approval of term and condition of general user content in a website from a citizen journalist means that both parties have agreed to enter into an agreement. A press company might be freed of its legal responsibility as long as conducted its obligation to control and manage contents that have been uploaded and published by a citizen journalist. If the company does not take proportional action against citizen journalist’ contents that violating the law, the press company shall be requested its civil or criminal legal responsibility.

A tale of two citizens: a State Attorney General and a hematologist facilitate translation of research into US Food and Drug Administration actions--a SONAR report.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Brian; Restaino, John; Norris, LeAnn; Xirasagar, Sudha; Qureshi, Zaina P; McKoy, June M; Lopez, Isaac S; Trenery, Alyssa; Murday, Alanna; Kahn, Adam; Mattison, Donald R; Ray, Paul; Sartor, Oliver; Bennett, Charles L

2012-11-01

Pharmaceutical safety is a public health issue. In 2005, the Connecticut Attorney General (AG) raised concerns over adverse drug reactions in off-label settings, noting that thalidomide was approved to treat a rare illness, but more than 90% of its use was off label. A hematologist had reported thalidomide with doxorubicin or dexamethasone was associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates of 25%. We review US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and manufacturer responses to a citizen petition filed to address these thalidomide safety issues. Case study. The AG petitioned the FDA requesting thalidomide-related safety actions. Coincidentally, the manufacturer submitted a supplemental New Drug Approval (sNDA), requesting approval to treat multiple myeloma with thalidomide-dexamethasone. FDA safety officers reviewed the petition and the literature and noted that VTE risks with thalidomide were not appropriately addressed in the existing package insert. In the sNDA application, the manufacturer reported thalidomide-associated toxicities for multiple myeloma were primarily somnolence and neurotoxicity, and a proposed package insert did not focus on VTE risks. In October, the FDA informed the Oncology Drug Division that VTE risks with thalidomide were poorly addressed in the existing label. After reviewing this memorandum, an Oncology Drug Division reviewer informed the manufacturer that approval of the sNDA would be delayed until several thalidomide-associated VTE safety actions, including revisions of the package insert, were implemented. The manufacturer and FDA agreed on these actions, and the sNDA was approved. New approaches addressing off-label safety are needed. The conditions that facilitated the successful response to this citizen petition are uncommon.

Psychotropic medication in a randomly selected group of citizens receiving residential or home care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Futtrup, Tina Bergmann; Schultz, Hanne; Jensen, Margit Bak

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Treatment with one or more psychotropic medications (PMs), especially in the elderly, is associated with risk, and the effects of treatment are poorly validated. The aim of this article was to describe the use of PM in a population of citizens receiving either residential care or home...... care with focus on the prevalence of drug use, the combination of different PMs and doses in relation to current recommendations. METHODS: The medication lists of 214 citizens receiving residential care (122) and home care (92) were collected together with information on age, gender and residential...

Valuing future citizens' values regarding risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleming, Patricia [Creighton Univ., Omaha (United States). College of Arts and Sciences/Philosophy

2006-09-15

Valuing present citizen's values regarding the risks they face is an important aspect of risk assessment and risk acceptability. Conferences like VALDOR are held for this reason. Governments like Sweden have national referendums on various risk-prone enterprises. The results of these referendums can determine the future of these programs. In the United States, when guidelines are set for determining acceptable levels of risk, the relevant federal agencies are often required to provide a comment period regarding proposed guidelines in order to ascertain the judgments, including the weights place on certain values, of individual members of society as well as stakeholder groups. After the comment period ends, the agency decides on the acceptable level of risk, taking into account the comments from present citizens. Do we also have a duty to value the not-yet-existing values of future citizens, especially if the risks created by the activities of present citizens extend into the future to citizens not yet living? If so, are there any circumstances which entitle us to de-value those not-yet-existing values. In this paper, I ground my discussion of the question of valuing future citizens' values in one of the areas of focus of the VALDOR conference: nuclear waste management and specifically the question facing the United States' program regarding an acceptable dose standard associated with the release of radioactivity into the biosphere from an underground repository. The underlying conference theme to which this discussion may be attached is community environmental justice as it applies to future citizens. I focus on the role that uncertainty plays is providing justice between present and future citizens.

Learning from a Community Action Plan to Promote Safe Sexual Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Josie A.; Dwonch-Schoen, Kathy; Howard-Barr, Elissa M.; Panella, Michael P.

2010-01-01

The well-being of a community is only as good as the well-being of the individuals who reside in the community. A group of citizens, concerned about the welfare of their community, recognized the high rates of HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy in their south Florida county and decided to take action. Supported by community leaders and using available…

Involving citizens in priority setting for public health research: Implementation in infection research.

Science.gov (United States)

Rawson, Timothy M; Castro-Sánchez, Enrique; Charani, Esmita; Husson, Fran; Moore, Luke S P; Holmes, Alison H; Ahmad, Raheelah

2018-02-01

Public sources fund the majority of UK infection research, but citizens currently have no formal role in resource allocation. To explore the feasibility and willingness of citizens to engage in strategic decision making, we developed and tested a practical tool to capture public priorities for research. A scenario including six infection themes for funding was developed to assess citizen priorities for research funding. This was tested over two days at a university public festival. Votes were cast anonymously along with rationale for selection. The scenario was then implemented during a three-hour focus group exploring views on engagement in strategic decisions and in-depth evaluation of the tool. 188/491(38%) prioritized funding research into drug-resistant infections followed by emerging infections(18%). Results were similar between both days. Focus groups contained a total of 20 citizens with an equal gender split, range of ethnicities and ages ranging from 18 to >70 years. The tool was perceived as clear with participants able to make informed comparisons. Rationale for funding choices provided by voters and focus group participants are grouped into three major themes: (i) Information processing; (ii) Knowledge of the problem; (iii) Responsibility; and a unique theme within the focus groups (iv) The potential role of citizens in decision making. Divergent perceptions of relevance and confidence of "non-experts" as decision makers were expressed. Voting scenarios can be used to collect, en-masse, citizens' choices and rationale for research priorities. Ensuring adequate levels of citizen information and confidence is important to allow deployment in other formats. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

How do marine and coastal citizen science experiences foster environmental engagement?

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Angela J; Church, Emma K; Loder, Jenn; Fielding, Kelly S; Wilson, Kerrie A

2018-05-01

Citizen science programs enable community involvement in scientific research. In addition to fostering greater science literacy, some citizen science programs aim to foster engagement in environmental issues. However, few data are available to indicate whether and how citizen science programs can achieve greater environmental engagement. We survey individuals choosing to attend one of seventeen reef citizen science events and examine the extent to which attendees reported three indicators of greater environmental engagement: (i) willingness to share information, (ii) increased support for marine conservation and citizen science, and (iii) intentions to adopt a new behavior. Most participants reported being willing to share information about reef conservation (91%) and described increased support for marine science and conservation (87%). Half of participants (51%) reported intentions to adopt a new conservation behavior. We found that key elements of the citizen science experience associated with these outcomes were learning about actions to protect reefs and coasts (procedural learning), experiencing surprise, and experiencing negative emotions about environmental problems. Excitement was also associated with positive outcomes, but only in participants who were less likely to see themselves as environmental, or were less frequent visitors to reefs and coasts. Importantly, the association between factual learning and environmental engagement outcomes was limited or negative. These findings suggest that the way citizen science experiences make people feel, may be more important for fostering future environmental engagement than factual-based learning. When designing citizen science programs for community members, these findings provide a reminder to not focus on provision of factual information alone, but to highlight environmental impacts while providing meaningful experiences and building environmental skills. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Together We Can: Assessing the Impact of Women's Action Groups ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

This project will evaluate the impact of India's Mahila Samakhya (MS), the world's largest ... light on the role of women's action groups in catalyzing social and economic change. ... The data will include variables related to labour market outcomes, gender ... L'union fait la force : Étudier les répercussions des groupes d'action ...

Knowledge into Action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Lars Thorup

In the 1970s, most Western nations began to shift the emphasis of health care provision from treatment to prevention. While originally motivated by the rise of lifestyle diseases, the emergence of the new public health policy mainly involves a new way to understand and structure the relationship ...... in the production and circulation of health knowledge, which attempts to replace the usual 'ifs, buts and maybes' of medical science with an action-minded public health knowledge just telling people what to do.......In the 1970s, most Western nations began to shift the emphasis of health care provision from treatment to prevention. While originally motivated by the rise of lifestyle diseases, the emergence of the new public health policy mainly involves a new way to understand and structure the relationship...... between health knowledge and individual action. The book investigates what political rationality characterizes this new ambition in public health policies to put knowledge into action in the hands of individual citizens and how these policies adapt to the continuous experience that citizens often do...

Life as a Sober Citizen: Aldo Leopold's Wildlife Ecology 118

Science.gov (United States)

Theiss, Nancy Stearns

2009-01-01

This historic case study addressed the issue of the lack of citizen action toward environmentally responsible behavior. Although there have been studies regarding components of environmental responsible behavior [ERB], there has been little focus on historic models of exemplary figures of ERB. This study examined one of the first conservation…

Outcomes from the stakeholder session of the Citizens' Forums on Personal Transportation, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-03-01

This document summarizes the outcomes of a stakeholder session of a citizen-centred deliberative process aimed at discussing how individuals can reduce the environmental impacts of their driving and take better control of their own personal transportation costs. The challenges regarding the implementation of firm actions that address citizen's concerns are presented. Current trends indicate that the increase in demand for gasoline could outstrip increases in supply in the coming years, resulting in instability and unpredictability in the market price of gasoline in Canada. This instability of pricing will prompt consumers to reduce fuel consumption by increasing fuel efficiency. The objective of this stakeholder meeting was to find ways to encourage citizens to become energy efficient. The current barriers include: a lack of knowledge about the impact of driving on climate change and air quality; a lack of trust and credibility; citizens have high expectations of their employers for services such as free shuttle buses, cash in lieu of parking and more flexible working hours; skepticism that government and industry are also doing their part in addressing the environmental, health and climate change impacts of driving; many citizens do not believe the severity of the challenge posed by inefficient use of gasoline; and, more social marketing is required to effectively tap into citizen's sense of social responsibility. Citizens can take action by driving less, use alternative forms of transportation, change driving habits, adopt alternative work arrangements, make wiser choices in purchasing vehicles, and become more politically and personally pro-active. tabs

Legal and institutional frameworks for government relations with citizens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caddy, J.

2000-01-01

Unacceptably low or declining confidence in public institutions in OECD Member countries has led governments to view the issue of government-citizen relations with growing concern and to take initiatives to strengthen this fundamental relationship. Governments have begun to realize that they can better anticipate citizens' evolving and multiple needs by pro-actively involving them in the policy-making process in order to develop solutions to issues as they first appear, and not when they become pressing problems. When government succeeds in anticipating citizens' needs and aspirations, it earns currency in the form of trust. The price of failure is a loss of legitimacy. The conditions for trust in government include a well-educated citizenry, transparent processes and accountability. Government needs to establish a 'level playing field' so that citizens can see that their interests are being treated fairly. Citizens, for their part, need to learn to value fairness in government over special favours for well-connected groups. Transparency in government helps to assure citizens that they are being treated fairly. Accountability helps ensure that government failures are corrected and that public services meet expectations. Governments increasingly realize that they will not be able to conduct and effectively implement policies, as good as they may be, if their citizens do not support them. (author)

TRANSFORMATION FACTORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND ACTION IN IIDA CITY RESIDENTS - ATTEITION TO ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

Science.gov (United States)

Shirai, Nobuo; Higuchi, Kazukiyo; Tokai, Akihiro

Iida City in Nagano Prefecture is a town with an advanced environmental strategy including citizenry participation in the town's environment plan, a network of EMS (Environmental Management system) businesses, and a citizens' solar power system. In this study, a questionnaire of Iida residents was carried out to determine their environmental consciousness, and the effect on their actions. It also examined the influence of current environmental measures on the residents, and the relation between the level of social capital and residents' environmental considerations. The results indicate that the environmental consideration level of the senior citizen group is higher than that of the entire Japan in Iida City, and environmental measures has improved the residents' environmental consciousness. And it is thought the environmental consideration level of the senior citizen group is related to the level of social capital.

Conjugacy, orbit equivalence and classification of measure-preserving group actions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Törnquist, Asger Dag

2009-01-01

We prove that if G is a countable discrete group with property (T) over an infinite subgroup HG which contains an infinite Abelian subgroup or is normal, then G has continuum-many orbit-inequivalent measure-preserving almost-everywhere-free ergodic actions on a standard Borel probability space...... and Weiss for conjugacy of measure-preserving ergodic almost-everywhere-free actions of discrete countable groups....

78 FR 43200 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-19

... Social Responsibility--Los Angeles v. EPA, No. 12-56175, upon receipt of written notice from EPA that the... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OGC-2013-0484; FRL-9835-6] Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of proposed...

Assemblies, Referendums or Consultations? Social Representations of Citizen Participation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernesto Ganuza

2017-01-01

Full Text Available According to some studies, Spanish citizens want more participatory processes. There are pro-participatory groups (the young, non-voters, left-wing voters, residents in mid-sized cities, etc., while other groups are less enthusiastic (right-wing voters. In this study we address social representations of participatory democracy and how they are embedded in the political understandings of different groups. The study is based on 16 focus-groups conducted between 2011 and 2013 in Spain. We identify four major visions among the participants: those who prefer a complex deliberative system for citizen participation, those who want more referenda and other expressive channels, those who think it is an unattainable reform, and those who reject these types of political processes.

IMPLICATIONS OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION UPON CITIZENS SATISFACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bente Florina Maria

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The satisfaction of citizens considering public services depends on the way the authorities identify and offer solutions to fulfil citizens expectations, which are at least identical or even superior to the services offered in private domain. In addition, the worldwide governments are forced to adapt to the pressure exercised by the changes that appear in the demographic, technologic and economic environment, by the growing expectations of citizens and the necessity of lowering the taxes. As a consequence, the public system is starting to adopt the solutions that the citizens identified for the developing of the public policies, implying and making the community responsible in the act of governing.

Citizen Review Panels for Child Protective Services: A National Profile

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Blake L.; Royse, David

2008-01-01

Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) for Child Protective Services are groups of citizen-volunteers throughout the United States who are federally mandated to evaluate local and state child protection systems. This study presents a profile of 332 CRP members in 20 states with regards to their demographic information, length of time on the panel, and …

Outcomes from the stakeholder session of the Citizens' Forums on Personal Transportation, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-03-01

This document summarizes the outcomes of a stakeholder session of a citizen-centred deliberative process aimed at discussing how individuals can reduce the environmental impacts of their driving and take better control of their own personal transportation costs. The challenges regarding the implementation of firm actions that address citizen's concerns are presented. Current trends indicate that the increase in demand for gasoline could outstrip increases in supply in the coming years, resulting in instability and unpredictability in the market price of gasoline in Canada. This instability of pricing will prompt consumers to reduce fuel consumption by increasing fuel efficiency. The objective of this stakeholder meeting was to find ways to encourage citizens to become energy efficient. The current barriers include: a lack of knowledge about the impact of driving on climate change and air quality; a lack of trust and credibility; citizens have high expectations of their employers for services such as free shuttle buses, cash in lieu of parking and more flexible working hours; skepticism that government and industry are also doing their part in addressing the environmental, health and climate change impacts of driving; many citizens do not believe the severity of the challenge posed by inefficient use of gasoline; and, more social marketing is required to effectively tap into citizen's sense of social responsibility. Citizens can take action by driving less, use alternative forms of transportation, change driving habits, adopt alternative work arrangements, make wiser choices in purchasing vehicles, and become more politically and personally pro-active. tabs.

Action Research for Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egmose, Jonas

by analysing processes of social learning. The book addresses the need to move towards sustainability at societal level as a democratic challenge questioning the way we live on planet earth. By conceptualising sustain-ability as an immanent and emergent ability of ecological and social life, continuously...... to provide local citizens with a greater say in the future of urban sustainability research, this book shows how action research can make important methodological contributions to processes of social learning between citizens and scientists by enabling free spaces in peoples everyday life and within academia...

Territorial authorities, stakeholders of participative and citizen projects of renewable energy. From support to management: how to do it?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peullemeulle, Justine; Duval, Joakim; Boumard, Erwan; Leclercq, Michel; Paraiso, Jean-Eric; Foulon, Arno; Parrouffe, Jean-Michel; Guillerminet, Marie-Laure; Mouhamad, Sakina; Leclercq, Michel; Poize, Noemie; Duffes, Thomas; Billard, Marianne; Leyendecker, Manon; Jourdain, Pierre

2017-09-01

This publication aims at being a guide for public actors in the implementation and management of participative and citizen projects of renewable energy. It first outlines context and stakes for territorial authorities and citizen, both considered as actors of a democracy of energy. In the next chapter, and by referring to actual examples, it describes the approach to a citizen-based project, and more precisely how a local authority can support the emergence of projects, as well as citizen initiatives, how it is involved in the development phase, and in the building phase. The next chapter highlights lessons which can be learned from a set of current experiments and situations: how can citizen make authorities participate to a project they initiated, how can authorities can make citizen participate to a project they initiated, which actions to implement when a developer wants to intervene on a territory, case of local authorities supporting the local policy of development of citizen renewable energies

The Citizens' Exhibition: A Combination of Socio-scientific, Participative and Artistic Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birgit Böhm

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Through its incorporation of socio-scientific, participative and artistic elements, the "Citizens' Exhibition" is an example of how applied performative social science can be implemented. The method was created by teaching qualitative methods and community psychology approaches in courses for students of psychology in the 1990's. The Citizens' Exhibition combines qualitative methods, such as interview and text interpretation, with artistic-aesthetic methods, such as photography and film, to form an integrated concept. In the tradition of action research, the practice is applied in the exploration of societal issues. The Citizens' Exhibition supports dialogue and furthering communication processes between the stakeholders through the presentation of diverse perspectives. In this regard, the staging of the exhibition opening has a particular importance. The following article about the Citizens' Exhibition presents the practice's origin and history in the first section and, in the second section, offers an introduction to the individual methodological steps. In the third section, various Citizens' Exhibitions are described as illustrations of the method. The last section discusses the vision of the Citizens' Exhibition, its performative component, strengths and limitations, considers the results of an existing evaluation study and looks at the future uses of the practice. Particular regard should be paid here to a combination of methods that enable a long-term participation effect, the expansion of participatory possibilities for the research subjects, and experimentation with additional artistic methods. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0802337

Action plan for energy efficiency 2003-2006. A Working Group Proposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-02-01

The updating of the Action Plan for Energy Efficiency is closely related to the need to further intensify measures for promoting energy conservation that was highlighted in the debate in Parliament on the National Climate Strategy and building of a new nuclear power plant. The Working Group with responsibility for the preparation of the updating has made an assessment of the implementation and impact of the previous Action Plan for Energy Efficiency and sought to come up with new measures and ways of increasing the effect of the actions in the previous action plan. The main instruments presented in the updated action plan are developing new technologies, economic instruments, energy conservation agreements, laws and regulations and information and training. The action plan comprises proposals for increasing the budget for energy subsidies for companies and bodies and finding new formulas for the funding of energy saving investments. Further, the aid for the renovation of buildings is proposed to be enhanced. More effort is also needed as concerns disseminating information on energy saving. The development of new technologies requires that the funding from the National Technology Agency (Tekes) for energy efficiency is kept at least at the level of 1999. An implementation of the measures proposed would require a contribution from the state amounting to about E 80 million per year. The system of Energy Conservation Agreements is proposed to be further extended and developed. The agreements could to a larger extent than before cover research and product development processes and processes for purchasing of goods and services. The Working Group proposes further examination of the possibility of imposing binding targets and applying sanctions. Energy taxation is proposed to be developed further in order to promote energy saving and co- generation with the impact of the future Directive on emission allowance trading in mind. New research and development projects are

Actionable findings and the role of IT support: report of the ACR Actionable Reporting Work Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Paul A; Berland, Lincoln L; Griffith, Brent; Kahn, Charles E; Liebscher, Lawrence A

2014-06-01

The ACR formed the Actionable Reporting Work Group to address the potential role of IT in the communication of imaging findings, especially in cases that require nonroutine communication because of the urgency of the findings or their unexpected nature. These findings that require special communication with referring clinicians are classified as "actionable findings." The work group defines 3 categories of actionable findings that require, respectively, communication and clinical decision within minutes (category 1), hours (category 2), or days (category 3). Although the work group does not believe that there can be definitive lists of such findings, it developed lists in each category that would apply in most general hospital settings. For each category, the work group discusses ways in which IT can assist interpreting radiologists in successfully communicating to the relevant clinicians to ensure optimal patient care. IT systems can also help document the communication and facilitate auditing of the documentation. The work group recommends that vendors develop platforms that can be customized on the basis of local preferences and needs. Whatever system is used, it should be highly reliable and fit seamlessly into radiologists' workflow. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KOMODIFIKASI WARGA DALAM RUANG CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rulli Nasrullah

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The citizen journalism has been inuenced not only by organization culture of media and news criteria, but also the position of citizens. This entire time citizens are merely a consumers and their position is passive to information produced by traditional media. With the emergence of citizen journalism, now the citizens not only become news consumers but also act as news producers and consumers at the same time (produsage. The commodication of citizen journalism is a phenomenon of counter commidication done by the companies of traditional media. This shown that there are symptoms of attracting each other in the room (market of citizen journalism that the citizens do not always react passively to the exposure of media and become a commodity by traditional media companies or the advertiser, but they also commodify anything as whatever they want to reach. Thus, this research is a rebutting the denition of citizen journalism popularized by Curt Chandler and Jesse Hicks from Penn State University who said that citizen journalism is citizens activities in publishing a content because of their interest to a case without economic motive or personal gain.

Social Justice and Environmental Awareness Developed through a Citizens' Jury

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, J.

2014-12-01

A Citizens' Jury (CJ) is a discussion forum in which managers, policymakers or politicians are able to present their case to the general public ('citizens') to whom they are accountable, and for these citizens to critically ask questions of the managers/policymakers/politicians in order to better understand issues surrounding local development, planning and policy, impacts and adaptive measures, and to highlight their concerns. A CJ can be useful with respect to developing social justice and environmental awareness issues because it can empower community action and present different viewpoints. A practical CJ exercise is used in a second-year undergraduate course entitled Climate Change and Society, at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The CJ is used to consider some of the impacts of management policies used for climate change and sustainable development adaption, based on a hypothetical scenario. This scenario is that a major energy company wants to build a dam with hydroelectric power station in a developing country. This will provide low-carbon renewable energy to the country, investment in electricity infrastructure, and the company is committed to help economic development in the country, including in jobs and education. However, building and flooding of the dam will involve displacing 10,000 people from rural communities, flooding agricultural areas and areas of high biodiversity, and archaeological sites. The exercise is based on students, in groups, assuming different 'identities' which may include a local business person, resident, politician, member of an NGO, tourist, engineer, farmer etc, from which viewpoint they must argue for/against the proposal and to question other peoples' viewpoints. This exercise is useful because it allows students to develop understandings of different viewpoints, evaluate risk and impacts on different communities, and highlights the complexity of real-world decision-making.

Unveiling the Effects of Citizen Journalism Practice on College Students' Social Capital

Science.gov (United States)

Nah, Seungahn; Namkoong, Kang; Van Stee, Stephanie K.; Record, Rachael A.

2014-01-01

This study examined the effects of citizen journalism practices on social capital concerning nonprofit and voluntary organizations (i.e., satisfaction, trust, and engagement). Through a quasi-experimental design, the analyses revealed that students in the treatment group, in which participants engaged in citizen journalism practice, had greater…

Do citizens have minimum medical knowledge? A survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steurer-Stey Claudia

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Experts defined a "minimum medical knowledge" (MMK that people need for understanding typical signs and/or risk factors of four relevant clinical conditions: myocardial infarction, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and HIV/AIDS. We tested to what degree Swiss adult citizens satisfy this criterion for MMK and whether people with medical experience have acquired better knowledge than those without. Methods Questionnaire interview in a Swiss urban area with 185 Swiss citizens (median age 29 years, interquartile range 23 to 49, 52% male. We obtained context information on age, gender, highest educational level, (paramedical background and specific health experience with one of the conditions in the social surrounding. We calculated the proportion of MMK and examined whether citizens with medical background (personal or professional would perform better compared to other groups. Results No single citizen reached the full MMK (100%. The mean MMK was as low as 32% and the range was 0 -72%. Surprisingly, multivariable analysis showed that participants with a university degree (n = 84; β (95% CI +3.7% MMK (0.4–7.1 p = 0.03, (paramedical background (n = 34; +6.2% MMK (2.0–10.4, p = 0.004 and personal illness experience (n = 96; +4.9% MMK (1.5–8.2, p = 0.004 had only a moderately higher MMK than those without, while age and sex had no effect on the level of MMK. Interaction between university degree and clinical experience (personal or professional showed no effect suggesting that higher education lacks synergistic effect. Conclusion This sample of Swiss citizens did not know more than a third of the MMK. We found little difference within groups with medical experience (personal or professional, suggesting that there is a consistent and dramatic lack of knowledge in the general public about the typical signs and risk factors of relevant clinical conditions.

Old citizens, new logics: Digital literacy and elderly citizens in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stald, Gitte Bang

2016-01-01

and The Danage Association. Theoretically, the article discusses definitions of digital literacy respectively digital citizenship; and it draws on theories on mediatization, media ecologies, and digital governance. REFERENCES (selected) Borchorst, D.S. et al (2016). ”Digitalisering af ældre menneskers hverdag......Old citizens, new logics: Digital literacy and elderly citizens in Denmark Many my age have problems with IT. We are now reasonably informed and we have had computers for many years but our competences are still not tiptop and that is definitely a problem. This 79-year old man talks about...... the challenges he encounters with mastering IT in general and NemID in particular. NemID is the Danish, digital system for interaction between public institutions and citizens. The system was implemented by law in December 2015. The paper focuses on the relation between age, digitization, and citizen self...

Partial Actions, Paradoxicality and Topological full Groups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scarparo, Eduardo

uniform Roe algebra is finite. In Article C, we analyze the C*-algebra generated by the Koopman representation of a topological full group, showing, in particular, that it is not AF andhas real rank zero. We also prove that if G is a finitely generated, elementary amenable group, and C*(G) has real rank......We study how paradoxicality properties affect the way groups partially acton topological spaces and C*-algebras. We also investigate the real rank zero and AF properties for certain classes of group C*-algebras. Specifically, in article A, we characterize supramenable groups in terms of existence...... of invariant probability measures for partial actions on compact Hausdorff spaces and existence of tracial states on partial crossed products. These characterizations show that, in general, one cannot decompose a partial crossed product of a C*-algebra by a semidirect product of groups as two iterated...

Citizen Dialogues on Public Acceptance of Innovative Cars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lienin, S.F.; Kasemir, B. [PSI and sustainserv GmbH (Switzerland); Gassmann, F.; Wokaun, A.

2004-03-01

Studying acceptance of citizens concerning innovative technology is a central element in developing effective strategies to attain a more sustainable future. To this aim, a method based on discussions in small focus groups has been developed. In the framework of the programme '2000-Watt-Society: Pilot Region Basel' and the novatlantis project 'Mobility Module', this method was used to assess public attitudes to-wards natural gas, biogas , and hydrogen as alternative fuels for cars. The setup of respective citizen dialogues and some results are presented. (author)

DEVELOPING CITIZEN SAFETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VRABIE Catalin

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Is it possible to involve citizens in the process of increasing public safety? Police used, even from its beginnings, the help of citizens, otherwise they would encounter problems in performing its duty - many of its successes were due to the unification of Police forces with the citizens. How citizens get involved? (1 They may be directly asked by the Police officers (a time consuming method because many police officers needs to go on the field to speak with the potential witnesses or (2 by using the mass-media channels (television can address to a large number of potential witnesses in a very short time. We still can see on TV portraits of missing persons, or some other kind of images with which the Police is trying to solve some of its cases (thieves, robbers or burglars surprised by surveillance cameras – why not Internet software application?!

Creating informed public opinion: citizen deliberation about nanotechnologies for human enhancements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cobb, Michael D.

2011-01-01

Many people believe that ordinary citizens should influence scientific and technological developments, but the American public is routinely uninformed about these issues. As a solution, some scholars advocate creating informed public opinions by encouraging citizens to deliberate about the issues. Although this idea is currently widely applauded in the science and technology literature, deliberative outcomes are infrequently measured and the practice of deliberation is routinely criticized in other disciplines. This research contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of citizen deliberation as a method for increasing public engagement with science. I report data measuring results of deliberation in a national citizens’ technology forum (NCTF) about nanotechnologies for human enhancement. The NCTF was a month-long process involving six groups of 9–15 ordinary citizens who deliberated in different locations across the United States with the goal of reaching consensus about policy recommendations within their groups. I find that structured deliberation generated informed opinions, sometimes meaningful shifts in preferences, and increased trust and internal efficacy among the participants. Nevertheless, the NCTF has important shortcomings, and it is not obvious that consensus conferences should be preferred over other mechanisms for creating informed opinions. Future research is needed to corroborate the findings of this study and to systematically compare outcomes of structured citizen deliberation to other less resource intensive forms of engagement.

Participatory Design of Citizen Science Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Senabre, Enric; Ferran-Ferrer, Nuria; Perelló, Josep

2018-01-01

This article describes and analyzes the collaborative design of a citizen science research project through co-creation. Three groups of secondary school students and a team of scientists conceived three experiments on human behavior and social capital in urban and public spaces. The study goal is to address how interdisciplinary work and attention…

Building Civic Bridges: Community-Centered Action Civics

Science.gov (United States)

LeCompte, Karon; Blevins, Brooke

2015-01-01

Project-based learning is an example of powerful social studies learning in which student engage in active inquiry. Action civics is a relatively new educational practice in which students "act as citizens" through a cycle of research, action, and reflection about problems they care about in their community. "Building Civic…

Citizen Science for Mining the Biomedical Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ginger Tsueng

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Biomedical literature represents one of the largest and fastest growing collections of unstructured biomedical knowledge. Finding critical information buried in the literature can be challenging. To extract information from free-flowing text, researchers need to: 1. identify the entities in the text (named entity recognition, 2. apply a standardized vocabulary to these entities (normalization, and 3. identify how entities in the text are related to one another (relationship extraction. Researchers have primarily approached these information extraction tasks through manual expert curation and computational methods. We have previously demonstrated that named entity recognition (NER tasks can be crowdsourced to a group of non-experts via the paid microtask platform, Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT, and can dramatically reduce the cost and increase the throughput of biocuration efforts. However, given the size of the biomedical literature, even information extraction via paid microtask platforms is not scalable. With our web-based application Mark2Cure (http://mark2cure.org, we demonstrate that NER tasks also can be performed by volunteer citizen scientists with high accuracy. We apply metrics from the Zooniverse Matrices of Citizen Science Success and provide the results here to serve as a basis of comparison for other citizen science projects. Further, we discuss design considerations, issues, and the application of analytics for successfully moving a crowdsourcing workflow from a paid microtask platform to a citizen science platform. To our knowledge, this study is the first application of citizen science to a natural language processing task.

Citizen participation in public accountability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Bodil; Lewis, Jenny

2014-01-01

In this chapter we offer an analytical framework sensitive to the quality of citizen participation, which is measured in terms of transferred power from the governors to the citizens, and in terms of the degree to which citizens have access to accountability measures. We do this by combining...... Arnstein’s (1969) classic ladder of participation with a focus on citizen participation in regard to bureaucratic accountability, centered on efficiency and learning (cf. Bovens et al. 2008)....

THE CITIZEN CLIENT PROFILE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ângela Cristina Bueno Vieira

2006-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: In our experience and work in the Medical Clinic at the Federal University of Goiás Clinical Hospital (HC/UFG, we observe that in despite of the most patients get orientations about their pathology by the health team, they don’t accomplish these orientations. For the continuous self-care promotion was implanted project "Citizen Client", with intention to contribute to patient citizenship rescue, guiding and strengthening its rights and duties while carrying on pathology. This article is an experience related by a qualitative approach with a group of patients interned in the Medical Clinic of the HC/UFG that rambles, their familiars and that ones who participates in the project Citizen Client during their internment in the year of 2003. On the meeting we work with lectures, workshops and groups by the multi-professional team and coordinated by a Nurse. The subjects had been diverse, approaching some pathology and its cares, social and spiritual assistance. The client participation in its recovery has extreme importance and, so that this occurs, it is necessary health education understood in its extended form, recognizing the client’s life reality, their day-by-day, providing mechanisms for them to become an asset subject with autonomy to act in favor of own health. KEYWORDS: Health Education; Self Care; Quality of Life.

P3-10: Crossmodal Perceptual Grouping Modulates Subjective Causality between Action and Outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiro Kawabe

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Agents have to determine which external events their action has causally produced. A sensation of causal relation between action and outcome is called subjective causality. Subjective causality has been linked to the comparator model. This model assumes that the brain compares an internal prediction for action outcome with an actual sensory outcome, distinguishing between self and externally produced outcomes depending on spatiotemporal congruency. However, recent studies have expressed some doubt about the idea that subjective causality arises depending solely on the spatiotemporal congruency, suggesting instead that other perceptual/cognitive factors play a critical role in determining subjective causality. We hypothesized that crossmodal grouping between action and outcome contributed to subjective causality. Crossmodal temporal grouping is an essential factor for crossmodal simultaneity judgments with ungrouped crossmodal signals likely to be judged as non-simultaneous. We predicted that subjective causality would decrease when an agent's action was not temporally grouped with action outcome. In the experiment, observers were asked to press a key in order to trigger a display change with some temporal delay. To disrupt temporal grouping between action and outcome, a task-irrelevant visual flash or tone was sometimes presented synchronously with the button press and/or the display change. Subjective causality was decreased when the flash or the tone was coincided with the button press. This demonstrates that perceptual grouping has a key role in determination of subjective causality, a result that is not accounted for by the standard comparator model.

How Framing Climate Change Influences Citizen Scientists' Intentions to Do Something about It

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, Janis L.; Crain, Rhiannon; Yalowitz, Steve; Cherry, Tammy M.

2013-01-01

How we communicate the dangers of climate change may influence attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Here we test two pairs of positive and negative framing statements with North American citizen scientists interested in gardening and birdwatching. Mentioning dangers for humans did not increase participants' interest in taking personal action on…

The social worker as moral citizen: ethics in action.

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, S S

1997-05-01

Social workers today face some of the most complex ethical dilemmas in the history of the profession. This article presents a framework of moral citizenship to guide ethical social work practice. The framework includes the action philosophies of philosopher Hannah Arendt and Lutheran theologian Paul Tillich integrated with concepts of professional responsibility and the unique contributions of social work pioneer Charlotte Towle. Social conscience and social consciousness, including awareness, thinking, feeling, and action, are major components of the framework.

Fuel reprocessing: Citizens' questions and experts' answers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-10-01

In connection with the intention of DWK to erect a fuel reprocessing plant in the Oberpfalz, citizens have asked a great number of questions which are of interest to the general public. They have been collected, grouped into subject categories and answered by experts. (orig./HSCH) [de

Birth characteristics of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens in Turkey in 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirci, Hakan; Yildirim Topak, Nevruz; Ocakoglu, Gokhan; Karakulak Gomleksiz, Mehtap; Ustunyurt, Emin; Ulku Turker, Ayse

2017-04-01

To compare the birth characteristics of Syrian refugees with those of Turkish citizens. In a retrospective study, data were obtained for singleton live births that occurred at a hospital in Bursa, Turkey, between June 1 and December 31, 2015. All Syrian refugees were eligible for inclusion; one Turkish citizen was included for each refugee. Overall, 545 Syrian refugees and 545 Turkish citizens were included. Cesarean delivery was undertaken for 176 (32.3%) Syrians and 235 (43.1%) Turks (PSyrian refugees (3110 g, range 540-4790; PSyrian refugees (PSyrians (P=0.014). Cesarean delivery is more common among pregnant Turkish citizens than among Syrian refugees. Other notable differences between the groups were recorded. © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Beliefs About the Malleability of Immoral Groups Facilitate Collective Action

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cohen-Chen, Smadar; Halperin, Eran; Saguy, Tamar; van Zomeren, Martijn

Although negative out-group beliefs typically foster individuals' motivation for collective action, we propose that such beliefs may diminish this motivation when people believe that this out-group cannot change in its very essence. Specifically, we tested the idea that believing in the malleability

Should EU Citizens Living in other Member States Vote there in National Elections?

OpenAIRE

CAYALA, Philippe; SETH, Catriona; BAUBÖCK, Rainer

2012-01-01

The core right of EU citizenship is freedom of movement within the territory of the Union. But EU citizens who live in a member state other than their homeland cannot vote in the national elections of that country unless they first acquire its citizenship through naturalisation. In several member states they also lose their right to vote in national elections of their country of origin when they have lived abroad for too long. A group of EU citizens has started a European Citizens' Initiative...

Implication Of Protection And Fulfillment Of Women's Political Rights Through Affirmative Action Policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Asikin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available One group of citizens who because of the conditions require special treatment is women. Without special treatment or affirmative action, women will not be able to access the protection and fulfillment of their constitutional rights because of the differences and distinctions generated and perpetuated by the structure of patriarchal society. The protection and fulfillment of constitutional rights without special treatment will tend to maintain discrimination against women and unable to achieve justice

Citizen Journalism as Conceptual Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blaagaard, Bolette

itizen Journalism as Conceptual Practice provides a conceptualization of citizen journalism as a political practice developed through analyses of an historical and postcolonial case. Arguing that citizen journalism is first and foremost situated, embodied and political rather than networked...... and formulates a critical reading of citizens’ and subjects’ mediated political engagements then as well as now. The book discusses current approaches to citizen journalism before turning to The Herald, which is then read against the grain in an attempt to show the embodied politics of colonial history...... and cultural forms of citizen engagement as these politics evolve in this particular case of journalism...

Citizen Sky, Solving the Mystery of epsilon Aurigae

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Rebecca; Price, A.; Kloppenborg, B.; Henden, A.

2010-01-01

Citizen Sky is a multi-year, NSF funded citizen science project involving the bright star eps Aur. The project was conceived by the IYA 2009 working group on Research Experiences for Students, Teachers, and Citizen-Scientists. Citizen Sky goes beyond simple observing to include a major data analysis component. The goal is to introduce the participant to the full scientific process from background research to paper writing for a peer-reviewed journal. It begins with a 10 Star Training Program of several types of binary and transient variable stars that are easy to observe from suburban locations with the naked eye. Participants then move on to monitoring the rare and mysterious 2009-2011 eclipse (already underway) of epsilon Aurigae. This object undergoes eclipses only every 27.1 years and each eclipse lasts nearly two years. The star is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye from most urban areas. Training will be provided in observing techniques as well as basic data analysis of photometric and visual datasets (light curve and period analysis). The project also involves two public workshops, one on observing (already held in August of 2009) and one on data analysis and scientific paper writing (to be held in 2010.) This project has been made possible by the National Science Foundation.

NEON Citizen Science: Planning and Prototyping

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, S. J.; Henderson, S.; Gardiner, L. S.; Ward, D.; Gram, W.

2011-12-01

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will be a national resource for ecological research and education. NEON citizen science projects are being designed to increase awareness and educate citizen scientists about the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on continental-scale ecological processes as well as expand NEON data collection capacity by enabling laypersons to collect geographically distributed data. The citizen science area of the NEON web portal will enable citizen scientists to collect, contribute, interpret, and visualize scientific data, as well as access training modules, collection protocols and targeted learning experiences related to citizen science project topics. For NEON, citizen science projects are a means for interested people to interact with and contribute to NEON science. Investigations at vast spatial and temporal scales often require rapid acquisition of large amounts of data from a geographically distributed population of "human sensors." As a continental-scale ecological observatory, NEON is uniquely positioned to develop strategies to effectively integrate data collected by non-scientists into scientific databases. Ultimately, we plan to work collaboratively to transform the practice of science to include "citizens" or non-scientists in the process. Doing science is not limited to scientists, and breaking down the barriers between scientists and citizens will help people better understand the power of using science in their own decision making. In preparation for fully developing the NEON citizen science program, we are partnering with Project BudBurst (PBB), a citizen science project focused on monitoring plant phenology. The educational goals of PBB are to: (1) increase awareness of climate change, (2) educate citizen scientists about the impacts of climate change on plants and the environment, and (3) increase science literacy by engaging participants in the scientific process. Phenology was

Cable Television: Citizen Participation After the Franchise.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Monroe E.; Botein, Michael

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has incorporated several allowances in its regulations pertaining to cable television. Some of these enable citizen groups and communities to intervene in the cable franchise after the final issuance in order to correct deficiencies in the franchising process and the administration of the franchise.…

Increasing patient engagement in rehabilitation exercises using computer-based citizen science.

Science.gov (United States)

Laut, Jeffrey; Cappa, Francesco; Nov, Oded; Porfiri, Maurizio

2015-01-01

Patient motivation is an important factor to consider when developing rehabilitation programs. Here, we explore the effectiveness of active participation in web-based citizen science activities as a means of increasing participant engagement in rehabilitation exercises, through the use of a low-cost haptic joystick interfaced with a laptop computer. Using the joystick, patients navigate a virtual environment representing the site of a citizen science project situated in a polluted canal. Participants are tasked with following a path on a laptop screen representing the canal. The experiment consists of two conditions: in one condition, a citizen science component where participants classify images from the canal is included; and in the other, the citizen science component is absent. Both conditions are tested on a group of young patients undergoing rehabilitation treatments and a group of healthy subjects. A survey administered at the end of both tasks reveals that participants prefer performing the scientific task, and are more likely to choose to repeat it, even at the cost of increasing the time of their rehabilitation exercise. Furthermore, performance indices based on data collected from the joystick indicate significant differences in the trajectories created by patients and healthy subjects, suggesting that the low-cost device can be used in a rehabilitation setting for gauging patient recovery.

The Autonomy-Authority Duality of Shared Decision-Making in Youth Environmental Action

Science.gov (United States)

Schusler, Tania M.; Krasny, Marianne E.; Decker, Daniel J.

2017-01-01

While environmental action is recognized as an effective approach for developing young people's capabilities as citizens and contributing to environmental improvements, little research has addressed how adults facilitate youth action projects. Environmental action involves a partnership among youth and adults characterized by shared…

Public health promotion of "local food": Constituting the self-governing citizen-consumer.

Science.gov (United States)

Derkatch, Colleen; Spoel, Philippa

2017-03-01

This article explores how the recent and growing promotion of local foods by public health units in Ontario, Canada, rhetorically interpellates the "good" health citizen as someone who not only takes responsibility for personal health but, through the consumption and support of "local food," also accepts and fulfills her responsibilities to care for the local economy, the community's well-being, and the natural environment. Drawing on Charland's concept of constitutive rhetoric, we analyze a selection of public health unit documents about local food to develop a textured account of the complex, multifaceted forms of health citizenship they constitute. Our analysis reveals that, despite their appeals to environmental sustainability and community well-being, these materials primarily characterize the ideal health citizen as an informed consumer who supports the interests of the neoliberal state through individualized lifestyle behaviors, consuming goods produced and distributed through private enterprise. By exhorting individuals to "buy local," public health discourse therefore frames responsible health citizenship principally in consumerist terms that constrain the range of available options for citizens to engage in meaningful action vis-à-vis their food systems.

Computing the effective action with the functional renormalization group

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Codello, Alessandro [CP3-Origins and the Danish IAS University of Southern Denmark, Odense (Denmark); Percacci, Roberto [SISSA, Trieste (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Rachwal, Leslaw [Fudan University, Department of Physics, Center for Field Theory and Particle Physics, Shanghai (China); Tonero, Alberto [ICTP-SAIFR and IFT, Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2016-04-15

The ''exact'' or ''functional'' renormalization group equation describes the renormalization group flow of the effective average action Γ{sub k}. The ordinary effective action Γ{sub 0} can be obtained by integrating the flow equation from an ultraviolet scale k = Λ down to k = 0. We give several examples of such calculations at one-loop, both in renormalizable and in effective field theories. We reproduce the four-point scattering amplitude in the case of a real scalar field theory with quartic potential and in the case of the pion chiral Lagrangian. In the case of gauge theories, we reproduce the vacuum polarization of QED and of Yang-Mills theory. We also compute the two-point functions for scalars and gravitons in the effective field theory of scalar fields minimally coupled to gravity. (orig.)

Informing public health policy through deliberative public engagement: perceived impact on participants and citizen-government relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Molster, Caron; Potts, Ayla; McNamara, Beverley; Youngs, Leanne; Maxwell, Susannah; Dawkins, Hugh; O'Leary, Peter

2013-09-01

Deliberative public engagement has been proposed for policy development, where issues are complex and there are diverse public perspectives and low awareness of competing issues. Scholars suggest a range of potential outcomes for citizens and government agencies from involvement in such processes. Few studies have examined outcomes from the perspective of citizen participants in deliberative processes. To examine participant perceptions of their involvement in and outcomes of a deliberative engagement exercise. A case study using semistructured interviews was conducted with participants following a deliberative forum on biobanking. From their involvement in the deliberative exercise, participants described transformations in their knowledge and beliefs about the policy issues. They reported being more informed to the extent of having confidence to educate others and effectively contribute to public policy development. They had developed greater trust in government policymakers who they believed would take reasonable account of their recommendations. We conclude that the participants were satisfied with the outcomes of the deliberative public engagement process and viewed it as an effective means of citizen involvement in public policy development. Particularly for citizens who participate in deliberative processes, such processes may promote active citizenship, empower citizens to undertake representative and educative roles, and improve relations between citizens and government agencies. Actions taken by policymakers subsequent to the deliberative exercise, whereby the majority of citizen recommendations were incorporated in the policy developed, may have contributed to participants holding sustained levels of trust in the commissioning government agency.

The Management of the Citizen Oriented Applications

OpenAIRE

Ion IVAN; Bogdan VINTILĂ

2010-01-01

The context of the knowledge based society is presented. The new user requirements in the context of the new society are analyzed. Basic concepts regarding the citizen oriented applications are presented. Issues specific to the citizen oriented applications are presented. The development cycle of the citizen oriented applications is analyzed. The particular elements for developing citizen oriented applications are described. The quality concept for the citizen oriented applications is defined...

Preconditions for Citizen Journalism: A Sociological Assessment

OpenAIRE

Hayley Watson

2011-01-01

The rise of the citizen journalist and increased attention to this phenomenon requires a sociological assessment that seeks to develop an understanding of how citizen journalism has emerged in contemporary society. This article makes a distinction between two different subcategories of citizen journalism, that is independent and dependent citizen journalism. The purpose of this article is to present four preconditions for citizen journalism to emerge in contemporary society: advanced technolo...

Safecast: How disaster led to empowerment of crowdsourced citizen science for radiation measurement and communication after Fukushima

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Azby; Franken, Peter; Bonner, Sean; Moross, Joe; Dolezal, Nick

2016-04-01

Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) and by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). During the initial weeks of the disaster in particular, citizens were given little actionable information concerning actual radiation levels, and what was presented both by official spokespersons and in the media was often incomplete and /or contradictory. Many citizens stepped in to fill the gaps, share information and technical knowledge, and provide credible independent alternatives to official information, and Safecast has been held up as the most successful and noteworthy example. The experience of the Safecast project provides an extremely instructive opportunity to evaluate the potential for citizen scientists to make crucial public contributions in emergency situations as well as on a longterm basis, and to help formulate guidelines for the most mutually beneficial relationships between citizens' groups and government. This paper will describe the methodology and toolsets Safecast has developed and deployed, as well as a summary of the key results obtained to date, and lessons learned.

The experience of others and becoming a senior citizen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luana Machado Andrade

Full Text Available The study aims to describe the perception of seniors on the exercise of citizenship in the light of the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, based on the notion of the sexed body and the other's body. Discloses was from the participation of 13 elderly, members of acquaintance groups in the city of Jequié/BA, which produced experiential descriptions in three focus group meetings, during the month of April in 2012. Such descriptions were submitted to ambiguity analytics, a technique that consists in suspending the theories and notice the ambiguities inherent in them. From this analysis, two categories have emerged: being an elderly citizen in the expression of the sexed body and being an elderly citizen in the expression of the other's body. The reflections have shown that the inclusion of elderly women in acquaintance groups and their desire to exercise citizenship occur, primarily, by the need to be accepted in society and recognized as subjects of law.

The citizen as datasupplier in E-government

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arleth, Mette; Schrøder, Anne Lise; Staunstrup, Jan K.

2006-01-01

This paper reports on an ongoing study of how to mobilise and utilize the citizen as data supplier in e-government. The role of the citizen is seen in the context of public participation, and a number of possible application areas for online tools where the citizen can serve the public administra......This paper reports on an ongoing study of how to mobilise and utilize the citizen as data supplier in e-government. The role of the citizen is seen in the context of public participation, and a number of possible application areas for online tools where the citizen can serve the public...

Introducing citizen inquiry

OpenAIRE

Herodotou, Christothea; Sharples, Mike; Scanlon, Eileen

2017-01-01

The term ‘citizen inquiry’ was coined to describe ways that members of the public can learn by initiating or joining shared inquiry-led scientific investigations (Sharples et al., 2013). It merges learning through scientific investigation with mass collaborative participation exemplified in citizen science activities, altering the relationship most people have with research from being passive recipients to becoming actively engaged, and the relationship between scholarship and public understa...

Design processes of a citizen inquiry community

OpenAIRE

Aristeidou, Maria; Scanlon, Eileen; Sharples, Mike

2017-01-01

As with other online communities, it is important to design elements of citizen inquiry projects that will attract and engage members. This chapter describes the process of designing an online community for citizen inquiry. It builds on design principles of inquiry learning, citizen inquiry and other online communities. The ‘Weather-it’ citizen inquiry community is intended to engage and support people in initiating and joining sustainable citizen-led investigations. The findings indicate som...

Dimension invariants for groups admitting a cocompact model for proper actions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Degrijse, Dieter Dries; Martínez-Pérez, Conchita

2016-01-01

Let G be a group that admits a cocompact classifying space for proper actions X. We derive a formula for the Bredon cohomological dimension for proper actions of G in terms of the relative cohomology with compact support of certain pairs of subcomplexes of X. We use this formula to compute the Br...

Citizen Satisfaction: Political Voice and Cognitive Biases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Morten Hjortskov

in the first place? Do irrelevant influences affect the citizens’ evaluations of performance? Can we raise the representativeness of citizen satisfaction surveys by engaging citizens in the production of the public services? The dissertation addresses these questions using a wide range of experimental......Citizen satisfaction is increasingly being used as a measure of public service performance. It offers a performance measure that potentially encompasses many of the important attributes of the services that public managers would like to evaluate, some of which are not easily captured by other...... performance measures. At the same time, citizen satisfaction represents a citizen-centered approach to public management. But is citizen satisfaction in fact strongly related to performance and are satisfaction surveys representative of the citizens? By drawing on theories from classic public administration...

Citizen participation in nuclear waste repository siting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, R.E.; Olsen, D.

1982-12-01

The following study presents a proposed strategy for citizen participation during the planning stages of nuclear waste repository siting. It discusses the issue from the general perspective of citizen participation in controversial issues and in community development. Second, rural institutions and attitudes toward energy development as the context for developing a citizen participation program are examined. Third, major citizen participation techniques and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach for resolving public policy issues are evaluated. Fourth, principles of successful citizen participation are presented. Finally, a proposal for stimulating and sustaining effective responsible citizen participation in nuclear waste repository siting and management is developed

The Management of the Citizen Oriented Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The context of the knowledge based society is presented. The new user requirements in the context of the new society are analyzed. Basic concepts regarding the citizen oriented applications are presented. Issues specific to the citizen oriented applications are presented. The development cycle of the citizen oriented applications is analyzed. The particular elements for developing citizen oriented applications are described. The quality concept for the citizen oriented applications is defined. Quality characteristics and the costs of quality are defined and analyzed. A system of indicators for the quantification of the quality of the citizen oriented applications is developed. Ways of increasing the quality of the applications are analyzed. Issues as improving the users’ training level, implementing new development techniques, advanced testing techniques and the requirement of audit are approached. The concept of optimization is defined. Optimum criteria are defined and analyzed. Ways of optimizing applications are described. Security requirements are enumerated and described. The particularities of the security requirements for the citizen oriented applications are analyzed. Measures for ensuring the security of the citizen oriented applications are described. A citizen oriented application for the analysis of the structured entities is developed. The application collects data regarding the behavior of the users. The collected data are used for verifying the hypotheses regarding the quality characteristics if the citizen oriented informatics applications.

Citizen surveillance for environmental monitoring: combining the efforts of citizen science and crowdsourcing in a quantitative data framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Welvaert, Marijke; Caley, Peter

2016-01-01

Citizen science and crowdsourcing have been emerging as methods to collect data for surveillance and/or monitoring activities. They could be gathered under the overarching term citizen surveillance . The discipline, however, still struggles to be widely accepted in the scientific community, mainly because these activities are not embedded in a quantitative framework. This results in an ongoing discussion on how to analyze and make useful inference from these data. When considering the data collection process, we illustrate how citizen surveillance can be classified according to the nature of the underlying observation process measured in two dimensions-the degree of observer reporting intention and the control in observer detection effort. By classifying the observation process in these dimensions we distinguish between crowdsourcing, unstructured citizen science and structured citizen science. This classification helps the determine data processing and statistical treatment of these data for making inference. Using our framework, it is apparent that published studies are overwhelmingly associated with structured citizen science, and there are well developed statistical methods for the resulting data. In contrast, methods for making useful inference from purely crowd-sourced data remain under development, with the challenges of accounting for the unknown observation process considerable. Our quantitative framework for citizen surveillance calls for an integration of citizen science and crowdsourcing and provides a way forward to solve the statistical challenges inherent to citizen-sourced data.

Citizen Expectations and Satisfaction Over Time

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjortskov, Morten

2018-01-01

Expectations are thought to affect how citizens form their attitudes and behavior toward public services. Such attitudes may include citizen satisfaction, where expectations play a fundamental role, and relevant behaviors include choice of services and the decision to voice opinions about them....... However, there are few investigations into what drives citizen expectations and even fewer that consider these relationships across time. This article tests whether prior expectations, perceived performance, and citizen satisfaction influence future expectations, using a unique dataset that follows...... individual citizens across two subsequent school satisfaction surveys from 2011 and 2013. The results show that prior expectations have a large and consistent influence on future expectations, as predicted by the literature, whereas the influence from prior perceived performance seems less consistent. Prior...

Citizen Sky, An Update on the AAVSO's New Citizen Science Project

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Rebecca; Price, A.; Henden, A.; Stencel, R.; Kloppenborg, B.

2011-01-01

Citizen Sky is a multi-year, NSF-funded, citizen science project focusing on the bright variable star, epsilon Aurigae. Citizen Sky goes beyond simple observing to include a major data analysis component. The goal is to introduce the participant to the full scientific process from background research to paper writing for a peer-reviewed journal. The first year of the project, 2009-10, was dedicated to developing project infrastructure, educating participants about epsilon Aurigae, and training these participants to observe the star and report their data. Looking forward, years two and three of the project will focus on assembling teams of participants to work on their own analysis and research. Results will be published in a special issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of the AAVSO. This project has been made possible by the National Science Foundation.

Experiment in democracy: The citizen oversight council as a means of mitigating environmental impacts of terminal and tanker operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginsburg, P.; Sterling, S.; Gottehrer, S.

1993-01-01

In 1987, a handful of people from the small fishing community of Cordova, Alaska, coalesced around concern over the risks of oil-related pollution and oil spills in Prince William Sound posed by the trans-Alaska pipeline terminal and tanker operations in neighboring Valdez. The Cordova group sent an emissary to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, which operates the Valdez Marine Terminal on behalf of its seven oil company owners. The emissary asked Alyeska to consider forming a citizen group to advise Alyeska on environmental issues of local or regional concern. Alyeska listened but rejected the idea. In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef. Alyeska's owners, acting principally at the behest of majority owner, British Petroleum, soon effected sweeping change in Alyeska's management. The change in management, with Jim Hermiller as president, produced a change in Alyeska's attitude toward the citizen advisory group proposal, and not long afterward Alyeska formed the Alyeska Citizen Advisory Committee. Over the next year that group evolved into what is now called the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, or RCAC. The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council is a national experiment in providing citizens a voice in corporate decisions that affect them and their communities. This paper recounts the story of RCAC's formation and evolution, the group's mission under both federal law and its contract with Alyeska, and the hallmarks of its achievements and challenges to date

Designing a post-genomics knowledge ecosystem to translate pharmacogenomics into public health action.

Science.gov (United States)

Dove, Edward S; Faraj, Samer A; Kolker, Eugene; Ozdemir, Vural

2012-01-01

Translation of pharmacogenomics to public health action is at the epicenter of the life sciences agenda. Post-genomics knowledge is simultaneously co-produced at multiple scales and locales by scientists, crowd-sourcing and biological citizens. The latter are entrepreneurial citizens who are autonomous, self-governing and increasingly conceptualizing themselves in biological terms, ostensibly taking responsibility for their own health, and engaging in patient advocacy and health activism. By studying these heterogeneous 'scientific cultures', we can locate innovative parameters of collective action to move pharmacogenomics to practice (personalized therapeutics). To this end, we reconceptualize knowledge-based innovation as a complex ecosystem comprising 'actors' and 'narrators'. For robust knowledge translation, we require a nested post-genomics technology governance system composed of first-order narrators (for example, social scientists, philosophers, bioethicists) situated at arm's length from innovation actors (for example, pharmacogenomics scientists). Yet, second-order narrators (for example, an independent and possibly crowd-funded think-tank of citizen scholars, marginalized groups and knowledge end-users) are crucial to prevent first-order narrators from gaining excessive power that can be misused in the course of steering innovations. To operate such 'self-calibrating' and nested innovation ecosystems, we introduce the concept of 'wiki-governance' to enable mutual and iterative learning among innovation actors and first- and second-order narrators. '[A] scientific expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until finally knowing (almost) everything about (almost) nothing.' [1] 'Ubuntu: I am because you are.' [2].

Joint Action Group: public opinion poll: final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

The Joint Action Group (JAG) for Environmental Cleanup of the Muggah Creek Watershed in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is a new community-driven process in which a group of individuals have cooperated in one of the largest remediation projects in Canada. The group plays an advisory role to the government in identifying what should be done to remediate the Muggah Creek watershed and the Sydney Tar Ponds. The Muggah Creek watershed area includes a municipal landfill site, the coke ovens site and the Muggah Creek estuary (Sydney Tar Ponds). This report contains an analysis of the responses of a sample of 600 households in industrial Cape Breton to a telephone survey designed to measure community awareness and knowledge of JAG, its working groups, and the Muggah Creek Watershed Cleanup process, and identify community concerns regarding the process. tabs.

Joint Action Group: public opinion poll: final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The Joint Action Group (JAG) for Environmental Cleanup of the Muggah Creek Watershed in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is a new community-driven process in which a group of individuals have cooperated in one of the largest remediation projects in Canada. The group plays an advisory role to the government in identifying what should be done to remediate the Muggah Creek watershed and the Sydney Tar Ponds. The Muggah Creek watershed area includes a municipal landfill site, the coke ovens site and the Muggah Creek estuary (Sydney Tar Ponds). This report contains an analysis of the responses of a sample of 600 households in industrial Cape Breton to a telephone survey designed to measure community awareness and knowledge of JAG, its working groups, and the Muggah Creek Watershed Cleanup process, and identify community concerns regarding the process. tabs

Shark Citizen Science

OpenAIRE

Bear, Michael

2017-01-01

Traditionally, academic science has used graduate students to collect data in many cases, but community science, the term by which citizen science is also known, has revolutionized the process by which large amounts of data can be collected accurately by large numbers of non-scientists under the training and mentorship of scientists. There has been some discussion in the scientific community about whether the data collected by citizen scientists is as scientifically valid as data collected by...

The Development of Citizen Oriented Informatics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We define the concept of citizen-oriented computer application. Quality characteristics are set for computer applications developed in the conditions of citizen-oriented computing and outline the development cycle for these applications. It defines the conditions of existence for citizen-oriented applications. Average and long-term strategies are elaborated.

The Community-Conservation Conundrum: Is Citizen Science the Answer?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mel Galbraith

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Public participation theory assumes that empowering communities leads to enduring support for new initiatives. The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, approved in 2000, embraces this assumption and includes goals for community involvement in resolving threats to native flora and fauna. Over the last 20 years, community-based ecological restoration groups have proliferated, with between 600 and 4000 identified. Many of these groups control invasive mammals, and often include protection of native species and species reintroductions as goals. Such activities involve the groups in “wicked” problems with uncertain biological and social outcomes, plus technical challenges for implementing and measuring results. The solution might be to develop a citizen science approach, although this requires institutional support. We conducted a web-based audit of 50 community groups participating in ecological restoration projects in northern New Zealand. We found great variation in the quality of information provided by the groups, with none identifying strategic milestones and progress towards them. We concluded that, at best, many group members are accidental scientists rather than citizen scientists. Furthermore, the way community efforts are reflected in biodiversity responses is often unclear. The situation may be improved with a new approach to data gathering, training, and analyses.

Citizen Astronomy in China: An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Quan-Zhi

2018-01-01

Citizen astronomers have benefited from technological advancements in the recent decades as they fill the scientific gaps left by professional astronomers, in the areas such as time domain observations, visual classification and data mining. Here I present an overview of the current status of citizen astronomy in China. Chinese citizen astronomers have made a visible contribution in the discoveries of new objects; however, comparing to their counterparts in the western world, they appear to be less interested in researches that do not involve making new discovery, such as visual classification, long-term monitoring of objects, and data mining. From a questionnaire survey that aimed to investigate the motivation of Chinese citizen astronomers, we find that this population is predominantly male (92%) who mostly reside in economically developed provinces. A large fraction (69%) of the respondents are students and young professionals younger than the age of 25, which differs significantly from the occupation and age distribution of typical Chinese Internet users as well as the user distribution of large international citizen science projects such as the Galaxy Zoo. This suggests that youth generation in China is more willing to participate citizen astronomy research than average generation. Additionally, we find that interests in astronomy, desire to learn new knowledges, have a fun experience and meet new friends in the community are all important driving factors for Chinese citizen astronomers to participate research. This also differs from their counterparts in western countries. With a large youth population that is interested in astronomy as well as a number of large astronomical facilities that are being planned or built, we believe that citizen astronomy in China has a vast potential. Timely and proper guidance from the professionals will be essential to help citizen astronomers to fulfill this potential.

Citizen Sensing for Improved Urban Environmental Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qijun Jiang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Citizen science is increasingly being used in diverse research domains. With the emergence and rapid development of sensor technologies, citizens potentially have more powerful tools to collect data and generate information to understand their living environment. Although sensor technologies are developing fast, citizen sensing has not been widely implemented yet and published studies are only a few. In this paper, we analyse the practical experiences from an implementation of citizen sensing for urban environment monitoring. A bottom-up model in which citizens develop and use sensors for environmental monitoring is described and assessed. The paper focuses on a case study of Amsterdam Smart Citizens Lab using NO2 sensors for air quality monitoring. We found that the bottom-up citizen sensing is still challenging but can be successful with open cooperation and effective use of online and offline facilities. Based on the assessment, suggestions are proposed for further implementations and research.

Fiscal State-citizen Alignment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Celik, Tim Holst

2016-01-01

The 2008 crisis ended the growth bubble of the 2000s, which Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) governments facilitated through the normative/political-regulatory promotion of household indebtedness. Historically contextualizing this state-citizen relationship, this arti......The 2008 crisis ended the growth bubble of the 2000s, which Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) governments facilitated through the normative/political-regulatory promotion of household indebtedness. Historically contextualizing this state-citizen relationship...... fiscal attentiveness to ordinary consumer-citizens. By uncovering the sociohistorical conditions governing the dominant precrisis regime, it not only nuances our understanding of the crisis but also of neoliberalism and suggests the implausibility of returning to “Golden Age” democratic capitalism....

What can Citizen Science do for Ocean Science and Ocean Scientists?

Science.gov (United States)

Best, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Mangin, A.; Oggioni, A.; Orcutt, J. A.; Parrish, J.; Pearlman, J.; Piera, J.; Tagliolato, P.

2016-12-01

The ocean represents over 70% of our planet's surface area, over 90% of the living space. Humans are not marine creatures, we therefore have fundamentally not built up knowledge of the ocean in the same way we have on land. The more we learn about the ocean, the more we understand it is the regulatory engine of our planet…How do we catch up? Answers to this question will need to come from many quarters; A powerful and strategic option to complement existing observation programs and infrastructure is Citizen Science. There has been significant and relevant discussion of the importance of Citizen Science to citizens and stakeholders. The missing effective question is sometimes what is the potential of citizen science for scientists? The answers for both scientists and society are: spatial coverage, remote locations, temporal coverage, event response, early detection of harmful processes, sufficient data volume for statistical analysis and identification of outliers, integrating local knowledge, data access in exchange for analysis (e.g. with industry) and cost-effective monitoring systems. Citizens can be involved in: instrument manufacture and maintenance, instrument deployment/sample collection, data collection and transmission, data analysis, data validation/verification, and proposals of new topics of research. Such opportunities are balanced by concern on the part of scientists about the quality, the consistency and the reliability of citizen observations and analyses. Experience working with citizen science groups continues to suggest that with proper training and mentoring, these issues can be addressed, understanding both benefits and limitations. How to do it- implementation and maintenance of citizen science: How to recruit, engage, train, and maintain Citizen Scientists. Data systems for acquisition, assessment, access, analysis, and visualisation of distributed data sources. Tools/methods for acquiring observations: Simple instruments, Smartphone Apps

Acting in solidarity : Testing an extended dual pathway model of collective action by bystander group members

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saab, Rim; Tausch, Nicole; Spears, Russell; Cheung, Wing-Yee

We examined predictors of collective action among bystander group members in solidarity with a disadvantaged group by extending the dual pathway model of collective action, which proposes one efficacy-based and one emotion-based path to collective action (Van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, & Leach,

Citizen Participation Through Communicative Action: Towards a New Framework and Synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khisty, C. Jotin; Leleur, Steen

1997-01-01

The paper addresses public involvement in transport planning and introduces the concepts of communicative action to buttress and complement technical rationality, currently used in the transport planning process. A real-life case study is presented to demonstrate how communicative action was succ...

An evaluation of life satisfaction and health - Quality of life of senior citizens.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziółkowski, Artur; Błachnio, Aleksandra; Pąchalska, Maria

2015-01-01

Modern medicine is still searching for the antecedents which will lead to successful aging. The article discusses the self-perception of life satisfaction and health of senior citizens. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between self-evaluation of life satisfaction and health by senior citizens in comparison to different age groups. The study included 463 persons - 230 men and 233 women. The age of the participants was in the range 16 - 83 years. All participants were asked to fill the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit - FLZ). The FLZ questionnaire assesses the global life satisfaction of a person and health domain separately. The results show age-related differences in the evaluation of life satisfaction. Accordingly, there is a significant change in health evaluations in different age groups, but there are no significant gender differences in health self-report data. The senior citizens' assessment of general health, although the lowest among all the age-subgroups, showed significant difference only in relation to the people below 45 years of age. The significant differences in satisfaction from mental health occurred only for the elderly and participants aged 25-34 and 35-44. Life satisfaction is associated with subjective health evaluations. There are two domains (mental health and performance) that are positively evaluated by more than two-thirds of senior citizens. The observed differences challenge stereotypes and prejudices relating to negative aging process. Senior citizens can improve their control beliefs and develop self-regulation and coping skills.

Participatory design of citizen science experiments

OpenAIRE

Senabre, Enric; Ferran Ferrer, Núria; Perelló, Josep, 1974-

2018-01-01

This article describes and analyzes the collaborative design of a citizen science research project through cocreation. Three groups of secondary school students and a team of scientists conceived three experiments on human behavior and social capital in urban and public spaces. The study goal is to address how interdisciplinary work and attention to social concerns and needs, as well as the collective construction of research questions, can be integrated into scientific research. The 95 stude...

Exact CTP renormalization group equation for the coarse-grained effective action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalvit, D.A.; Mazzitelli, F.D.

1996-01-01

We consider a scalar field theory in Minkowski spacetime and define a coarse-grained closed time path (CTP) effective action by integrating quantum fluctuations of wavelengths shorter than a critical value. We derive an exact CTP renormalization group equation for the dependence of the effective action on the coarse-graining scale. We solve this equation using a derivative expansion approach. Explicit calculation is performed for the λφ 4 theory. We discuss the relevance of the CTP average action in the study of nonequilibrium aspects of phase transitions in quantum field theory. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

A discussion about high-level radioactive waste disposal program. From the results of dialogue with citizens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Hiroshi; Furukawa, Masashi; Sugiyama, Daisuke; Chida, Taiji

2008-01-01

Implementation of HLW disposal is one of urgent issue, when we will continue the use of nuclear power. But, the citizens may not have the sufficient amount of information or knowledge about HLW disposal in order to make themselves decision to this issue. To know how the citizens understand about HLW disposal, we tried to talk about the HLW disposal with 11 citizen groups through the face-to-face dialogue. One group consists of 2-3 persons, and we had 3 times dialogue to one group. In this dialogue, the participants had a certain amount of knowledge about HLW disposal, and their opinions to the issue of HLW disposal program. These opinions include the doubt against open application system to select the siting area, the emotion like NIMBY, indication of lack of public relations about HLW disposal, and so on. (author)

Empowering citizens or mining resources? The contested domain of citizen engagement in professional care services.

Science.gov (United States)

Glimmerveen, Ludo; Ybema, Sierk; Nies, Henk

2018-04-01

When studying individual attempts to foster citizen engagement, scholars have pointed to the coexistence of competing rationales. Thus far, however, current literature barely elaborates on the socio-political processes through which employees of professional organizations deal with such disparate considerations. To address this gap, this article builds on an ethnographic study, conducted in the Netherlands between 2013 and 2016, of a professional care organization's attempts to engage local citizens in one of its elderly care homes. To investigate how citizen engagement is 'done' in the context of daily organizing, we followed employees as they gradually created and demarcated the scope for such engagement by approaching citizens as either strategic partners (pursuing 'democratic' rationales) or as operational volunteers (pursuing 'instrumental' rationales). In order to deal with such potentially incongruent orientations, we found that employees used discursive strategies to influence the balance that was struck between competing rationales; either through depoliticization-i.e., the downplaying of incongruities and the framing of disparate considerations as being complementary within the pursuit of a shared, overarching goal-or through politicization, i.e., the active challenging of how their colleagues prioritized one consideration over another. By showing how the successful conveyance of such (de)politicized accounts helped employees either defend or redraw the boundaries of what citizen engagement was (not) about, we contribute to extant theorization by (1) developing a processual approach to studying citizen engagement that (2) is sensitive to organizational politics. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of motivational factors on the frequency of participation in citizen science activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia Tiago

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Citizen science has become a mainstream approach to collect information and data on many different scientific subjects. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of engagement and meaningful experience of participants in citizen science projects. We use motivational measures calculated from a web survey where respondents answered questions regarding to their motivation to participate in BioDiversity4All, a Portuguese citizen science project. We adapted the intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI and considered seven categories of measurement: Interest/Enjoyment, Perceived Competence, Effort/Importance, Perceived Choice, Value/Usefulness, Project Relatedness, and Group Relatedness each of them with statements rated on a seven-point Likert scale. We received 149 survey responses, corresponding to 10.3 % of BioDiversity4All Newsletter’s receivers. We analyzed for possible differences among the categories pertaining to gender, age, level of education and level of participation in the project. Finally, we assessed the different patterns of motivation existing among the users. No statistical differences were found between genders, age classes and levels of education for the averages in any category of analysis. However, IMI categories presented different results for respondents with different levels of participation. The highest value of Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Competence was obtained by the group of respondents that participate a lot and the lowest by the ones that never participated. Project Relatedness had the highest value for all groups except for the group that never participated. This group had completely different motivations from the other groups, showing the lowest levels in categories such as Perceived Competence, Value/Usefulness, Project Relatedness and Group Relatedness. In conclusion, the results from our work show that working deeply on people’s involvement is fundamental to increase and maintain their participation on

Information and education as a basis of risk mitigation for the citizens of Catalonia

Science.gov (United States)

Guamis, J.; Burckhart, K.; Grau, A.

2009-09-01

The General Directorate for Civil Protection of the Catalan Government is in charge of the drawing up and validation of plans that identify risk and establish a joint system of response actions to minimize the consequences of damages caused by emergencies. The risks covered are natural (fire, snow, flooding, heat,...) and human (chemical industry, transport of dangerous goods,...) ones. In the special case of flooding, an Emergency Flood Plan for Catalonia (INUNCAT) exists. Its aim is to minimize the effects and damages to people, property or the environment due to floods within the region of Catalonia. In the following, the actions on active prevention currently realized by Civil Protection in this Mediterranean region regarding risk mitigation of flooding are described. Special emphasis is laid on the prevention of risk situations through advanced information and education which aim at diminishing the vulnerability of the population. The preparedness of the population to face a serious flooding depends highly on the level of the citizens’ self-protection. Therefore the collection and dissemination of recommendations on adequate behaviour is crucial. The Catalan Government realizes different activities to foster the understanding and the correct behaviour of the citizens in case of flooding. Informative sessions to target groups, opinion studies, mass media communication and itinerant exhibitions are some of the elements applied to increase social consciousness and mitigate the vulnerability of the population. Among these, sensitization campaigns play a crucial role. A coherent system of information and education is adhered to these campaigns. Informative material (posters, leaflets, web sites) and sessions are part of the activities which are addressed to different social group and aim at rising the population’s awareness on the risk of flooding. Multidisciplinary presentations and expert speeches on adequate behaviour are given to stakeholders in those areas

Petitioning the FDA to Improve Pharmaceutical, Device and Public Health Safety by Ordinary Citizens: A Descriptive Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Brian K; Yang, Y Tony; Cheng, Xi; Bian, John; Bennett, Charles L

2016-01-01

The United States Constitution protects the right of citizens to petition the government for "a redress of grievances." This right has important implications for citizens desiring to advance the public health by petitioning administrative agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, to take safety actions. We examined a total of 1,915 petitions filed between 2001 and 2013 to investigate the outcomes of citizen petitions that address public health concerns. We found that most petitions were filed by manufacturers against other manufacturers. Only 346 (18%) of all petitions were submitted by individuals and non-profit organizations, and 178 (87.3%) of these petitions with a final response were denied. On average, these petitions required 2.85 years for a final agency decision, and many decisions remain pending 10-13 years after their initial submission. The great majority of the approved requests included some form of risk communication, such as labeling changes, boxed warnings or placement of a drug into a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy. As a policy instrument to improve the safety of medical and food products, the citizen petition process requires sophisticated legal and scientific expertise, and may not represent a viable route for ordinary citizens to petition the FDA to "redress grievances."

The citizens in E-participation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Henning Sten; Reinau, Kristian Hegner

2006-01-01

focus on the citizens. Equal opportunities to express their opinions and an open debate between people are the basic foundation for democracy. Therefore the design of participatory processes must take outset in the citizens and their knowledge and commitment concerning the issue to be debated...

Transforming public welfare institutions through social innovation and action research in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, John; Bilfeldt, Annette

2017-01-01

The article will present how action research may contribute to social innovation and empowerment in public welfare and cultural institutions (nursing homes and libraries) in a manner that supports the interests of marginalised citizens and local communities, and creates opportunities for positive...... change. First, we introduce the concepts of empowerment, action research and social innovation along with the roots of these concepts in critical social theory. Secondly, two case studies are presented to analyse two different methodological variants of action research in two different contexts...... space” for reflection and creation of concrete suggestions of social innovation in elder care. The second case is about the transformation of a public library into a community centre. In this case, the aim was to break down barriers between citizens and public institutions in a deprived, multicultural...

Citizen Environmental Science in Support of Educatio

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, D. M.; Cavalier, D.; Potter, S.; Wagner, R.; Wegner, K.; Hammonds, J.

2016-12-01

Through two grants, a partnership among SciStarter, ECO-Schools, the GLOBE Program, and Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists has recruited, trained, and equipped over 100 US schools, youth groups and other citizen scientists to take several environmental measurements - surface soil moisture and temperature, precipitation, and clouds. Implementation by some has begun but many more will start implementation in the fall. These local measurements may be compared with data from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), and other satellite missions. The measurement protocols of GLOBE specify how these data are collected so as to produce reliable data that are intercomparable across space and time. GLOBE also provides the information infrastructure for storing these data and making them openly available. This presentation will examine the initial results of this effort in terms of participation, student and professional data use, and educational benefits.

Citizen's Report

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — The fiscal year (FY) 2008 Citizen's Report is a summary of performance and financial results for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM chose to produce...

Direct Citizen Participation: Building a Theory

OpenAIRE

Robert, Nancy C.

2003-01-01

The subject of citizen participation has a long lineage dating back to the Greek city-states. Two questions have been central to its history: Who is a citizen and how should the citizen participate in governance? Responses to these questions have varied depending on the political and administrative theory one champions. Those who value indirect citizenship participation, or representative democracy, cite the dangers, costs, and logistical difficulties of involving all members of a society. Th...

Building bridges for innovation in ageing: Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bousquet, J.; Bewick, M.; Cano, A.; Keijser, Wouter Alexander

2017-01-01

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have

Building Bridges for Innovation in Ageing: Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bousquet, J.; Bewick, M.; Cano, A.; Eklund, P.; Fico, G.; Goswami, N.; Guldemond, N. A.; Henderson, D.; Hinkema, M. J.; Liotta, G.; Mair, A.; Molloy, W.; Monaco, A.; Monsonis-Paya, I.; Nizinska, A.; Papadopoulos, H.; Pavlickova, A.; Pecorelli, S.; Prados-Torres, A.; Roller-Wirnsberger, R. E.; Somekh, D.; Vera-Muñoz, C.; Visser, F.; Farrell, J.; Malva, J.; Andersen Ranberg, K.; Camuzat, T.; Carriazo, A. M.; Crooks, G.; Gutter, Z.; Iaccarino, G.; Manuel de Keenoy, E.; Moda, G.; Rodriguez-Mañas, L.; Vontetsianos, T.; Abreu, C.; Alonso, J.; Alonso-Bouzon, C.; Ankri, J.; Arredondo, M. T.; Avolio, F.; Bedbrook, A.; Białoszewski, A. Z.; Blain, H.; Bourret, R.; Cabrera-Umpierrez, M. F.; Catala, A.; O'Caoimh, R.; Cesari, M.; Chavannes, N. H.; Correia-da-Sousa, J.; Dedeu, T.; Ferrando, M.; Ferri, M.; Fokkens, W. J.; Garcia-Lizana, F.; Guérin, O.; Hellings, P. W.; Haahtela, T.; Illario, M.; Inzerilli, M. C.; Lodrup Carlsen, K. C.; Kardas, P.; Keil, T.; Maggio, M.; Mendez-Zorrilla, A.; Menditto, E.; Mercier, J.; Michel, J. P.; Murray, R.; Nogues, M.; O'Byrne-Maguire, I.; Pappa, D.; Parent, A. S.; Pastorino, M.; Robalo-Cordeiro, C.; Samolinski, B.; Siciliano, P.; Teixeira, A. M.; Tsartara, S. I.; Valiulis, A.; Vandenplas, O.; Vasankari, T.; Vellas, B.; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M.; Wickman, M.; Yorgancioglu, A.; Zuberbier, T.; Barbagallo, M.; Canonica, G. W.; Klimek, L.; Maggi, S.; Aberer, W.; Akdis, C.; Adcock, I. M.; Agache, I.; Albera, C.; Alonso-Trujillo, F.; Angel Guarcia, M.; Annesi-Maesano, I.; Apostolo, J.; Arshad, S. H.; Attalin, V.; Avignon, A.; Bachert, C.; Baroni, I.; Bel, E.; Benson, M.; Bescos, C.; Blasi, F.; Barbara, C.; Bergmann, K. C.; Bernard, P. L.; Bonini, S.; Bousquet, P. J.; Branchini, B.; Brightling, C. E.; Bruguière, V.; Bunu, C.; Bush, A.; Caimmi, D. P.; Calderon, M. A.; Canovas, G.; Cardona, V.; Carlsen, K. H.; Cesario, A.; Chkhartishvili, E.; Chiron, R.; Chivato, T.; Chung, K. F.; d'Angelantonio, M.; de Carlo, G.; Cholley, D.; Chorin, F.; Combe, B.; Compas, B.; Costa, D. J.; Costa, E.; Coste, O.; Coupet, A.-L.; Crepaldi, G.; Custovic, A.; Dahl, R.; Dahlen, S. E.; Demoly, P.; Devillier, P.; Didier, A.; Dinh-Xuan, A. T.; Djukanovic, R.; Dokic, D.; du Toit, G.; Dubakiene, R.; Dupeyron, A.; Emuzyte, R.; Fiocchi, A.; Wagner, A.; Fletcher, M.; Fonseca, J.; Fougère, B.; Gamkrelidze, A.; Garces, G.; Garcia-Aymeric, J.; Garcia-Zapirain, B.; Gemicioğlu, B.; Gouder, C.; Hellquist-Dahl, B.; Hermosilla-Gimeno, I.; Héve, D.; Holland, C.; Humbert, M.; Hyland, M.; Johnston, S. L.; Just, J.; Jutel, M.; Kaidashev, I. P.; Khaitov, M.; Kalayci, O.; Kalyoncu, A. F.; Keijser, W.; Kerstjens, H.; Knezović, J.; Kowalski, M.; Koppelman, G. H.; Kotska, T.; Kovac, M.; Kull, I.; Kuna, P.; Kvedariene, V.; Lepore, V.; MacNee, W.; Magnan, A.; Majer, I.; Manning, P.; Marcucci, M.; Marti, T.; Masoli, M.; Melen, E.; Miculinic, N.; Mihaltan, F.; Milenkovic, B.; Millot-Keurinck, J.; Mlinarić, H.; Momas, I.; Montefort, S.; Morais-Almeida, M.; Moreno-Casbas, T.; Mösges, R.; Mullol, J.; Nadif, R.; Nalin, M.; Navarro-Pardo, E.; Nekam, K.; Ninot, G.; Paccard, D.; Pais, S.; Palummeri, E.; Panzner, P.; Papadopoulos, N. K.; Papanikolaou, C.; Passalacqua, G.; Pastor, E.; Perrot, M.; Plavec, D.; Popov, T. A.; Postma, D. S.; Price, D.; Raffort, N.; Reuzeau, J. C.; Robine, J. M.; Rodenas, F.; Robusto, F.; Roche, N.; Romano, A.; Romano, V.; Rosado-Pinto, J.; Roubille, F.; Ruiz, F.; Ryan, D.; Salcedo, T.; Schmid-Grendelmeier, P.; Schulz, H.; Schunemann, H. J.; Serrano, E.; Sheikh, A.; Shields, M.; Siafakas, N.; Scichilone, N.; Skrindo, I.; Smit, H. A.; Sourdet, S.; Sousa-Costa, E.; Spranger, O.; Sooronbaev, T.; Sruk, V.; Sterk, P. J.; Todo-Bom, A.; Touchon, J.; Tramontano, D.; Triggiani, M.; Valero, A. L.; Valovirta, E.; van Ganse, E.; van Hage, M.; van den Berge, M.; Ventura, M. T.; Vergara, I.; Vezzani, G.; Vidal, D.; Viegi, G.; Wagemann, M.; Whalley, B.; Wilson, N.; Yiallouros, P. K.; Žagar, M.; Zaidi, A.; Zidarn, M.; Hoogerwerf, E. J.; Usero, J.; Zuffada, R.; Senn, A.; de Oliveira-Alves, B.

2017-01-01

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have

Building Bridges for Innovation in Ageing : Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bousquet, J; Bewick, M; Cano, A; Eklund, P; Fico, G; Goswami, N; Guldemond, N A; Henderson, D; Hinkema, M J; Liotta, G; Mair, A; Molloy, W; Monaco, A; Monsonis-Paya, I; Nizinska, A; Papadopoulos, H; Pavlickova, A; Pecorelli, S; Prados-Torres, A; Roller-Wirnsberger, R E; Somekh, D; Vera-Muñoz, C; Visser, F; Farrell, J; Malva, J; Andersen Ranberg, K; Camuzat, T; Carriazo, A M; Crooks, G; Gutter, Z; Iaccarino, G; Manuel de Keenoy, E; Moda, G; Rodriguez-Mañas, L; Vontetsianos, T; Abreu, C; Alonso, J; Alonso-Bouzon, C; Ankri, J; Arredondo, M T; Avolio, F; Bedbrook, A; Białoszewski, A Z; Blain, H; Bourret, R; Cabrera-Umpierrez, M F; Catala, A; O'Caoimh, R; Cesari, M; Chavannes, N H; Correia-da-Sousa, J; Dedeu, T; Ferrando, M; Ferri, M; Fokkens, W J; Garcia-Lizana, F; Guérin, O; Hellings, P W; Haahtela, T; Illario, M; Inzerilli, M C; Lodrup Carlsen, K C; Kardas, P; Keil, T; Maggio, M; Mendez-Zorrilla, A; Menditto, E; Mercier, J; Michel, J P; Murray, R; Nogues, M; O'Byrne-Maguire, I; Pappa, D; Parent, A S; Pastorino, M; Robalo-Cordeiro, C; Samolinski, B; Siciliano, P; Teixeira, A M; Tsartara, S I; Valiulis, A; Vandenplas, O; Vasankari, T; Vellas, B; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M; Wickman, M; Yorgancioglu, A; Zuberbier, T; Barbagallo, M; Canonica, G W; Klimek, L; Maggi, S; Aberer, W; Akdis, C; Adcock, I M; Agache, I; Albera, C; Alonso-Trujillo, F; Angel Guarcia, M; Annesi-Maesano, I; Apostolo, J; Arshad, S H; Attalin, V; Avignon, A; Bachert, C; Baroni, I; Bel, E; Benson, M; Bescos, C; Blasi, F; Barbara, C; Bergmann, K C; Bernard, P L; Bonini, S; Bousquet, P J; Branchini, B; Brightling, C E; Bruguière, V; Bunu, C; Bush, A; Caimmi, D P; Calderon, M A; Canovas, G; Cardona, V; Carlsen, K H; Cesario, A; Chkhartishvili, E; Chiron, R; Chivato, T; Chung, K F; d'Angelantonio, M; De Carlo, G; Cholley, D; Chorin, F; Combe, B; Compas, B; Costa, D J; Costa, E; Coste, O; Coupet, A-L; Crepaldi, G; Custovic, A; Dahl, R; Dahlen, S E; Demoly, P; Devillier, P; Didier, A; Dinh-Xuan, A T; Djukanovic, R; Dokic, D; Du Toit, G; Dubakiene, R; Dupeyron, A; Emuzyte, R; Fiocchi, A; Wagner, A; Fletcher, M; Fonseca, J; Fougère, B; Gamkrelidze, A; Garces, G; Garcia-Aymeric, J; Garcia-Zapirain, B; Gemicioğlu, B; Gouder, C; Hellquist-Dahl, B; Hermosilla-Gimeno, I; Héve, D; Holland, C; Humbert, M; Hyland, M; Johnston, S L; Just, J; Jutel, M; Kaidashev, I P; Khaitov, M; Kalayci, O; Kalyoncu, A F; Keijser, W; Kerstjens, H; Knezović, J; Kowalski, M; Koppelman, G H; Kotska, T; Kovac, M; Kull, I; Kuna, P; Kvedariene, V; Lepore, V; MacNee, W; Maggio, M; Magnan, A; Majer, I; Manning, P; Marcucci, M; Marti, T; Masoli, M; Melen, E; Miculinic, N; Mihaltan, F; Milenkovic, B; Millot-Keurinck, J; Mlinarić, H; Momas, I; Montefort, S; Morais-Almeida, M; Moreno-Casbas, T; Mösges, R; Mullol, J; Nadif, R; Nalin, M; Navarro-Pardo, E; Nekam, K; Ninot, G; Paccard, D; Pais, S; Palummeri, E; Panzner, P; Papadopoulos, N K; Papanikolaou, C; Passalacqua, G; Pastor, E; Perrot, M; Plavec, D; Popov, T A; Postma, D S; Price, D; Raffort, N; Reuzeau, J C; Robine, J M; Rodenas, F; Robusto, F; Roche, N; Romano, A; Romano, V; Rosado-Pinto, J; Roubille, F; Ruiz, F; Ryan, D; Salcedo, T; Schmid-Grendelmeier, P; Schulz, H; Schunemann, H J; Serrano, E; Sheikh, A; Shields, M; Siafakas, N; Scichilone, N; Siciliano, P; Skrindo, I; Smit, H A; Sourdet, S; Sousa-Costa, E; Spranger, O; Sooronbaev, T; Sruk, V; Sterk, P J; Todo-Bom, A; Touchon, J; Tramontano, D; Triggiani, M; Tsartara, S I; Valero, A L; Valovirta, E; van Ganse, E; van Hage, M; van den Berge, M; Vandenplas, O; Ventura, M T; Vergara, I; Vezzani, G; Vidal, D; Viegi, G; Wagemann, M; Whalley, B; Wickman, M; Wilson, N; Yiallouros, P K; Žagar, M; Zaidi, A; Zidarn, M; Hoogerwerf, E J; Usero, J; Zuffada, R; Senn, A; de Oliveira-Alves, B

2017-01-01

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have

Building Bridges for Innovation in Ageing : Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bousquet, J.; Bewick, M.; Cano, A.; Eklund, P.; Fico, G.; Goswami, N.; Guldemond, N. A.; Henderson, D.; Hinkema, M. J.; Liotta, G.; Mair, A.; Molloy, W.; Monaco, A.; Monsonis-Paya, I.; Nizinska, A.; Papadopoulos, H.; Pavlickova, A.; Pecorelli, S.; Prados-Torres, A.; Roller-Wirnsberger, R. E.; Somekh, D.; Vera-Munoz, C.; Visser, F.; Farrell, J.; Malva, J.; Ranberg, K. Andersen; Camuzat, T.; Carriazo, A. M.; Crooks, G.; Gutter, Z.; Iaccarino, G.; Manuel De Keenoy, E.; Moda, G.; Rodriguez-Manas, L.; Vontetsianos, T.; Abreu, C.; Alonso, J.; Alonso-Bouzon, C.; Ankri, J.; Arredondo, M. T.; Avolio, F.; Bedbrook, A.; Bialoszewski, A. Z.; Blain, H.; Bourret, R.; Cabrera-Umpierrez, M. F.; Catala, A.; O'Caoimh, R.; Cesari, M.; Chavannes, N. H.; Correia-Da-Sousa, J.; Dedeu, T.; Ferrando, M.; Ferri, M.; Fokkens, W. J.; Garcia-Lizana, F.; Guerin, O.; Hellings, P. W.; Haahtela, T.; Illario, M.; Inzerilli, M. C.; Carlsen, K. C. Lodrup; Kardas, P.; Keil, T.; Maggio, M.; Mendez-Zorrilla, A.; Menditto, E.; Mercier, J.; Michel, J. P.; Murray, R.; Nogues, M.; O'Byrne-Maguire, I.; Pappa, D.; Parent, A. S.; Pastorino, M.; Robalo-Cordeiro, C.; Samolinski, B.; Siciliano, P.; Teixeira, A. M.; Tsartara, S. I.; Valiulis, A.; Vandenplas, O.; Vasankari, T.; Vellas, B.; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M.; Wickman, M.; Yorgancioglu, A.; Zuberbier, T.; Barbagallo, M.; Canonica, G. W.; Klimek, L.; Maggi, S.; Aberer, W.; Akdis, C.; Adcock, I. M.; Agache, I.; Albera, C.; Alonso-Trujillo, F.; Angel Guarcia, M.; Annesi-Maesano, I.; Apostolo, J.; Arshad, S. H.; Attalin, V.; Avignon, A.; Bachert, C.; Baroni, I.; Bel, E.; Benson, M.; Bescos, C.; Blasi, F.; Barbara, C.; Bergmann, K. C.; Bernard, P. L.; Bonini, S.; Bousquet, P. J.; Branchini, B.; Brightling, C. E.; Bruguiere, V.; Bunu, C.; Bush, A.; Caimmi, D. P.; Calderon, M. A.; Canovas, G.; Cardona, V.; Carlsen, K. H.; Cesario, A.; Chkhartishvili, E.; Chiron, R.; Chivato, T.; Chung, K. F.; D'Angelantonio, M.; De Carlo, G.; Cholley, D.; Chorin, F.; Combe, B.; Compas, B.; Costa, D. J.; Costa, E.; Coste, O.; Coupet, A. -L.; Crepaldi, G.; Custovic, A.; Dahl, R.; Dahlen, S. E.; Demoly, P.; Devillier, P.; Didier, A.; Dinh-Xuan, A. T.; Djukanovic, R.; Dokic, D.; Du Toit, G.; Dubakiene, R.; Dupeyron, A.; Emuzyte, R.; Fiocchi, A.; Wagner, A.; Fletcher, M.; Fonseca, J.; Fougere, B.; Gamkrelidze, A.; Garces, G.; Garcia-Aymeric, J.; Garcia-Zapirain, B.; Gemicioglu, B.; Gouder, C.; Hellquist-Dahl, B.; Hermosilla-Gimeno, I.; Heve, D.; Holland, C.; Humbert, M.; Hyland, M.; Johnston, S. L.; Just, J.; Jutel, M.; Kaidashev, I. P.; Khaitov, M.; Kalayci, O.; Kalyoncu, A. F.; Keijser, W.; Kerstjens, H.; Knezovic, J.; Kowalski, M.; Koppelman, G. H.; Kotska, T.; Kovac, M.; Kull, I.; Kuna, P.; Kvedariene, V.; Lepore, V.; Macnee, W.; Maggio, M.; Magnan, A.; Majer, I.; Manning, P.; Marcucci, M.; Marti, T.; Masoli, M.; Melen, E.; Miculinic, N.; Mihaltan, F.; Milenkovic, B.; Millot-Keurinck, J.; Mlinaric, H.; Momas, I.; Montefort, S.; Morais-Almeida, M.; Moreno-Casbas, T.; Moesges, R.; Mullol, J.; Nadif, R.; Nalin, M.; Navarro-Pardo, E.; Nekam, K.; Ninot, G.; Paccard, D.; Pais, S.; Palummeri, E.; Panzner, P.; Papadopoulos, N. K.; Papanikolaou, C.; Passalacqua, G.; Pastor, E.; Perrot, M.; Plavec, D.; Popov, T. A.; Postma, D. S.; Price, D.; Raffort, N.; Reuzeau, J. C.; Robine, J. M.; Rodenas, F.; Robusto, F.; Roche, N.; Romano, A.; Romano, V.; Rosado-Pinto, J.; Roubille, F.; Ruiz, F.; Ryan, D.; Salcedo, T.; Schmid-Grendelmeier, P.; Schulz, H.; Schunemann, H. J.; Serrano, E.; Sheikh, A.; Shields, M.; Siafakas, N.; Scichilone, N.; Siciliano, P.; Skrindo, I.; Smit, H. A.; Sourdet, S.; Sousa-Costa, E.; Spranger, O.; Sooronbaev, T.; Sruk, V.; Sterk, P. J.; Todo-Bom, A.; Touchon, J.; Tramontano, D.; Triggiani, M.; Tsartara, S. I.; Valero, A. L.; Valovirta, E.; Van Ganse, E.; Van Hage, M.; Van den Berge, M.; Vandenplas, O.; Ventura, M. T.; Vergara, I.; Vezzani, G.; Vidal, D.; Viegi, G.; Wagemann, M.; Whalley, B.; Wickman, M.; Wilson, N.; Yiallouros, P. K.; Zagar, M.; Zaidi, A.; Zidarn, M.; Hoogerwerf, E. J.; Usero, J.; Zuffada, R.; Senn, A.; De Oliveira-Alves, B.

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have

Look Who's Talking. Explaining Water-Related Information Sharing and Demand for Action Among Ugandan Villagers

Science.gov (United States)

Holvoet, Nathalie; Dewachter, Sara; Molenaers, Nadia

2016-11-01

Many national water policies propagate community-based participatory approaches to overcome weaknesses in supply-driven rural water provision, operation, and maintenance. Citizen involvement is thought to stimulate bottom-up accountability and broaden the information base, which may enrich design and implementation processes and foster improved water accessibility and sustainability. Practices on the ground, however, are embedded in socio-political realities which mediate possible beneficial effects of participatory approaches. This paper builds on full social network data collected in a Ugandan village to study the social and political reality of two distinct levels of participation, i.e. local information sharing among citizens and a more active appeal to fellow citizens to improve water services. We use Logistic Regression Quadratic Assignment Procedure to explore what type of actor and network traits influence information sharing and whether the same factors are in play in the demand for action to remedy water-related problems. Whereas social aspects (social support relations) and homophily (using the same water source, the same gender) play an important role in information sharing, it is the educational level, in particular, of the villager who is called upon that is important when villagers demand action. Our findings also demonstrate that those most in need of safe water do not mobilize their information sharing ties to demand for action. This indicates that building local water policies and practice exclusively on locally existing demand for action may fail to capture the needs of the most deprived citizens.

From Information to Urban Sustainability through Innovations in Citizen Centered Transparency Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, A.

2017-12-01

Current urban information mechanisms in developing countries operate only through linear exchanges between institutions and users and therefore reinforce hierarchical relationships. Coupled with conflicting interests and perspectives of stakeholders in multilevel climate-governance and absence of grassroots information-networking for adaptation decision-making, there are therefore, existing information gaps. Central to urban sustainability is the need for citizen centered transparency (CCT) mechanisms that encompass and address the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable communities in developing countries especially. The study discloses the existing information gaps through information-needs assessment of stakeholders, and attempts to chart the desired course for responsible action within frame-work of Citizen Centered Transparency (CCT) mechanism. This involved analysis of several urban development projects for Indian metropolitans that mainly involved end-user association, and the parameters considered for breaking complexity for assessment included: a. Feedback: Ends-user feedback to improve resource consumption literacy and consequently urban behaviour and sustainable lifestyles(feedback technology, consumption displays, eco-labeling, billing, advisory services, sensor technology), and b. Administrative Traditions and Institutional Policy: Rewarding-punishing to enforce desired action(subsidies, taxation). The research thus answered: 1.Who gets the information whereas who requires it (Equity in Information Distribution)? and 2. How can information translate to responsible action in future (Transparency of Execution)? Findings suggested that, how, by using the CCT innovations it is practically possible to embed responsibilities in urban development planning, and manifesting environmental goals in municipal policies so that they bear clear potential short-term benefits, short-term costs, and have maximum compliance with the objectives of sustainable urban

Addressing the social dimensions of citizen observatories: The Ground Truth 2.0 socio-technical approach for sustainable implementation of citizen observatories

Science.gov (United States)

Wehn, Uta; Joshi, Somya; Pfeiffer, Ellen; Anema, Kim; Gharesifard, Mohammad; Momani, Abeer

2017-04-01

Owing to ICT-enabled citizen observatories, citizens can take on new roles in environmental monitoring, decision making and co-operative planning, and environmental stewardship. And yet implementing advanced citizen observatories for data collection, knowledge exchange and interactions to support policy objectives is neither always easy nor successful, given the required commitment, trust, and data reliability concerns. Many efforts are facing problems with the uptake and sustained engagement by citizens, limited scalability, unclear long-term sustainability and limited actual impact on governance processes. Similarly, to sustain the engagement of decision makers in citizen observatories, mechanisms are required from the start of the initiative in order to have them invest in and, hence, commit to and own the entire process. In order to implement sustainable citizen observatories, these social dimensions therefore need to be soundly managed. We provide empirical evidence of how the social dimensions of citizen observatories are being addressed in the Ground Truth 2.0 project, drawing on a range of relevant social science approaches. This project combines the social dimensions of citizen observatories with enabling technologies - via a socio-technical approach - so that their customisation and deployment is tailored to the envisaged societal and economic impacts of the observatories. The projects consists of the demonstration and validation of six scaled up citizen observatories in real operational conditions both in the EU and in Africa, with a specific focus on flora and fauna as well as water availability and water quality for land and natural resources management. The demonstration cases (4 EU and 2 African) cover the full 'spectrum' of citizen-sensed data usage and citizen engagement, and therefore allow testing and validation of the socio-technical concept for citizen observatories under a range of conditions.

Citizen Science for public health

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broeder, Den Lea; Devilee, Jeroen; Oers, Van Hans; Schuit, A.J.; Wagemakers, Annemarie

2016-01-01

Community engagement in public health policy is easier said than done. One reason is that public health policy is produced in a complex process resulting in policies that may appear not to link up to citizen perspectives. We therefore address the central question as to whether citizen engagement in

Citizen Science for public health

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Den Broeder, Lea; Devilee, Jeroen; Van Oers, J.A.M.; Schuit, A.J.; Wagemakers, Annemarie

2017-01-01

Community engagement in public health policy is easier said than done. One reason is that public health policy is produced in a complex process resulting in policies that may appear not to link up to citizen perspectives. We therefore address the central question as to whether citizen engagement in

Associations for Citizen Science: Regional Knowledge, Global Collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Storksdieck

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Since 2012, three organizations advancing the work of citizen science practitioners have arisen in different regions: The primarily US-based but globally open Citizen Science Association (CSA, the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA, and the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA. These associations are moving rapidly to establish themselves and to develop inter-association collaborations. We consider the factors driving this emergence and the significance of this trend for citizen science as a field of practice, as an area of scholarship, and for the culture of scientific research itself.

A remark on the motivic Galois group and the quantum coadjoint action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosse, H.; Schlesinger, K.-G.

2006-01-01

It has been suggested that the Grothendieck-Teichmueller group GT should act on the Duflo isomorphism of su(2), but the corresponding realization of GT turned out to be trivial. We show that a solvable quotient of the motivic Galois group - which is supposed to agree with GT - is closely related to the quantum coadjoint action on U q (sl 2 ) for q a root of unity, i.e. in the quantum group case one has a nontrivial realization of a quotient of the motivic Galois group. From a discussion of the algebraic properties of this realization we conclude that in more general cases than U q (sl 2 ) it should be related to a quantum version of the motivic Galois group. Finally, we discuss the relation of our construction to quantum field and string theory and explain what we believe to be the 'physical reason' behind this relation between the motivic Galois group and the quantum coadjoint action. This might be a starting point for the generalization of our construction to more involved examples. (orig.)

How citizen advisory boards provide input into major waste policy decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, E.; Murakami, L.; Hanson, L.

1995-01-01

Volunteer citizen boards, such as Site Specific Advisory Boards, can be a very important key to success for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Waste Management program. These boards can provide informed, independent recommendations reflecting the diversity of the community and its values. A successful volunteer process requires collaboration among regulators, DOE and other Boards; knowing how and when to interface with the broader public; understanding the diversity and representational issues of a citizens group; knowing the open-quotes ins and outsclose quotes of working with volunteers; education and training and most importantly, planning. Volunteers on a citizens board were created to tackle the big picture, policy decisions. The chair of the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board will describe her Board's successes, including the challenges in reaching consensus agreements, as well as the need for integration with other boards and the sites' on-going public involvement programs to provide the input the department is seeking. Finally, one of the greatest challenges for the boards is interfacing with the greater public-at-large, seeing how the CAB has overcome this challenge and integrating broader public input into its decisions

How citizen advisory boards provide input into major waste policy decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogers, E.; Murakami, L.; Hanson, L. [Rocky Flats Citizen Advisory Board, Westminster, CO (United States)

1995-12-31

Volunteer citizen boards, such as Site Specific Advisory Boards, can be a very important key to success for the Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Waste Management program. These boards can provide informed, independent recommendations reflecting the diversity of the community and its values. A successful volunteer process requires collaboration among regulators, DOE and other Boards; knowing how and when to interface with the broader public; understanding the diversity and representational issues of a citizens group; knowing the {open_quotes}ins and outs{close_quotes} of working with volunteers; education and training and most importantly, planning. Volunteers on a citizens board were created to tackle the big picture, policy decisions. The chair of the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board will describe her Board`s successes, including the challenges in reaching consensus agreements, as well as the need for integration with other boards and the sites` on-going public involvement programs to provide the input the department is seeking. Finally, one of the greatest challenges for the boards is interfacing with the greater public-at-large, seeing how the CAB has overcome this challenge and integrating broader public input into its decisions.

Controversies on affirmative action

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Mesić

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Affirmative action was launched by American presidents J.F. Kennedy and L.B. Johnson, yet by ironic historical accident it attained its greatest expansion and most radical form during R. Nixon’s conservative administration. Affirmative action was originally a government programme aimed at improving the social position of Afro-Americans, mostly in the sphere of employment and education, as a kind of compensation for racial discrimination, and also other forms of social injustice suffered by minority and underprivileged groups. Its goal was to increase the proportion of Afro-Americans, and later members of other minorities, as well as women, in higher education institutions and in various types of employment. It was supported by many social researchers and activists. Law courts, namely their verdicts and explanations in the case of precedents, had an especially important role in the debate on affirmative action. Political conservatives attacked various affirmative action programmes (especially preferential enrolment quotas for minority students, basing their criticism on the American constitutional principles on equal rights for every citizen. Market conservatives, furthermore, claimed that the government’s policy of racial preference brought into question the very basis of the capital system (competition and at the same time was not in the interest of the Afro-American working class. Namely, the social strata that profited most was the relatively affluent segment of the Afro-American community, which only increased economic and social differences within the latter. Recently the debate on affirmative action in the US has not been limited only to two opposing sides (liberals and conservatives. More and more scientists and other participants have recognised the negative aspects and also the failures of affirmative action, while at the same time refuting conservative opinions and goals.

21st-Century Citizen Science

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, Jill; Smith, Walter; Cook, Linda; Bell, Meredith

2015-01-01

With rapidly evolving technology, the world is more connected than ever, and citizens around the globe can contribute to science like never before (Dickinson and Bonney 2012). Reflecting the growing capacity of citizen science, this article presents a science education continuum that moves from global awareness to global contribution. At each…

The Citizen Cyberscience Lectures - 1) Mobile phones and Africa: a success story 2) Citizen Problem Solving

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Bingham, Alpheus

2009-01-01

Dr. Alpheus Bingham, InnoCentive The Citizen Cyberscience Lectures are hosted by the partners of the Citizen Cyberscience Centre, CERN, The UN Institute of Training and Research and the University of Geneva. The goal of the Lectures is to provide an inspirational forum for participants from the various international organizations and academic institutions in Geneva to explore how information technology is enabling greater citizen participation in tackling global development challenges as well as global scientific research. The first Citizen Cyberscience Lectures will welcome two speakers who have both made major innovative contributions in this area. Dr. Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel International, one of Africa’s most successful mobile network operators, will talk about “Mobile phones and Africa: a success story”. Dr. Alpheus Bingham, founder of InnoCentive, a Web-based community that solves indus...

Action memorandum for the Waste Area Grouping 1 Tank WC-14 removal action at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-11-01

This action memorandum documents approval for a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA), time-critical action. The action will remove radiologically contaminated water from Tank WC-14. The water contains a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) at a level below regulatory concern. Tank WC-14 is located in the Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 1 WC-10 Tank Farm at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Contaminated sludge remaining in the tank after removal of the liquid will be the subject of a future action

Citizen-science, Geoethics and Human Niche

Science.gov (United States)

Bohle, Martin

2017-04-01

The anthropogenic biogeosphere or 'human niche' is the intersection of the biogeosphere and the sphere of human activities of social, economic, cultural and political nature. The application case for geoethics, namely "appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system" [1], is about niche building. Geoethics is about the conduct of people and geoscientists, respectively their ordinary lifestyles and professional activities. Geoscience professionals notice the diverse economic, social and cultural living conditions of people, and the application cases of geosciences mirror the diversity of the global social sphere. Subsequently it is argued: A) when considering the ethical dimensions of global niche building then geosciences should feature 'citizen geoscience'; and B) when considering the functioning of a knowledge-based society under conditions of anthropogenic global change then 'citizen geoscience' facilitates applying that knowledge base. (A) Regarding 'niche building': The design of production systems and consumption patterns embeds geoscience know-how and relates it to the everyday life. Any citizen's activities purposefully interconnect to the biogeosphere for well-being, care-taking, and reproduction, although habitually without involving a geoscientist in professional capacity. In that implicit manner the everyday behaviours and practices of people influence Earth system dynamic. This renders their inherent geoscience know-how a public good as it makes their ignorance a public risk. A comfortable human niche for billions of people requires a global biogeosphere that is disrupted little by citizens' activities and exposes them to hazards that can be tamed. Quite the reverse, anthropogenic global change will disturb living conditions for many citizen. Much geoscience know-how will have to be deployed to tame disturbances in a socially sustainable manner. Sustainability in turn needs involvement of citizens in

NEON Citizen Science: Planning and Prototyping (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Gram, W.

2010-12-01

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will be a national resource for ecological research and education. NEON citizen science projects are being designed to increase awareness and educate citizen scientists about the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on continental-scale ecological processes as well as expand NEON data collection capacity by enabling laypersons to collect geographically distributed data. The citizen science area of the NEON web portal will enable citizen scientists to collect, contribute, interpret, and visualize scientific data, as well as access training modules, collection protocols and targeted learning experiences related to citizen science project topics. For NEON, citizen science projects are a means for interested people to interact with and contribute to NEON science. Investigations at vast spatial and temporal scales often require rapid acquisition of large amounts of data from a geographically distributed population of “human sensors.” As a continental-scale ecological observatory, NEON is uniquely positioned to develop strategies to effectively integrate data collected by non-scientists into scientific databases. Ultimately, we plan to work collaboratively to transform the practice of science to include “citizens” or non-scientists in the process. Doing science is not limited to scientists, and breaking down the barriers between scientists and citizens will help people better understand the power of using science in their own decision making. In preparation for fully developing the NEON citizen science program, we are partnering with Project BudBurst (PBB), a citizen science project focused on monitoring plant phenology. The educational goals of PBB are to: (1) increase awareness of climate change, (2) educate citizen scientists about the impacts of climate change on plants and the environment, and (3) increase science literacy by engaging participants in the scientific process

The positive and negative framing of affirmative action: a group dominance perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Haley, Hillary; Sidanius, Jim

2006-05-01

Using a sample of 328 White, Latino, and Black Los Angeles County adults, the authors examined the tendency to employ various affirmative action "frames" (e.g., affirmative action as a "tie-breaking" device or as a quota-based policy). All three groups agreed about which frames cast affirmative action in a positive light and which cast it in a negative light. Although minorities had a tendency to frame affirmative action in terms that most people find morally acceptable, Whites had a tendency to frame affirmative action in terms most people find unacceptable. In addition, compared to minorities, Whites were less supportive of affirmative action regardless of how it was framed. LISREL modeling also was employed to test two competing models regarding predictors of the tendency to use frames that one personally finds to be relatively negative versus positive. Consistent with the expectations of social dominance theory and a motivated cognition perspective, the authors found that social dominance orientation (SDO) had significant net direct and indirect effects on one's framing of affirmative action.

Action research in gender issues in science education: Towards an understanding of group work with science teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Nyhof-Young, Joyce Marion

Action research is emerging as a promising means of promoting individual and societal change in the context of university programmes in teacher education. However, significant gaps exist in the literature regarding the use of action research groups for the education of science teachers. Therefore, an action research group, dealing with gender issues in science education, was established within the context of a graduate course in action research at OISE. For reasons outlined in the thesis, action research was deemed an especially appropriate means for addressing issues of gender. The group met 14 times from September 1992 until May 1993 and consisted of myself and five other science teachers from the Toronto area. Two of us were in the primary panel, two in the intermediate panel, and two in the tertiary panel. Five teachers were female. One was male. The experiences of the group form the basis of this study. A methodology of participant observation supported by interviews, classroom visits, journals, group feedback and participant portfolios provides a means of examining experiences from the perspective of the participants in the group. The case study investigates the nature of the support and learning opportunities that the action research group provided for science teachers engaged in curiculum and professional development in the realm of gender issues in science education, and details the development of individuals, the whole group and myself (as group worker, researcher and participant) over the life of the project. The action research group became a resource for science teachers by providing most participants with: A place to personalize learning and research; a place for systematic reflection and research; a forum for discussion; a source of personal/professional support; a source of friendship; and a place to break down isolation and build self-confidence. This study clarifies important relational and political issues that impinge on action research in

A design-based study of Citizen Inquiry for geology

OpenAIRE

Aristeidou, Maria; Scanlon, Eileen; Sharples, Mike

2013-01-01

Citizen Inquiry forms a new method of informal science learning and aims to enable the engagement of citizens in online scientific investigations. Citizen Inquiry combines aspects from Citizen Science and Inquiry-based learning and is implemented through a community of practice where people having a shared interest interact and exchange knowledge and methods supported and guided by online systems and tools within a web-based inquiry environment. To explore the potential of Citizen Inquiry, a ...

Preparing School Leaders: Action Research on the Leadership Study Group

Science.gov (United States)

Kamler, Estelle

2016-01-01

This article reports an action research study that examined the Leadership Study Group, one learning activity designed to build knowledge and skills for aspiring school leaders and implemented in a six-credit introductory course for school leader certification. Through analysis of a variety of qualitative data collected over nine semesters, I…

CitizenAID.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-25

CitizenAID is an easy-to-use app that informs users how to provide care in mass casualty situations, including shootings, knife attacks and bomb incidents. The authors are well known and respected specialists in trauma care and disaster management.

Telemedicine in Greenland: Citizens' Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Lasse O; Krebs, Hans J; Albert, Nancy M; Anderson, Nick; Catz, Sheryl; Hale, Timothy M; Hansen, John; Hounsgaard, Lise; Kim, Tae Youn; Lindeman, David; Spindler, Helle; Marcin, James P; Nesbitt, Thomas; Young, Heather M; Dinesen, Birthe

2017-05-01

Telemedicine may have the possibility to provide better access to healthcare delivery for the citizens. Telemedicine in arctic remote areas must be tailored according to the needs of the local population. Therefore, we need more knowledge about their needs and their view of telemedicine. The aim of this study has been to explore how citizens living in the Greenlandic settlements experience the possibilities and challenges of telemedicine when receiving healthcare delivery in everyday life. Case study design was chosen as the overall research design. Qualitative interviews (n = 14) were performed and participant observations (n = 80 h) carried out in the local healthcare center in the settlements and towns. A logbook was kept and updated each day during the field research in Greenland. Observations were made of activities in the settlements. Data collected on citizens' views about the possibilities of using telemedicine in Greenland revealed the following findings: Greenlandic citizens are positive toward telemedicine, and telemedicine can help facilitate improved access to healthcare for residents in these Greenlandic settlements. Regarding challenges in using telemedicine in Greenland, the geographical and cultural context hinders accessibility to the Greenlandic healthcare system, and telemedicine equipment is not sufficiently mobile. Greenlandic citizens are positive toward telemedicine and regard telemedicine as a facilitator for improved access for healthcare in the Greenlandic settlements. We have identified challenges, such as geographical and cultural context, that hinder accessibility to the Greenlandic healthcare system.

Developing critical awareness : the consequences of action and reflection for perceptions of group injustices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Turner-Zwinkels, Felicity M.; Postmes, Tom; van Zomeren, Martijn

Individuals often cannot address (objective) group injustices until they develop a (subjective) critical awareness of them. In three studies, we tested two potential psychological pathways toward critical awareness: Reflection (deductive, knowledge driven) and action (inductive, action driven)

Citizen Science as a Tool in Biological Recording—A Case Study of Ailanthus altissima (Mill. Swingle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Sladonja

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Non-native invasive species frequently appear in urban and non-urban ecosystems and may become a threat to biodiversity. Some of these newcomers are introduced accidentally, and others are introduced through a sequence of events caused by conscious human decisions. Involving the general public in biodiversity preservation activities could prevent the negative consequences of these actions. Accurate and reliable data collecting is the first step in invasive species management, and citizen science can be a useful tool to collect data and engage the public in science. We present a case study of biological recording of tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill. Swingle using a participatory citizen model. The first goal in this case study was to develop a cheap, widely accessible, and effective inventory method, and to test it by mapping tree of heaven in Croatia. A total of 90.61 km of roads and trails was mapped; 20 single plants and 19 multi-plant clusters (mapped as polygons were detected. The total infested area was 2610 m2. The second goal was to educate citizens and raise awareness of this invasive species. The developed tool and suggested approach aided in improving invasive risk management in accordance with citizen science principles and can be applied to other species or areas.

Quantifying fishers' and citizens' support for Dutch flatfish management policy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groeneveld, R.A.

2011-01-01

Fisheries policy is most effective when supported by fishers and the general public. Dutch citizens' and fishers' support for a selection of policy alternatives to enhance the sustainability of the Dutch North Sea cutter fleet is estimated, and the same groups' support for policy alternatives is

Explaining Radical Group Behavior : Developing Emotion and Efficacy Routes to Normative and Nonnormative Collective Action

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tausch, Nicole; Becker, Julia C.; Spears, Russell; Christ, Oliver; Saab, Rim; Singh, Purnima; Siddiqui, Roomana N.

A recent model of collective action distinguishes 2 distinct pathways: an emotional pathway whereby anger in response to injustice motivates action and an efficacy pathway where the belief that issues can be solved collectively increases the likelihood that group members take action (van Zomeren,

Citizen empowerment in the domestic waste policy development in Lithuania

Science.gov (United States)

Stasiukynas, Andrius; Survila, Arvydas; Smalskys, Vainius

2017-04-01

Lithuania offers an interesting case of lagging in terms of domestic waste recycling in the European context. Despite the adoption of all relevant EU regulation, including a pricing system, which is designed to be more conducive for recycling. One important group of policy instruments which in the application of which Lithuania needs to improve, is public participation in environmental governance. The objective of this study is to relate the means of public participation and the decision-making on waste management and recycling outcomes. The study consisted of two stages. Stage one: key decision-making public agencies responsible for policy formulation and implementation of domestic waste management were identified. Later, an analysis of public available documentation covering decision-making in these institutions was conducted with the aim to measure the level of citizen engagement. Stage two: agency managers and staff responsible for citizen engagement were interviewed with the goal of evaluating their attitudes. Attitudes of officials are a crucial for a successful citizen engagement. The results showed that officials recognized very little the value of citizen engagement. They perceived contribution as an the creation of additional challenges to be tackled with, rather than help to lower service delivery costs and improve policy effectiveness. This renders the government with a depleted number of options of improving domestic waste management to "top-down" measures and imposition of financial incentives or costs.

BC Citizen's Advisory Committee on oil spill prevention 1995-1996 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

A committee comprised of BC citizens with some experience in oil spill issues was established in 1990 to give advise to the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. The committee was responsible for conducting discussions with government, industry and public representatives on the state and progress of oil spill matters, particularly on the attempts to prevent and respond to spills. Within the context of a brief report about the accomplishments of the past year, this report focused on issues raised by the BC public during three public forums. These issues were: (1) update of government activities, (2) general response capability on the BC coast and BC waters, (3) support for BC Citizen's Advisory Committee, (4) wildlife response, (5) spill prevention plans, (6) escort tugs, (7) waste oil disposal and prevention of land based sources of marine pollution, and (8) fishing and tourism concerns. The report described the discussions on the issues and summarized the recommendations for action in each of these areas of concern. 2 tabs

Partnering for science: proceedings of the USGS Workshop on Citizen Science

Science.gov (United States)

Hines, Megan; Benson, Abigail; Govoni, David; Masaki, Derek; Poore, Barbara; Simpson, Annie; Tessler, Steven

2013-01-01

What U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science questions? To help answer these and other questions, the USGS Community of Data Integration (CDI) supported the development of the Citizen Science Working Group (CSWG) in August 2011 and funded the working group’s proposal to hold a USGS Citizen Science Workshop in fiscal year 2012. The stated goals for our workshop were: raise awareness of programs and projects in the USGS that incorporate citizen science, create a community of practice for the sharing of knowledge and experiences, provide a forum to discuss the challenges of—and opportunities for—incorporating citizen science into USGS projects, and educate and support scientists and managers whose projects may benefit from public participation in science.To meet these goals, the workshop brought together 50 attendees (see appendix A for participant details) representing the USGS, partners, and external citizen science practitioners from diverse backgrounds (including scientists, managers, project coordinators, and technical developers, for example) to discuss these topics at the Denver Federal Center in Colorado on September 11–12, 2012. Over two and a half days, attendees participated in four major plenary sessions (Citizen Science Policy and Challenges, Engaging the Public in Scientific Research, Data Collection and Management, and Technology and Tools) comprised of 25 invited presentations and followed by structured discussions for each session designed to address both prepared and ad hoc "big questions." A number of important community support and infrastructure needs were identified

Citizen-making: the role of national goals for socializing children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Michael Harris; Lun, Vivian Miu-Chi

2014-03-01

The ecological, political, religious and economic constraints and opportunities characterizing a nation crystallize to set the agenda for socializing children, its future citizens. Parented accordingly, members of those nations would come to adopt the values, beliefs, skills and attitudes that constitute the requisite human capital to sustain that nation. This study reports on the profiling of 55 nations by two dimensions of the socialization goals for children extracted from the World Values Survey, viz., Self-directedness versus Other-directedness, and Civility versus Practicality. An affluent, less corrupt and more gender-equal society is associated with greater focus on Self-directedness and Civility. Both dimensions show convergent and discriminant validities in their correlation with nation-level psychosocial variables such as citizen subjective well-being, values, beliefs, pace of life and trust of out-groups. These dimensions are also shown to connect a nation's ecological construct to the outcomes of its citizens, adding a psychological-developmental perspective to examine nation-building and cultural transmission. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhancing School Asthma Action Plans: Qualitative Results from Southeast Minnesota Beacon Stakeholder Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Egginton, Jason S.; Textor, Lauren; Knoebel, Erin; McWilliams, Deborah; Aleman, Marty; Yawn, Barbara

2013-01-01

Background: This study explores ways southeast Minnesota schools currently address asthma problems, identifies areas for improvement, and assesses the potential value of asthma action plans (AAPs) in schools. Methods: Focus groups were used to query stakeholder groups on asthma care in schools. Groups were held separately for elementary school…

Student cognition and motivation during the Classroom BirdWatch citizen science project

Science.gov (United States)

Tomasek, Terry Morton

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the ways various stakeholders (CBW project developer/coordinator, elementary and middle school teachers, and 5th through 8th grade students) envisioned, implemented and engaged in the citizen science project, eBird/Classroom BirdWatch. A multiple case study mixed-methods research design was used to examine student engagement in the cognitive processes associated with scientific inquiry as part of citizen science participation. Student engagement was described based on a sense of autonomy, competence, relatedness and intrinsic motivation. A goal of this study was to expand the taxonomy of differences between authentic scientific inquiry and simple inquiry to include those inquiry tasks associated with participation in citizen science by describing how students engaged in this type of science. This research study built upon the existing framework of cognitive processes associated with scientific inquiry described by Chinn and Malhotra (2002). This research provides a systematic analysis of the scientific processes and related reasoning tasks associated with the citizen science project eBird and the corresponding curriculum Classroom BirdWatch . Data consisted of responses to surveys, focus group interviews, document analysis and individual interviews. I suggest that citizen science could be an additional form of classroom-based science inquiry that can promote more authentic features of scientific inquiry and engage students in meaningful ways.

The Nexus of Information Technology and Democracy: Theorizing e-Democracy and Citizen Participation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Nchise, Abinwi C.

2012-01-01

The exponential growth of the Internet and mobile phone usage in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) within the last decade has created many different platforms for citizens' political participation. This appears to be changing the political landscape of most countries within the region as governments are increasingly held responsible for their actions.…

2006 Annual Operations Report for INTEC Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. E. Shanklin

2007-01-01

This annual operations report describes the requirements followed and activities conducted to inspect, monitor, and maintain the items installed during performance of the Waste Area Group 3, Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. This report covers the time period from January 1 through December 31, 2006, and describes inspection and monitoring activities for the surface-sealed areas within the tank farm, concrete-lined ditches and culverts in and around the tank farm, the lift station, and the lined evaporation pond. These activities are intended to assure that the interim action is functioning adequately to meet the objectives stated in the Operable Unit 3-13, Record of Decision for the Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action (DOE/ID-10660) as described in the Group 1 Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan (DOE/ID-10772)

Open data for citizens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Götzen, Amalia De; Morelli, Nicola

2016-01-01

A large quantity of open data is now available to institutions, business and citizens. The potential of such new resource, though, has not been explored yet, also because of a lack of perspectives and scenarios on how open data can be used. The workshop aims at broadening the perspectives...... on the use of open data by investigating new scenarios for a wide use of open data, where citizens without any IT skills can be involved in a co-design session with the relevant stakeholders....

Dreamers, Poets, Citizens, and Scientists: Motivations for Engaging in GalaxyZoo Citizen Science

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, S. J.; Mankowski, T.; Slater, T. F.; CenterAstronomy; Physics Education Research Caper Team

2010-12-01

A particularly successful effort to engage the public in science has been to move the nearly countless galaxies imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to citizen scientists in a project known widely as Galaxy Zoo (URL; http://www.galaxyzoo.org). To everyone’s surprise, the unexpectedly large participation in the website has caused the data set, numbering over a million images, to be classified multiple times, quicker than the project leader anticipated, and continues to boast a high hit count on the website (15 classifications per second). Within 24 hours of launch, the site was receiving 70,000 classifications an hour, and more than 50 million classifications were received by the project during its first year, from almost 150,000 people. In a parallel effort, the Galaxy Zoo forum was created to handle the flood of emails that occurred alongside the flood of classifications, the team hoping that it would encourage the participants to handle each others' questions. By examining the motivations, methods and appeal of Galaxy Zoo to the participating public, other models of citizen science might be purposefully formulated to take advantage of the success exhibited in Galaxy Zoo. In addition, we want to understand the reasons people engage in science in informal settings in order to better enhance teaching methods in formal settings. Although in the past citizen science has primarily been used as a data collection method, there are many new opportunities contained in citizen science motivations and methods that we can use in future applications. This new and innovative method of online citizen science creates data for researchers of galaxies, but there is a parallel set of underlying data that has not yet been deeply analyzed: the motivations and underlying themes within the population of citizen scientists that could lead us to improve future citizen science projects. To address this, we pursued an investigation of the underlying reasons for the success of Galaxy Zoo

Amateur knowledge: public art and citizen science.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Hannah

2011-01-01

The science studies literatures on amateurs and citizen science have remained largely unconnected despite similarities between the two categories. The essay connects amateur knowledge and citizen science through examples from public art. Through an analysis of the use of the term "amateur" by contemporary artists working to engage the public in critiques of science, connections in the ideals of democratic knowledge making by amateurs and citizen scientists are further explored.

Identical phase oscillators with global sinusoidal coupling evolve by Mobius group action.

Science.gov (United States)

Marvel, Seth A; Mirollo, Renato E; Strogatz, Steven H

2009-12-01

Systems of N identical phase oscillators with global sinusoidal coupling are known to display low-dimensional dynamics. Although this phenomenon was first observed about 20 years ago, its underlying cause has remained a puzzle. Here we expose the structure working behind the scenes of these systems by proving that the governing equations are generated by the action of the Mobius group, a three-parameter subgroup of fractional linear transformations that map the unit disk to itself. When there are no auxiliary state variables, the group action partitions the N-dimensional state space into three-dimensional invariant manifolds (the group orbits). The N-3 constants of motion associated with this foliation are the N-3 functionally independent cross ratios of the oscillator phases. No further reduction is possible, in general; numerical experiments on models of Josephson junction arrays suggest that the invariant manifolds often contain three-dimensional regions of neutrally stable chaos.

Features of legal mechanism environmental responsibility of citizens in Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

О. О. Шинкарьов

2015-05-01

assigned by the Constitution and the current environmental legislation; 2 the ability to voluntarily adhere to legal prohibitions; 3 in good faith execute obligations in living activities. Paper objective. The main forms of implementing the environmental responsibilities by  citizens are analyzed; the factors influencing them are defined. It was studied general theoretical understanding of the stages, as well as forms of the implementation of rules of law. Traditionally among the last there are: compliance and execution. A special form of implementation is application. Whereas the compliance - is the first and foremost (universal form by which all subjects of public relations execute their obligations (both active and passive. The implementation of environmental responsibilities of citizens in the form of the compliance is a good behavior, which is characterized by passive confinement of persons (or inaction on the infringement of the rules and bars which are set by regulations of the environmental       legislation.  The execution is expressed in commission of  actions provided  for by law by the subject. This is implementation of binding rules, however, the responsibilities are contained not only in the regulatory legal acts, but also in the contracts and individual documents. The application as a special form of the law implementation differs from the compliance and the execution that it is carried out by non-citizens, but only by those public authorities that are entitled to do so by law. The application of the law - it is an action of qualified government authorities or local authorities, which by law is delegated the right to apply ecological and legal regulations in order to implement the relevant environmental requirements, rules and prohibitions and they are provided if necessary (in case of violation mechanism of state coercion. Paper main body. It is noted that the legal arrangement for implementing environmental responsibilities is to be in: a the

Experienced discrimination amongst European old citizens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Heuvel, Wim J. A.; van Santvoort, Marc M.

2011-01-01

This study analyses the experienced age discrimination of old European citizens and the factors related to this discrimination. Differences in experienced discrimination between old citizens of different European countries are explored. Data from the 2008 ESS survey are used. Old age is defined as

A solution to the collective action problem in between-group conflict with within-group inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Gavrilets, Sergey; Fortunato, Laura

2014-03-26

Conflict with conspecifics from neighbouring groups over territory, mating opportunities and other resources is observed in many social organisms, including humans. Here we investigate the evolutionary origins of social instincts, as shaped by selection resulting from between-group conflict in the presence of a collective action problem. We focus on the effects of the differences between individuals on the evolutionary dynamics. Our theoretical models predict that high-rank individuals, who are able to usurp a disproportional share of resources in within-group interactions, will act seemingly altruistically in between-group conflict, expending more effort and often having lower reproductive success than their low-rank group-mates. Similar behaviour is expected for individuals with higher motivation, higher strengths or lower costs, or for individuals in a leadership position. Our theory also provides an evolutionary foundation for classical equity theory, and it has implications for the origin of coercive leadership and for reproductive skew theory.

Converging with World Trends: The Emergence of the Cosmopolitan Citizen in Post-Socialist Romanian Citizenship Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Szakács

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Based on thematic content analysis of textbooks, curricula, and an overview of educational legislation after the 1989 change of political regime in Romania, this paper presents empirical evidence to argue that that postsocialist citizenship education displays surprising similarities with converging post-war changes in the concept of the ‘good citizen’. The findings suggest a complex picture of change combining liberal, communitarian and cosmopolitan renditions of the new citizen, all having a common thread: the shift towards a post-national ethos delinking the citizen from the exclusive purchase of national belonging and decoupling citizen action from the absolute duty to the patria. Such significant changes are often overlooked due to the dominant focus on the failures to comply with an idealized Western liberal model. However, they invite us to reconsider current understandings of both the pitfalls and the opportunities of post-socialist citizenship education by considering them from a different angle: that of wider socio-cultural change that is gradually being institutionalised at the world level.

Citizen involvement in green transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horsbøl, Anders

2017-01-01

a deficit model of public communication towards participatory ambitions of engaging citizens in more open-ended decision making (Lassen et al. 2011, Phillips et. al, 2012). However, there is often a tension between the participatory ambitions on the one hand and predetermined environmental goal...... consumption, replacement of oil-fired boilers, higher distribution of electric cars, and installation of solar panels. These goals all affect private decisions of individual citizens or families, where the municipality has no legislative competence. In a series of 4 two-day workshops in 2016, representatives...... and discussions. The current paper will focus on the process of developing a common framework and will pay particular attention to the tension between the predetermined environmental goals and the ambition of citizen participation. Applying an emic discourse perspective and drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis...

‘This will bring shame on our nation’: The role of anticipated group-based emotions on collective action

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Lee; Spears, Russell; Manstead, Antony S.R.

2013-01-01

In three studies we examined whether the anticipation of group-based guilt, shame and anger predicts the desire to undertake collective action against a proposed ingroup transgression. In Studies 1 (N = 179) and 2 (N = 186), the relation between appraising a proposed ingroup transgression as illegitimate and collective action was mediated (or partially mediated) by anticipated group-based shame and anger. In Study 3 (N = 128) participants with high self-investment group identification were less willing to engage in collective action against the prospective ingroup transgression when aversive anticipated group-based emotions were made salient. This effect was mediated by anticipated group-based shame. We discuss the implications of these results with regard to collective action and the morality of intergroup behavior. PMID:23690650

Experience with citizens panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selwyn, J.

2002-01-01

In May 1999, 200 delegates attended a four-day UK Consensus Conference on radioactive waste management, which was organised by the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED) and supported by the government, industry and environmental groups. The event brought together a Citizens' Panel of fifteen people, randomly selected to represent a cross section of the British public, together with the major players in the debate. The four-day conference saw the panel cross-examine expert witnesses from organisations such as NIREX, British Nuclear Fuels Limited, the Ministry of Defence, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. The findings of their investigations were put together in a report containing detailed recommendations for government and industry and presented to the Minister on the final day. (author)

Citizen Participation in Deliberative Global Governance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jæger, Birgit

of the voting and the many recommendations were presented to the decision-makers at the summit as well as to the NGOs and other participants at the alternative forum running at the same time in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, the decision-makers did not listen to the ‘global citizen voice’ and in this way......The global event World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews), initiated by the Danish Board of Technology (DBT), took place on September 26, 2009, and was an attempt to gather a united citizen voice on a global scale. The purpose of WWViews was to pass on the opinions of ordinary citizens...... to political decision-makers at The United Nations Climate Summit, COP 15, in Copenhagen in December 2009. As such the WWViews was an innovative experiment with public engagement in science and technology, aiming to create a ‘global citizen voice’ on climate change. The deliberation took place at 44 different...

A New Approach in Public Budgeting: Citizens' Budget

Science.gov (United States)

Bilge, Semih

2015-01-01

Change and transformation in the understanding and definition of citizenship has led to the emergence of citizen-oriented public service approach. This approach also raised a new term and concept in the field of public budgeting because of the transformation in the processes of public budgeting: citizens' budget. The citizens' budget which seeks…

Making Waves: Marine Citizen Science for Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Lise Schläppy

2017-05-01

Demonstrating citizen science data quality through a precision study on data and analysis of 15 years of standardized Reef Check (RC reef health data in Queensland, Australia.Identifying and responding to data gaps through volunteer monitoring of sub-tropical rocky reefs in South East Queensland, Australia.Adapting citizen science protocols to enhance capacity building, partnerships and strategic natural resource management applications through reef habitat mapping.Tailoring new pathways for sharing citizen science findings and engaging volunteers with the community via a Reef Check Australia Ambassadors community outreach program.These case studies offer insights into considerations for developing targeted and flexible citizen science projects, showcasing the work of volunteers and project stakeholders, and collaborating with partners for applications beneficial to research, management and education.

Franchise and Electoral Participation of Third Country Citizens Residing in the European Union and of European Union Citizens Residing in Third Countries

OpenAIRE

Arrighi, Jean-Thomas; Bauböck, Rainer; Collyer, Michael; Hutecheson, Derek; Moraru, Madalina; Khadar, Lamin; Shaw, Jo

2013-01-01

This Study analyses some key trans-border situations in which citizens may finddifficulties in exercising their electoral rights – both to vote in elections, and to stand as candidates. It focuses on the electoral rights of EU citizens when resident outside the state where they are citizens, and on the electoral rights of third country citizens resident in the EU Member States. It also covers several complementary issues by examining the consular representation of EU citizensoutside the terri...

European citizen and consumer attitudes and preferences regarding beef and pork.

Science.gov (United States)

Verbeke, Wim; Pérez-Cueto, Federico J A; Barcellos, Marcia D de; Krystallis, Athanasios; Grunert, Klaus G

2010-02-01

This paper presents the combined mid-term findings of the consumer research components of two EU Sixth Framework Programme integrated projects concerning meat, ProSafeBeef and Q-PorkChains. The consumer pillar of ProSafeBeef carried out eight focus group discussions in May 2008, in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Q-PorkChains conducted a large-scale, web-based, consumer survey in January 2008 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland. The first project provides a set of qualitative data from a small cohort of focus groups and the second a set of quantitative data from a larger consumer sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens' and consumers' attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers support the development of technologies that can improve the health attributes of meat products and guarantee eating quality, but they have a negative view of what they see to be excessive manipulation and lack of naturalness in the production and processing of beef products. In the Q-PorkChains study consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals' views as citizens and their behaviour as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers' acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating the European beef and pork industries.

On actions of algebraic groups | Omokaro | Journal of the Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In [6] we discussed the Lie Algebra associated with an algebraic group G. In this work, we employ morphical action of G to obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for a finite dimensional subspace F of K[X] to be stable under all translations where K[X] denotes the set of polynomials in the variables x1,x2, …, xn.

Creating Global Citizens through Study Abroad

Science.gov (United States)

Bellamy, Carol; Weinberg, Adam

2006-01-01

One of the greatest challenges for a student today is how to live as a responsible citizen in a globalizing world. Today's interconnected world cannot afford bystanders or passive participants. It demands confident, skilled citizens who will make responsible choices that take into consideration how educators allocate resources and what impact…

CosmoQuest MoonMappers: Citizen Lunar Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Gay, P. L.; Antonenko, I.; Robbins, S. J.; Bracey, G.; Lehan, C.; Moore, J.; Huang, D.

2012-09-01

The MoonMappers citizen science project is part of CosmoQuest, a virtual research facility designed for the public. CosmoQuest seeks to take the best aspects of a research center - research, seminars, journal clubs, and community discussions - and provide them to a community of citizen scientists through a virtual facility. MoonMappers was the first citizen science project within CosmoQuest, and is being used to define best practices in getting the public to effectively learn and do science.

Strategies Employed by Citizen Science Programs to Increase the Credibility of Their Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy Freitag

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The success of citizen science in producing important and unique data is attracting interest from scientists and resource managers. Nonetheless, questions remain about the credibility of citizen science data. Citizen science programs desire to meet the same standards of credibility as academic science, but they usually work within a different context, for example, training and managing significant numbers of volunteers with limited resources. We surveyed the credibility-building strategies of 30 citizen science programs that monitor environmental aspects of the California coast. We identified a total of twelve strategies: Three that are applied during training and planning; four that are applied during data collection; and five that are applied during data analysis and program evaluation. Variation in the application of these strategies by program is related to factors such as the number of participants, the focus on group or individual work, and the time commitment required of volunteers. The structure of each program and available resources require program designers to navigate tradeoffs in the choices of their credibility strategies. Our results illustrate those tradeoffs and provide a framework for the necessary discussions between citizen science programs and potential users of their data—including scientists and decision makers—about shared expectations for credibility and practical approaches for meeting those expectations. This article has been corrected here: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/cstp.91

NutriLive: An Integrated Nutritional Approach as a Sustainable Tool to Prevent Malnutrition in Older People and Promote Active and Healthy Ageing—The EIP-AHA Nutrition Action Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maddalena Illario

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present document describes a nutritional approach that is nested in the European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Aging (EIP-AHA and aims to provide the first common European program translating an integrated approach to nutritional frailty in terms of a multidimensional and transnational methodology. The document has been developed by the A3 Nutrition Action Area of the EIP-AHA and aims at providing a stepwise approach to malnutrition in older citizens, identifying adequate interventions based on a unified assessment and ICT-supported solutions. “NutriLive” is an integrated nutritional approach, represented by a structured Screening-Assessment-Monitoring-Action-Pyramid-Model (SAM-AP. Its core concept is the stratification of the nutritional needs, considered by the working group as the key for targeted, effective, and sustainable interventions. “NutriLive” tries to close gaps in epidemiological data within an aging population, creating a unified language to deal with the topic of nutrition and malnutrition in Europe. By assembling all the validated screening, assessment, and monitoring tools on malnutrition in a first pyramid, which is interrelated to a second intervention pyramid, the A3 Nutrition WG identifies a common, integrated vision on the nutritional approach to frailty, which applies to the various health care settings.

"The Volunteer Monitor" Newsletter: A National Publication for Citizen Scientists (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Ely, E.

2009-12-01

Citizen scientists have many communication tools available, including listservs, blogs, websites, and online discussion groups. What is the role of traditional publications such as newsletters or journals in this new environment? This presentation will summarize lessons learned from the 20-year history of The Volunteer Monitor newsletter, a national publication that provides a networking and information-sharing forum for citizen scientists engaged in water quality monitoring. The presenter, who has been the editor of The Volunteer Monitor since 1990, will emphasize practical tips for editors or prospective editors. Topics will include defining the publication's mission and target audience, obtaining submissions, communicating with authors, and applying basic journalistic techniques to enhance the usefulness and readability of articles.

Researcher or Fellow Citizen?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Alex Young; Caviglia, Francesco

2018-01-01

The idea of a team of researchers working at advancing knowledge represents a strong role model for STEM education. The article suggests that an alternative role model – a community of fellow citizens engaged in solving problems of how to better live together – can be an equally compelling model...... for the Humanities. Mode 1 knowledge building rooted in learning within the disciplines is compared with a mode 2 focusing on context-specific knowledge, transdisciplinarity and collaborative rationality as essential ingredients of a new role model for the humanities: The fellow citizen. Two cases – a collaborative...

77 FR 19301 - Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council Charter Renewal

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG-2012-0099] Prince William Sound Regional... Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) as an alternative voluntary advisory group for Prince William Sound, Alaska. This certification allows the PWSRCAC to monitor the activities...

Uncertainty in Citizen Science observations: from measurement to user perception

Science.gov (United States)

Lahoz, William; Schneider, Philipp; Castell, Nuria

2016-04-01

Citizen Science activities concern general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources. The advent of technologies such as the Internet and smartphones, and the growth in their usage, has significantly increased the potential benefits from Citizen Science activities. Citizen Science observations from low-cost sensors, smartphones and Citizen Observatories, provide a novel and recent development in platforms for observing the Earth System, with the opportunity to extend the range of observational platforms available to society to spatio-temporal scales (10-100s m; 1 hr or less) highly relevant to citizen needs. The potential value of Citizen Science is high, with applications in science, education, social aspects, and policy aspects, but this potential, particularly for citizens and policymakers, remains largely untapped. Key areas where Citizen Science data start to have demonstrable benefits include GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas such as Health and Weather. Citizen Science observations have many challenges, including simulation of smaller spatial scales, noisy data, combination with traditional observational methods (satellite and in situ data), and assessment, representation and visualization of uncertainty. Within these challenges, that of the assessment and representation of uncertainty and its communication to users is fundamental, as it provides qualitative and/or quantitative information that influences the belief users will have in environmental information. This presentation will discuss the challenges in assessment and representation of uncertainty in Citizen Science observations, its communication to users, including the use of visualization, and the perception of this uncertainty information by users of Citizen Science observations.

$C^1$ actions on manifolds by lattices in Lie groups with sufficiently high rank

OpenAIRE

Damjanovic, Danijela; Zhang, Zhiyuan

2018-01-01

In this paper we study Zimmer's conjecture for $C^1$ actions of higher-rank lattices of a connected, semisimple Lie group with finite center on compact manifolds. We show that if the Lie group has no compact factor, and all of whose non-compact factors are of ranks in some sense sufficiently large with respect to the dimension of the manifold, then every $C^1$ action of an irreducible, co-compact lattice has a finite image. As a corollary of our results, for every (uniform or non-uniform) lat...

Studying citizen science through adaptive management and learning feedbacks as mechanisms for improving conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Rebecca; Gray, Steven; Sorensen, Amanda; Newman, Greg; Mellor, David; Newman, Greg; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy; LaDeau, Shannon; Biehler, Dawn; Crall, Alycia

2016-06-01

Citizen science has generated a growing interest among scientists and community groups, and citizen science programs have been created specifically for conservation. We examined collaborative science, a highly interactive form of citizen science, which we developed within a theoretically informed framework. In this essay, we focused on 2 aspects of our framework: social learning and adaptive management. Social learning, in contrast to individual-based learning, stresses collaborative and generative insight making and is well-suited for adaptive management. Adaptive-management integrates feedback loops that are informed by what is learned and is guided by iterative decision making. Participants engaged in citizen science are able to add to what they are learning through primary data collection, which can result in the real-time information that is often necessary for conservation. Our work is particularly timely because research publications consistently report a lack of established frameworks and evaluation plans to address the extent of conservation outcomes in citizen science. To illustrate how our framework supports conservation through citizen science, we examined how 2 programs enacted our collaborative science framework. Further, we inspected preliminary conservation outcomes of our case-study programs. These programs, despite their recent implementation, are demonstrating promise with regard to positive conservation outcomes. To date, they are independently earning funds to support research, earning buy-in from local partners to engage in experimentation, and, in the absence of leading scientists, are collecting data to test ideas. We argue that this success is due to citizen scientists being organized around local issues and engaging in iterative, collaborative, and adaptive learning. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Citizen (Dis)satisfaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Asmus Leth

2015-01-01

This article introduces the importance of equivalence framing for understanding how satisfaction measures affect citizens’ evaluation of public services. Does a 90 percent satisfaction rate have a different effect than a logically equivalent 10 percent dissatisfaction rate? Two experiments were...... conducted on citizens’ evaluations of hospital services in a large, nationally representative sample of Danish citizens. Both experiments found that exposing citizens to a patient dissatisfaction measure led to more negative views of public service than exposing them to a logically equivalent satisfaction...... metric. There is some support for part of the shift in evaluations being caused by a negativity bias: dissatisfaction has a larger negative impact than satisfaction has a positive impact. Both professional experience at a hospital and prior exposure to satisfaction rates reduced the negative response...

[SZCZECIN CITIZENS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT RARE DISEASES].

Science.gov (United States)

Walat, Anna; Skoczylas, Michal Marian; Welnicka, Agnieszka; Kulig, Malgorzata; Rodak, Przemyslaw; Walczak, Zuzanna; Jablońska, Agata

2014-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess knowledge about rare diseases among citizens of Szczecin (Poland). The study was performed by questioning 242 adult customers of Turzyn Shopping Centre in Szczecin (149 females and 93 males). The survey was conducted in the shopping mall on 23 February 2013 (control group) and during the celebration of Rare Disease Day and the 12th Polish Nationwide Cystic Fibrosis Week ("Dolina Mukolinków") on 2 March 2013 (research group). The research tool was a questionnaire devised by the authors and filled out by the writing authors interviewer's answers. In the study group more people knew about the existence of Rare Disease Day than in the control group (86.02% vs 57.72%, chi-square test χ2 > χ2(1); 0.001, p χ2(1); 0.001, p < 0.001). The respondents from the research group knew more about Rare Disease Day and defined the idea of it as closed in a significantly higher degree than the control group. There was no significant difference in the detailed knowledge about rare diseases in either group. This might indicate the need to educate society and patients, along with their families.

The Internet and Increased Citizen Participation in Government

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael E. Milakovich

2010-04-01

Full Text Available What roles do communication systems, information technologies and the internet play in fostering citizen participation and influencing the electoral and administrative decisions of government? The internet is simultaneously a world-wide broadcasting network, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic boundaries or time zones. This article describes the origins of participatory democracy, discusses how modern concepts of democracy link to citizen participation, and describes the ways that newly-created spaces on the internet referred to as “polispheres” are being used by political activists and candidates to facilitate wider collaboration and citizen participation. The following questions are addressed: What role does the internet play in fostering and aiding citizen participation in government? Does increased involvement lead to greater trust and confidence in government? What role did the internet play in apparently reversing downward trends in citizen apathy and drawing 8 million new voters to the United States 2008 presidential election? The article suggests that information technology facilitates broader citizen participation and identifies the challenges facing governments in adopting internet-based ICT strategies.

Citizen Science: Sally Shuttleworth and her Team Interviewed by Carolyn Burdett

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoffrey Belknap

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this podcast interview Carolyn Burdett joins Sally Shuttleworth, Gowan Dawson, Geoffrey Belknap, and Alison Moulds to discuss their project ‘Constructing Scientific Communities: Citizen Science in the 19th and 21st Centuries’. From Charles Darwin, nineteenth-century scientific periodicals, scientific communities, and amateur scientists to their twenty-first century virtual counterparts in digital platforms such as Zooniverse, the project illuminates the inclusive nature of science in action, and the strategies of public engagement to respond to the challenge of big data through intergenerational crowdsourcing projects extending from postgraduate research to child scientists.

Recommendations for citizen-oriented risk communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fertmann, R.

2005-01-01

The purpose of recommendations for citizen-oriented risk communication should be to provide ''banisters'' which leave the players their freedom of action and allow them to adapt communicative structures to the situation at hand. Uncertainty and controversial issues at the levels of information, participation and assessment are identified as potential stumbling blocks in risk communication. The experiences gained in Hamburg shed a light on a diversity of processes in risk communication, which the present paper proceeds to evaluate. One of its essential recommendations is to have dialogic processes develop into forms of participation. A guide on risk communication which was formulated in the USA has been adapted to conditions as they prevail in Germany. The adapted version is more practically oriented than the rules of the EPA or the more recent CDC recommendations. Suitable success criteria include a fair procedure, a common baseline of what is known and not known, the acceptance of different assessment criteria, and the exchange of the pros and cons of different options

Innovative forms of citizen participation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyseth, Torill; Ringholm, Toril; Agger, Annika

in practice. Some scholars claim that a reason is due to rigid and formal procedures and that the ways citizen meetings are structured tend to appeal to a limited amount of the population. At the same time, we are witnessing a proliferation in novel and more experimental ways of how citizens and authorities...... interact within the field of urban governance. This is for example seen in urban regeneration projects in Denmark and planning experiments in Norway where we are witnessing more inclusive and bottom-up initiated interactions between public authorities and local actors. The key question in this paper is......: What characterises the new and innovative forms of citizen participation in urban planning in terms of innovation? And in what ways and to what degree is input from these processes fed into the formal planning processes? Theoretically, the paper is inspired by the concept of: ‘planning...

Aplikasi Citizen Journalism di Era Konvergensi Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmat Edi Irawan

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Citizen journalism has now become one of the most developed television program concepts. If the concept was initially more widely used in radio and online media, this time with easier and cheaper technology coverage and delivery of images, it is a concept that provides a place for people to become amateur journalist that can also be easily applied in the medium of television. Research raised the issue on how the concept and implementation of citizen journalism on television in the era of media convergence. The purpose of this study is to explain concepts and demonstrate the implementation of citizen journalism on television in the era of media convergence. Research used qualitative method in which data were obtained using literature study. Results of the study showed that the implementation of citizen journalism on television is also increasingly facilitated by the entry of the television in the era of media convergence, or different media mingle, such as television with printed, radio, and Internet media. The era of media convergence makes the concept of citizen journalism can be more developed, because the platform or media distribution is also increasingly varied for amateur journalist. However, the system equipment that must be provided, human resources that must be owned, as well as huge capital to be owned make a few television stations open a lot of platforms to provide space for amateur journalist in citizen journalism. 

Citizen CATE: Evaluating Outcomes of a Solar Eclipse Citizen Science Project

Science.gov (United States)

Penn, M. J.; Haden, C.

2017-12-01

On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible along a path of totality from Oregon to South Carolina. The Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse Experiment (CATE) will use scientists, students and volunteers to take images of the solar corona using 68 identical telescopes, software and instrument packages along the 2,500-mile path of totality. CATE partners include National Solar Observatory scientists, university faculty and students, high school students, and professional and amateur astronomers. NASA funded CATE educational components including training undergraduates and volunteers on solar imaging software and equipment. The National Science Foundation and corporations including DayStar, MathWorks, Celestron and ColorMaker funded equipment. Undergraduates participated in summer research experiences to build their capacity for gathering eclipse data, and subsequently trained volunteers across the U.S. Aligned to NASA education goals, CATE goals range from providing an authentic research experience for students and lifelong learners, to making state-of-the-art solar coronal observations, to increasing scientific literacy of the public. While project investigators are examining the wealth of scientific data that will come from CATE, evaluators are examining impacts on participants. Through mixed methods, evaluators are examining outcomes related to changes in volunteers' knowledge, skills and attitudes. Additionally, the study will examine how citizen science astronomy using CATE equipment will continue after the eclipse to sustain project impacts. Preliminary findings for undergraduates indicate that they are gaining knowledge and skills related to studying solar coronal phenomena, conducting rigorous scientific research, and interfacing with the public to conduct outreach. Preliminary findings for citizen scientists indicate a high level of engagement in the research, and that they are gaining new knowledge and skills related to solar

Citizen Science into Action - Robust Data with Affordable Technologies for Flood Risks Management in the Himalayas

Science.gov (United States)

Pandeya, B.; Uprety, M.; Paul, J. D.; Dugar, S.; Buytaert, W.

2017-12-01

With a robust and affordable monitoring system, a wealth of hydrological data can be generated which is fundamental to predict flood risks more accurately. Since the Himalayan region is characterized by data deficiency and unpredictable hydrological behaviour, a locally based participatory monitoring system is a necessity to deal with frequently occurring flooding incidents. A gap in hydrological data is the main bottleneck for establishing any effective flood early warning system. Therefore, an alternative and affordable technical solution can only overcome the situation and support flood risks management activities in the region. In coordination with local people, government authorities and NGOs, we have established a citizen science monitoring system, in which we tested two types of low-cost sensors, ultrasound and LiDAR, in the Karnali river basin of Nepal. The results confirm the robustness of sensor data when compared to conventional radar system based monitoring data. Additionally, our findings also confirmed that the ultrasound sensors are only useful to small rivers whereas the LiDAR sensors are suitable to large river basins with highly variable local climatic conditions. Since the collected sensor data can be directly used in operational flood early warning system in the basin, an opportunity has been created for integrating both affordable technology and citizen science into existing hydrological monitoring practice. Finally, a successful integration could become a testament for upscaling the practice and building flood risk resilient communities in the region.

[Survey of physical activity and health among Chinese senior citizens over 70 years old].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongyu

2015-11-01

To investigate characteristics of physical activities among Chinese senior citizens over 70 years old, and analyze the relationship between physical activities and health. Using multistage stratified sampling method, 1 960 senior citizens over 70 years old were included in the investigation from 7 cities of 5 provinces in the northeast, east, center and west of China from March to September 2014. After removing missing samples, 1 420 samples were kept. Time duration, intensity, frequency and physical condition scores of each physical activities were obtained by using a questionnaire of physical activities and a simplified version of life quality scale (SF-12 scale). Physical condition scores of different groups with different genders and ages were analyzed by using t-test of two independent samples; and physical conditions of different physical activities were compared by χ(2)-test. Senior citizens did physical activities 6-7 times per week (79.2%, 1 125/1 420) with low and moderate intensity (41.6%, 591/1 420) for 0.5-1.0 hour per time (42.5%, 604/1 420). Total scores of senior citizen were (63.7 ± 15.1), and health scores of men (67.3 ± 14.8) were higher than those in women (60.1 ± 17.8) (t = 8.31, P physical activities (69.8%, 268/384) and (66.8%, 436/653) were both higher than those in the low group (56.4%, 216/383) (χ(2) were 14.78 and 11.13, respectively, P physical activities quite frequently with low and medium intensity for a short time period. Health condition declines with age increases; physical health situations are better for men than those for women. Medium and high physical activities do good to health for senior citizens.

NutriLive: An Integrated Nutritional Approach as a Sustainable Tool to Prevent Malnutrition in Older People and Promote Active and Healthy Ageing—The EIP-AHA Nutrition Action Group

OpenAIRE

Maddalena Illario; Angela Serena Maione; Maria Rosaria Rusciano; Edwig Goossens; Amelia Rauter; Nidia Braz; Harriet Jager-Wittenaar; Carolina Di Somma; Catherine Crola; Maria Soprano; Laura Vuolo; Pietro Campiglia; Guido Iaccarino; Helen Griffiths; Tobias Hartman

2016-01-01

The present document describes a nutritional approach that is nested in the European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Aging (EIP-AHA) and aims to provide the first common European program translating an integrated approach to nutritional frailty in terms of a multidimensional and transnational methodology. The document has been developed by the A3 Nutrition Action Area of the EIP-AHA and aims at providing a stepwise approach to malnutrition in older citizens, identifying adequate...

Visual truths of citizen reportage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Allan, Stuart; Peters, Chris

2015-01-01

In striving to better understand issues associated with citizen contributions to newsmaking in crisis situations, this article identifies and elaborates four specific research problematics – bearing witness, technologies of truth-telling, mediating visualities and affectivities of othering...... – in order to recast more familiar modes of enquiry. Specifically, it provides an alternative heuristic to theorize the journalistic mediation of citizen imagery, and the myriad ways this process of negotiation maintains, repairs and at times disrupts the interstices of professional–amateur boundaries...

Nuclear risk and citizen information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charbonneau, S.

1999-01-01

This issue studies the citizen information relative to the nuclear risk. If the regulation about the information and the participation of the citizen on the nuclear risk is relatively complete, the industrial and administrative practice is marked by the habits of information retention. The official caution has for motive the fact to provoke the unjustified anxiety of the populations. An opposite strategy is actually experimented with the operators of nuclear industry in informing the public opinion with the slightest technical incidents. (N.C.)

Senior citizens retrofits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1985-02-01

The Seniors' Residential Retrofitting Project was Yukon's most ambitious CREDA, funded demonstration with a total cost of $460,000. The project undertook to demonstrate energy-efficient retrofitting techniques in 38 homes and two apartment complexes for senior citizens. At the same time, the project strove to train Yukon tradesmen in retrofitting techniques, thus creating a local industry and employment within this industry. To this end, two training courses were given for local tradesmen and contractors, the first of their kind in Canada. The training part of the project was given equal importance as the actual demonstration part. Three levels of retrofit work were done on the homes of senior citizens. Level one included caulking, weatherstripping, furnace servicing, and installation of water flow restrictors, water heater blankets and timers. The level two retrofit included the treatment in level one, plus upgrading windows and the insulation levels in walls and ceilings. A level three retrofit involved a total rewrap of the building shell with some of the features in levels one and two incorporated. The demonstration program included the following steps: initial contact with senior citizens; energy audit on each house; determination of level of retrofit work based on individual audit results; contract packages drawn up and put to tender; monitoring of fuel records and air-tightness tests both before and after retrofit; and tabulation of data and information transfer. 10 figs., 4 tabs.

Teaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, G.; Crall, A.; Laituri, M.; Graham, J.; Stohlgren, T.; Moore, J.C.; Kodrich, K.; Holfelder, K.A.

2010-01-01

Citizen science programs are emerging as an efficient way to increase data collection and help monitor invasive species. Effective invasive species monitoring requires rigid data quality assurances if expensive control efforts are to be guided by volunteer data. To achieve data quality, effective online training is needed to improve field skills and reach large numbers of remote sentinel volunteers critical to early detection and rapid response. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of online static and multimedia tutorials to teach citizen science volunteers (n = 54) how to identify invasive plants; establish monitoring plots; measure percent cover; and use Global Positioning System (GPS) units. Participants trained using static and multimedia tutorials provided less (p quality, and overall program effectiveness. ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science?

Science.gov (United States)

Bonney, Rick; Phillips, Tina B; Ballard, Heidi L; Enck, Jody W

2016-01-01

Over the past 20 years, thousands of citizen science projects engaging millions of participants in collecting and/or processing data have sprung up around the world. Here we review documented outcomes from four categories of citizen science projects which are defined by the nature of the activities in which their participants engage - Data Collection, Data Processing, Curriculum-based, and Community Science. We find strong evidence that scientific outcomes of citizen science are well documented, particularly for Data Collection and Data Processing projects. We find limited but growing evidence that citizen science projects achieve participant gains in knowledge about science knowledge and process, increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research, and provide deeper meaning to participants' hobbies. We also find some evidence that citizen science can contribute positively to social well-being by influencing the questions that are being addressed and by giving people a voice in local environmental decision making. While not all citizen science projects are intended to achieve a greater degree of public understanding of science, social change, or improved science -society relationships, those projects that do require effort and resources in four main categories: (1) project design, (2) outcomes measurement, (3) engagement of new audiences, and (4) new directions for research. © The Author(s) 2015.

Digital citizens Digital nations: the next agenda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.W. (Bert) Mulder; M.W. (Martijn) Hartog

2015-01-01

DIGITAL CITIZENS CREATE A DIGITAL NATION Citizens will play the lead role as they – in the next phase of the information society – collectively create a digital nation. Personal adoption of information and communication technology will create a digital infrastructure that supports individual and

Towards the Baum-Connes' analytical assembly map for the actions of discrete quantum groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goswami, D.; Kuku, A.O.

2002-07-01

Given an action of a discrete quantum group (in the sense of Van Daele, Kustermans and Effros-Ruan) A on a C*-algebra C, satisfying some regularity assumptions resembling the proper Γ-compact action for a classical discrete group Γ on some space, we are able to construct canonical maps μ r i (μ i respectively) (i=0,1) from the A-equivariant K-homology groups KK i A (C,C) to the K-theory groups K i (A-circumflex r ) (K i (A-circumflex) respectively), where A-circumflex r and A-circumflex stand for the quantum analogues of the reduced and full group C*-algebras. We follow the steps of the construction of the classical Baum-Connes map, although in the context of quantum group the nontrivial modular property of the invariant weights (and the related fact that the square of the antipode is not identity) has to be taken into serious consideration, making it somewhat tricky to guess and prove the correct definitions of relevant Hilbert module structures. (author)

2005 Annual Operations Report for INTEC Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. Shanklin

2006-01-01

This annual operations report describes the requirements followed and activities conducted to inspect, monitor, and maintain the items installed during performance of the Waste Area Group 3, Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. This report describes inspection and monitoring activities for the surface-sealed areas within the tank farm, concrete-lined ditches and culverts in and around the tank farm, the lift station, and the lined evaporation pond. These activities are intended to assure that the interim action is functioning adequately to meet the objectives stated in the Operable Unit 3-13, Record of Decision for the Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, (DOE/ID-10660) and as amended by the agreement to resolve dispute, which was effective in February 2003

Local Action Groups and Rural Sustainable Development. A spatial multiple criteria approach for efficient territorial planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Palmisano, Giovanni Ottomano; Govindan, M.E., PhD.,, Kannan; Boggia, Antonio

2016-01-01

Local Action Groups in order to promote the objectives of Rural Sustainable Development within rural municipalities. Each Local Action Group applies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis in order to identify for its own rural municipalities the strategic elements to which...... and a Weakness factors and decision alternatives, as well as impossibility of ranking the decision alternatives. Thus, this research aims to overcome the drawbacks of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis and to support Local Action Group partnerships in the sustainability evaluation...... of their rural municipalities, and therefore to aid the identification of a common Rural Sustainable Development strategy to allocate the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development budget. This decision problem was tackled by applying a Multiple Criteria Spatial Decision Support System that integrates...

Citizen science: a new direction in canine behavior research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hecht, Julie; Spicer Rice, Eleanor

2015-01-01

Researchers increasingly rely on members of the public to contribute to scientific projects-from collecting or identifying, to analyzing and disseminating data. The "citizen science" model proves useful to many thematically distinctive fields, like ornithology, astronomy, and phenology. The recent formalization of citizen science projects addresses technical issues related to volunteer participation--like data quality--so that citizen scientists can make longstanding, meaningful contributions to scientific projects. Since the late 1990s, canine science research has relied with greater frequency on the participation of the general public, particularly dog owners. These researchers do not typically consider the methods and technical issues that those conducting citizen science projects embrace and continue to investigate. As more canine science studies rely on public input, an in-depth knowledge of the benefits and challenges of citizen science can help produce relevant, high-quality data while increasing the general public's understanding of canine behavior and cognition as well as the scientific process. We examine the benefits and challenges of current citizen science models in an effort to enhance canine citizen science project preparation, execution, and dissemination. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Propositions for the Citizen Formation Mediated by Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tania Margarita Martínez de Padrón

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The research presented emerges from the connotations concerning the formation of the citizenship by the information technology and communication. Be part of the conception of the current citizen and the influence that has emerged through the utility of the various social networks, as well as Canaima education project and the guidance provided to schoolchildren in this sense. The general objective was to generate propositions theoretical that guide the formation of citizenship mediated by ICT in the primary schools of Santa Teresa del Tuy. The methodology used was the qualitative paradigm, based on the interpretative phenomenological approach of Heidegger, which is interested in discovering and understanding the meanings, habits and practices of the human being. Castle (2000: 5. The researcher approached the field object of study to observe, describe and interpret a reality. As an instrument used the interview in depth. The information obtained was recorded in pictures which allowed to comply with the development of specific objectives through triangulation. On whose findings prevailed deviating from the use of technological tools and how these have formed the formation of citizenship in school children in their behavior and actions. At the same time, allowed know from educational technological approach, that sparing the teacher provides guidance that redirect the formation of citizenship. Also was the stated objective as it was the theoretical propositions that guide the formation of citizens ICT-mediated.

MyOSD 2014: Evaluating Oceanographic Measurements Contributed by Citizen Scientists in Support of Ocean Sampling Day

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Schnetzer

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The first Ocean Sampling Day (OSD took place on June 21, 2014. In a coordinated effort, an internationally distributed group of scientists collected samples from marine surface waters in order to study microbial diversity on a single day with global granularity. Concurrently, citizen scientists enriched the OSD initiative through the MyOSD project, providing additional oceanographic measurements crucial to the contextualization of microbial diversity. Clear protocols, a user-friendly smartphone application, and an online web-form guided citizens in accurate data acquisition, promoting quality submissions to the project’s information system. To evaluate the coverage and quality of MyOSD data submissions, we compared the sea surface temperature measurements acquired through OSD, MyOSD, and automatic in situ systems and satellite measurements. Our results show that the quality of citizen-science measurements was comparable to that of scientific measurements. As 79% of MyOSD measurements were conducted in geographic areas not covered by automatic in situ or satellite measurement, citizen scientists contributed significantly to worldwide oceanographic data gathering. Furthermore, survey results indicate that participation in MyOSD made citizens feel more engaged in ocean issues and may have increased their environmental awareness and ocean literacy.

Committed dis(s)idents: participation in radical collective action fosters disidentification with the broader in-group but enhances political identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Julia C; Tausch, Nicole; Spears, Russell; Christ, Oliver

2011-08-01

The present research examined the hypothesis that participation in radical, but not moderate, action results in disidentification from the broader in-group. Study 1 (N = 98) was a longitudinal study conducted in the context of student protests against tuition fees in Germany and confirmed that participation in radical collective action results in disidentification with the broader in-group (students) whereas participation in moderate collective action does not. Both types of action increased politicized identification. Study 2 (N = 175) manipulated the normativeness of different types of imagined collective actions in the same context and replicated this disidentification effect for radical actions, but only when this action mismatched the broader in-group's norms. This study also indicated that these effects were partially mediated by perceived lack of solidarity and perceived lack of commitment to the cause among the broader in-group. The implications of these findings for understanding radicalization within social movements are discussed.

Digital citizenship and neoliberalization: governing digital citizens in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Jannick; Hjelholt, Morten

2018-01-01

Digital citizenship is becoming increasingly normalized within advanced democratic states. As society and governmental institutions become reliant on digital technologies, citizens are expected to be and act digitally. This article examines the governance of digital citizens through a case study...... this case study, the article contributes to current critical perspectives on the digital citizen as a new political figure. It adds new insights into digital citizenship by connecting this figure to wider processes of neoliberalization and state restructuring, pushing for a more pronounced focus...... of digitalization efforts in Denmark. Drawing on multiple forms of data, the article showcases how digital citizens are governed through a combination of discursive, legal and institutional means. The article highlights the political, but also institutional work that goes into making citizens digital. Providing...

Challenges of citizen science contributions to modelling hydrodynamics of floods

Science.gov (United States)

Assumpção, Thaine Herman; Popescu, Ioana; Jonoski, Andreja; Solomatine, Dimitri P.

2017-04-01

Citizen science is an established mechanism in many fields of science, including ecology, biology and astronomy. Citizen participation ranges from collecting and interpreting data towards designing experiments with scientists and cooperating with water management authorities. In the environmental sciences, its potential has begun to be explored in the past decades and many studies on the applicability to water resources have emerged. Citizen Observatories are at the core of several EU-funded projects such as WeSenseIt, GroundTruth, GroundTruth 2.0 and SCENT (Smart Toolbox for Engaging Citizens into a People-Centric Observation Web) that already resulted in valuable contributions to the field. Buytaert et al. (2014) has already reviewed the role of citizen science in hydrology. The work presented here aims to complement it, reporting and discussing the use of citizen science for modelling the hydrodynamics of floods in a variety of studies. Additionally, it highlights the challenges that lie ahead to utilize more fully the citizen science potential contribution. In this work, focus is given to each component of hydrodynamic models: water level, velocity, flood extent, roughness and topography. It is addressed how citizens have been contributing to each aspect, mainly considering citizens as sensors and citizens as data interpreters. We consider to which kind of model (1D or 2D) the discussed approaches contribute and what their limitations and potential uses are. We found that although certain mechanisms are well established (e.g. the use of Volunteer Geographic Information for soft validation of land-cover and land-use maps), the applications in a modelling context are rather modest. Also, most studies involving models are limited to replacing traditional data with citizen data. We recommend that citizen science continue to be explored in modelling frameworks, in different case studies, taking advantage of the discussed mechanisms and of new sensor technologies

Automated grouping of action potentials of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorospe, Giann; Zhu, Renjun; Millrod, Michal A; Zambidis, Elias T; Tung, Leslie; Vidal, Rene

2014-09-01

Methods for obtaining cardiomyocytes from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are improving at a significant rate. However, the characterization of these cardiomyocytes (CMs) is evolving at a relatively slower rate. In particular, there is still uncertainty in classifying the phenotype (ventricular-like, atrial-like, nodal-like, etc.) of an hESC-derived cardiomyocyte (hESC-CM). While previous studies identified the phenotype of a CM based on electrophysiological features of its action potential, the criteria for classification were typically subjective and differed across studies. In this paper, we use techniques from signal processing and machine learning to develop an automated approach to discriminate the electrophysiological differences between hESC-CMs. Specifically, we propose a spectral grouping-based algorithm to separate a population of CMs into distinct groups based on the similarity of their action potential shapes. We applied this method to a dataset of optical maps of cardiac cell clusters dissected from human embryoid bodies. While some of the nine cell clusters in the dataset are presented with just one phenotype, the majority of the cell clusters are presented with multiple phenotypes. The proposed algorithm is generally applicable to other action potential datasets and could prove useful in investigating the purification of specific types of CMs from an electrophysiological perspective.

Citizen, Science, Highways, and Wildlife: Using a Web-based GIS to Engage Citizens in Collecting Wildlife Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracy Lee

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Road Watch in the Pass is a citizen-science project that engages local citizens in reporting wildlife observations along a 44-km stretch of Highway 3 through Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta, Canada. The numbers of wildlife vehicle collisions and a recent proposal to expand the highway have raised concerns from both human safety and wildlife conservation perspectives. Through the use of a web-based GIS, interested citizens can contribute information that will be instrumental in making final decisions concerning measures to mitigate the effects of highway expansion. Currently, 58 people have contributed over 713 observations to Road Watch. We performed a preliminary comparison of 11 months of Road Watch observations and wildlife mortality data for the same time period to demonstrate that the use of citizen science not only augments more conventional approaches, but also results in the emergence of new knowledge and insights. A Kappa index of agreement of 14% indicates poor agreement between the data sets, highlighting that wildlife successfully cross the highway in areas not identified by the wildlife mortality data. This has important implications for design and mitigation efforts for Highway 3 and other roadways.

After the Cap: Risk Assessment, Citizen Science and Disaster Recovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabrina McCormick

2012-12-01

Full Text Available I used the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to examine how crowdsourcing is used as a new form of citizen science that provides real time assessments of health-related exposures. Assessing risks of an oil spill, or disasters more generally, is a challenge complicated by the situated nature of knowledge-generation that results in differential perceptions and responses. These processes are critical in the case of the British Petroleum spill in the Gulf Coast since the identification of risks promises to have ramifications for multiple social actors, as well as the health status and long-term resilience of communities in the area. Qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations, and video data were collected with local social movement organizations, grassroots groups, spill workers, fisherman, local residents, scientists, and government representatives within five months of the spill. Findings suggest that crowdsourcing is a new form of citizen science reflecting a transition from lay mapping to an online data gathering system that allows a broader range of participation and the detection of a broader range of impacts. Outcomes of this research promise to help demonstrate and theorize how citizen science relates to risk assessment processes and affects disaster recovery and long-term response.

75 FR 16159 - Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) Charter Renewal

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-31

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG-2010-0121] Prince William Sound Regional... the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) as an alternative voluntary advisory group for Prince William Sound, Alaska. This certification allows the PWSRCAC to monitor the...

Introduction to Louis Michel's lattice geometry through group action

CERN Document Server

Zhilinskii, Boris

2015-01-01

Group action analysis developed and applied mainly by Louis Michel to the study of N-dimensional periodic lattices is the central subject of the book. Different basic mathematical tools currently used for the description of lattice geometry are introduced and illustrated through applications to crystal structures in two- and three-dimensional space, to abstract multi-dimensional lattices and to lattices associated with integrable dynamical systems. Starting from general Delone sets the authors turn to different symmetry and topological classifications including explicit construction of orbifolds for two- and three-dimensional point and space groups. Voronoï and Delone cells together with positive quadratic forms and lattice description by root systems are introduced to demonstrate alternative approaches to lattice geometry study. Zonotopes and zonohedral families of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-dimensional lattices are explicitly visualized using graph theory approach. Along with crystallographic applications, qualitative ...

The Role Of New Media In Advancing Citizen Diplomacy Roundtable

OpenAIRE

Nassar, David; Tatevossian, Anoush Rima; U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

2010-01-01

This Roundtable evaluates the importance of new media in citizen diplomacy.   Published in conjunction with the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy’s U.S. Summit & Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy November 16–19, 2010, Washington DC. Materials included in this document are the views of the roundtable authors and are meant to serve as a tool for discussion. © November 2010 | U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

Intergroup Contact and Social Change: Implications of Negative and Positive Contact for Collective Action in Advantaged and Disadvantaged Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, Nils Karl; Becker, Julia C; Benz, Angelika; Christ, Oliver; Dhont, Kristof; Klocke, Ulrich; Neji, Sybille; Rychlowska, Magdalena; Schmid, Katharina; Hewstone, Miles

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that (a) positive intergroup contact with an advantaged group can discourage collective action among disadvantaged-group members and (b) positive intergroup contact can encourage advantaged-group members to take action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups. Two studies investigated the effects of negative as well as positive intergroup contact. Study 1 ( n = 482) found that negative but not positive contact with heterosexual people was associated with sexual-minority students' engagement in collective action (via group identification and perceived discrimination). Among heterosexual students, positive and negative contacts were associated with, respectively, more and less LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) activism. Study 2 ( N = 1,469) found that only negative contact (via perceived discrimination) predicted LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) students' collective action intentions longitudinally while only positive contact predicted heterosexual/cisgender students' LGBT activism. Implications for the relationship between intergroup contact, collective action, and social change are discussed.

New Media, New Citizens?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohme, Jakob

as for different age groups, the thesis shows that digital and especially social media use can be a strong driver of citizen participation. Besides looking at immediate mobilizing effects, the book sheds light on how digital media use may shape participation patterns through a long-term change in citizenship......The use of news media is regarded as a driver for citizens’ engagement with society and their political participation. But as news media use increasingly shifts to digital platforms, it is crucial to understand the interplay between a changing media environment and recent patterns of political...... participation. Against the background of citizens’ diverse possibilities for receiving political information and being politically active nowadays, the book focuses on the impact of digital media on political participation in Denmark. By examining this relationship in election- and non-election times as well...

Coproducing flood risk management through citizen involvement: insights from cross-country comparison in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannelore Mees

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Across Europe, citizens are increasingly expected to participate in the implementation of flood risk management (FRM, by engaging in voluntary-based activities to enhance preparedness, implementing property-level measures, and so forth. Although citizen participation in FRM decision making is widely addressed in academic literature, citizens' involvement in the delivery of FRM measures is comparatively understudied. Drawing from public administration literature, we adopted the notion of "coproduction" as an analytical framework for studying the interaction between citizens and public authorities, from the decision-making process through to the implementation of FRM in practice. We considered to what extent coproduction is evident in selected European Union (EU member states, drawing from research conducted within the EU project STAR-FLOOD (Strengthening and Redesigning European Flood Risk Practices towards Appropriate and Resilient Flood Risk Governance Arrangements. On the basis of a cross-country comparison between Flanders (Belgium, England (United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Poland, we have highlighted the varied forms of coproduction and reflected on how these have been established within divergent settings. Coproduction is most prominent in discourse and practice in England and is emergent in France and Flanders. By contrast, FRM in the Netherlands and Poland remains almost exclusively reliant on governmental protection measures and thereby consultation-based forms of coproduction. Analysis revealed how these actions are motivated by different underlying rationales, which in turn shape the type of approaches and degree of institutionalization of coproduction. In the Netherlands, coproduction is primarily encouraged to increase societal resilience, whereas public authorities in the other countries also use it to improve cost-efficiency and redistribute responsibilities to its beneficiaries.

Networking Alone? Digital Communications and Collective Action in Vietnam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Kurfürst

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article explores the potential for the formation of collective action in Vietnam. Referring to land and labour protests, bauxite mining, anti-China demonstrations, as well as the revision of the 1992 Constitution, the article examines the social movement repertoires diverse groups have adopted to reach their objectives. Drawing on social movement theory and communication power, this contribution shows that apart from access to the technology, citizens’ opportunities to participate in digital networks as well as access to the default communication network of the state are necessary prerequisites in order to attain public attention and possibly to achieve social change. Moreover, this article shows that existing power differentials in Vietnam are reproduced in digital space. It concludes that for different collective behaviours to result in a social movement, it is essential to “switch” and to connect the different networks. For the moment, the call to protect Vietnam’s sovereignty offers common ground for collective action.

Citizen Seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Bossu, Rémy; Gilles, Sébastien; Mazet-Roux, Gilles; Kamb, Linus; Frobert, Laurent

2010-05-01

In science, projects which involve volunteers for observations, measurements, computation are grouped under the term, Citizen Science. They range from bird or planet census to distributing computing on volonteers's computer. Over the last five years, the EMSC has been developing tools and strategy to collect information on earthquake's impact from the first persons to be informed, i.e. the witnesses. By extension, it is named Citizen Seismology. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), a scientific not-for-profit NGO, benefits from the high visibility of its rapid earthquake information services (www.emsc-csem.org) which attract an average of more than half a million visits a month from 160 countries. Witnesses converge to its site within a couple of minutes of earthquake's occurrence to find out information about the cause of the shaking they have just been through. The convergence generates brutal increases of hit rate which can be automatically detected. They are often the first indication about the occurrence of a felt event. Witnesses' locations are determined from their IP addresses. Localities exhibiting statistically significant increase of traffic are mapped to produce the "felt map". This map available within 5 to 8 minutes of the earthquake's occurrence represents the area where the event was felt. It is the fastest way to collect in-situ information on the consequences of an earthquake. Widespread damage region are expected to be mapped through a significant lack or absence of visitors. A second tool involving the visitors is an online macroseismic questionnaire available in 21 languages. It complements the felt maps as it can describes the level of shaking or damage, but is only available in 90 to 120 minutes. Witnesses can also share their pictures of damage. They used it also to provide us exceptional pictures of transient phenomena. With the University of Edinburgh, we are finalising a prototype named ShakemApple, linking Apple

Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project Briefing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eames, Malcolm; Mortensen, Jonas Egmose; Adebowale, Maria

This project briefing gives a short overview of the Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project.......This project briefing gives a short overview of the Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project....

Impacts of Affirmative Action: Policies and Consequences in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, Paul, Ed.

Most U.S. citizens support the elimination of race and gender prejudice and inequality, yet attitudes toward solutions have fluctuated in the years since the civil rights movement began. California, a state that has set precedent for antidiscrimination initiatives since 1934, is now at the center of struggles over affirmative action. The authors…

The Open Format and Citizen Participation in Transportation Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flyvbjerg, Bent

1984-01-01

Recent developments in transportation planning and policy indicate that citizen participation and openness may receive less emphasis in the future in favor of more closed methods of decision making and control. Have the merits and drawbacks of citizen participation and openness changed significan......Recent developments in transportation planning and policy indicate that citizen participation and openness may receive less emphasis in the future in favor of more closed methods of decision making and control. Have the merits and drawbacks of citizen participation and openness changed...... with the trend for considering social, environmental, and ethical issues in transportation planning and policy....

SUPPORTING SENIOR CITIZENS TO LEARN IT SKILLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeki Yokoi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Digital divide owing to age has become a major concern around the world, even in developed country, Japan. To combat the digital divide, a project named “e-namokun” aiming to help senior citizens use the Internet was started in Nagoya, Japan, which was a national first joint project run through government, universities, and NPO cooperation. In the project, nearly 2000 senior citizens have taken course of the software we developed. In relation with this project, we have been developing useful tools to support senior IT beginners. In the paper, we introduce the outline of the project and explain developed tools for senior citizens.

A qualitative research on Spanish farmers and citizens perceptions of ecosystem services provided by mountain livestock farming

OpenAIRE

Bernués Jal, Alberto; Rodríguez Ortega, Tamara; Ripoll Bosch, Raimon; Casasús Pueyo, Isabel

2013-01-01

There is a strong debate nowadays on the public goods derived from certain agro-ecosystems and their valuation for establishing payments for ecosystem services (ES). In this context, we carried out a qualitative research on the spontaneous knowledge of ecosystem services and the perceptions of farmers and citizens on relationships between mountain farming and the environment. Five focus groups (2 with farmers and 3 with citizens; n=33) were organized in north-eastern Spain. Discus...

global turbulence and nigeria's citizen diplomacy: 2007-2016

African Journals Online (AJOL)

strategic diplomatic post as Nigeria's High ... envisaged to participate in the formulation and practice of 'citizen .... spread of epidemic diseases, financial instability, organized crime .... chapter of his book Nigeria's Citizen Diplomacy: ... Page 7 ...

Action Research for Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egmose, Jonas

on urban sustainability the need to move towards sustainability at societal level is conceptualised as a democratic challenge questioning the way we live on planet earth. By understanding sustainability as an immanent and emergent ability of ecological and social life, continuously to renew itself without...... with a greater say in the future of urban sustainability research, the work shows how action research can make important methodological contributions to processes of social learning between citizens and scientists by enabling free spaces in peoples everyday life and within academia, where aspects...

Evolution of local citizen participation schemes in the German wind market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enzenberger, N.; Fichtner, W.; Rentz, O.

2003-01-01

Local citizen participation schemes like the German 'Buergerwindparks' (citizen wind farm) have been an important vehicle to develop the wind energy business to its present state of market maturity. This article discusses ownership as an integrated part of the economic project design for renewable energy projects. Different forms of local citizen participation are differentiated and strategic aspects related to the entrepreneurial decision of involving local citizens are highlighted. Then, the focus will be on a description of different role models for local citizen-financed wind energy projects. The paper also explains the evolution of two new role models: the merger of existing project companies to larger citizen-owned project portfolio companies and the role of closed-end wind funds as a new equity provision approach. Finally, the role of local citizen participation schemes in different market phases is discussed. (author)

For a citizen energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geze, Patrick; Bernon, Francoise; Alphandery, Claude; Albizzati, Amandine; Ballandras, Marc; Berland, Olivier; Peullemeulle, Justine; Causse, Laurent; Olivier, Dominique; Damerval, Francois; Lepage, Corinne; Dughera, Jacques; Bouchart, Christiane; Duracka, Nicolas; Ferrari, Albert; Noe, Julien; Soulias, Emmanuel; Gaspard, Albane; Greenwood, Marianne; Guy, Lionel; Kretzschmar, Cyril; Lalu, Delphine; Naett, Caroline; Raguet, Alex; Rouchon, Jean-Philippe; Ruedinger, Andreas; Sautter, Christian; Tudor, Ivan; Vaquie, Pierre-Francois; Vernier, Christophe; Youinou, Jean-Michel; Verny, Emmanuel; Claustre, Raphael; Leclercq, Michel

2015-09-01

This publication by a think tank specialised in social and solidarity economy first outlines that energy transition means a transition from the present energy model to a new model based on three pillars: a drastic reduction of energy consumption through sobriety (energy saving, struggle against wastage), an improvement of energy efficiency, and an energy mix based on renewable and sustainable resources. A first part proposes a discussion of what 'citizen' energy transition can be: general framework of energy transition, pioneering examples in Europe, citizen empowerment, importance of a decentralised model which is anchored in territories, general interest as a priority. Each of these issues and aspects is illustrated by examples. Then, as this evolution towards a citizen-based model requires a change of scale, the authors discuss how to involve public authorities and to adapt regulation, how to develop financing tools, how to support the emergence and development of projects, and how to be part of international dynamics. The author then discuss what their think tank can do to accelerate energy transition. Proposals made in the different chapters are then summarized

Educating Citizens in Late Modern Societies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Torben Spanget

2011-01-01

One way or the other democratic states need to take on the task of educating its rising generation in governmental affairs, societal matters and citizenship in order to sustain the democracy itself. This article presents a model for analysing civic education in late modern, globalised world....... The model is based on the fundamental belief that the overall aim of civic education in democratic, late modern and global societies is empowerment of the citizen in order to establish a self governing citizen who simultaneous is capable of managing and keeping together partly contradictory citizens tasks...... studies and evaluations of the Danish upper secondary school completed at my department at University of Southern Denmark in recent years, especially connected to a quite far reaching curriculum reform from 2005. It is assumed that this Danish development is an expression of a more general phenomenon...

Citizen-Centric Governance Indicators: Measuring and Monitoring Governance by Listening to the People and Not the Interest Groups

OpenAIRE

Ivanyna, Maksym; Shah, Anwar

2009-01-01

Governance indicators are now widely used as tools for conducting development dialogue, allocating external assistance, and influencing foreign direct investment. This paper argues that available governance indicators are not suitable for these purposes as they do not conceptualize governance and fail to capture how citizens perceive the governance environment and outcomes in their countri...

Elementary School Children Contribute to Environmental Research as Citizen Scientists

OpenAIRE

Miczajka, Victoria L.; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Pufal, Gesine

2015-01-01

Research benefits increasingly from valuable contributions by citizen scientists. Mostly, participating adults investigate specific species, ecosystems or phenology to address conservation issues, but ecosystem functions supporting ecosystem health are rarely addressed and other demographic groups rarely involved. As part of a project investigating seed predation and dispersal as ecosystem functions along an urban-rural gradient, we tested whether elementary school children can contribute to ...

Revolutionising citizen journalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mollerup, Nina Grønlykke

Citizen journalism has played a crucial role in the Egyptian revolution by providing documentation of events journalists were unable to document and by challenging and influencing the mainstream media. One of the most prominent examples of this is Rassd News Network (RNN). RNN is until now entirely...

Tocqueville's Christian Citizen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ossewaarde, Marinus R.R.

2005-01-01

Tocqueville's Christian Citizen Marinus Ossewaarde Introduction Alexis De Tocqueville is well known for his critique of democracy. A French statesman, he was left with the legacy of the French Revolution that had torn his fatherland and had changed the course of human history for good. Tocqueville,

Citizen enforcement and the smoking gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unterberger, G.L.

1991-01-01

This article addresses the provisions for private citizens to bring lawsuits in federal court against regulated parties violating federal air pollution-control laws and the steps that operators of facilities subject to air pollution-control laws need to take to help avoid significant enforcement liabilities. The topics of the article include a look at citizen enforcement since 1970, the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, construction and management with these regulations

Reinventing Image Detective: An Evidence-Based Approach to Citizen Science Online

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, C.; Graff, P. V.; Runco, S.

2017-12-01

Usability studies demonstrate that web users are notoriously impatient, spending as little as 15 seconds on a home page. How do you get users to stay long enough to understand a citizen science project? How do you get users to complete complex citizen science tasks online?Image Detective, a citizen science project originally developed by scientists and science engagement specialists at the NASA Johnson Space center to engage the public in the analysis of images taken from space by astronauts to help enhance NASA's online database of astronaut imagery, partnered with the CosmoQuest citizen science platform to modernize, offering new and improved options for participation in Image Detective. The challenge: to create a web interface that builds users' skills and knowledge, creating engagement while learning complex concepts essential to the accurate completion of tasks. The project team turned to usability testing for an objective understanding of how users perceived Image Detective and the steps required to complete required tasks. A group of six users was recruited online for unmoderated and initial testing. The users followed a think-aloud protocol while attempting tasks, and were recorded on video and audio. The usability test examined users' perception of four broad areas: the purpose of and context for Image Detective; the steps required to successfully complete the analysis (differentiating images of Earth's surface from those showing outer space and identifying common surface features); locating the image center point on a map of Earth; and finally, naming geographic locations or natural events seen in the image.Usability test findings demonstrated that the following best practices can increase participation in Image Detective and can be applied to the successful implementation of any citizen science project:• Concise explanation of the project, its context, and its purpose;• Including a mention of the funding agency (in this case, NASA);• A preview of

CITIZEN PROTECTION IN FRONT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

POPESCU Maria

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to analyze the legal instruments available to the citizen to fight against government abuses. These tools, some of them published and recently developed, is a natural part of the evolution of government and the relationship between administration and citizens. Increasing citizen involvement in administration is reflected precisely by giving increasing importance in legal research to this phenomenon.

Crowdsourcing as citizen-empowered tool for natural hazards. The MAppERS project.

Science.gov (United States)

Bossi, Giulia; Mantovani, Matteo; Frigerio, Simone; Møller Janniche, Amalie; Bianchizza, Chiara; Del Bianco, Daniele

2016-04-01

MAppERS is a co-financed project by European Commission and it is focused on natural hazards risk prevention and emergency response, through the development of a smartphone application. The idea relies on the role of citizens and volunteers as 'territorial mappers' and the information they can provide to civil protection operators through the use of their smartphones. The strategy is to promote the active participation of citizens and volunteers in disaster risk reduction promoting responsibility and preparedness. The application embraces tools for crowdsourcing data collection, for preparedness, prevention and alert warnings. The pilot activity conducted in order to assess its usability and performance is presented. One activity presented took place in Denmark, by Frederikssund Halsnæs Fire & Rescue Service, where 12 voluntary citizens were enrolled. The age ranged between young and elderly people with different educational level. Two separated groups were defined; one followed an introductory course on the application usage and were supervised during the test, while the other was untrained and without support. The usability of the app was assessed through the filling in of a form. Results showed that volunteers were extremely interested in the app and were seeing the advantage of using it. The app was considered user-friendly even to elderly people. The differences in comprehension of several aspects of the application by the two groups allowed to highlight the weak points in terms of approachability. These were then addressed in the following release of the app.

CosmoQuest: A Glance at Citizen Science Building

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Matthew; Grier, Jennifer; Gay, Pamela; Lehan, Cory; Buxner, Sanlyn; CosmoQuest Team

2018-01-01

CosmoQuest is a virtual research facility focused on engaging people - citizen scientists - from across the world in authentic research projects designed to enhance our knowledge of the cosmos around us. Using image data acquired by NASA missions, our citizen scientists are first trained to identify specific features within the data and then requested to identify those features across large datasets. Responses submitted by the citizen scientists are then stored in our database where they await for analysis and eventual publication by CosmoQuest staff and collaborating professional research scientists.While it is clear that the driving power behind our projects are the eyes and minds of our citizen scientists, it is CosmoQuest’s custom software, Citizen Science Builder (CSB), that enables citizen science to be accomplished. On the front end, CosmoQuest’s CSB software allows for the creation of web-interfaces that users can access to perform image annotation through both drawing tools and questions that can accompany images. These tools include: using geometric shapes to identify regions within an image, tracing image attributes using freeform line tools, and flagging features within images. Additionally, checkboxes, dropdowns, and free response boxes may be used to collect information. On the back end, this software is responsible for the proper storage of all data, which allows project staff to perform periodic data quality checks and track the progress of each project. In this poster we present these available tools and resources and seek potential collaborations.

Rates of intentionally caused and road crash deaths of US citizens abroad.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherry, Melissa K; Mossallam, Mahmoud; Mulligan, Matthew; Hyder, Adnan A; Bishai, David

2015-04-01

Currently, little is known about rates of death by cause and country among US travellers. Understanding the risk by cause and country is imperative to risk communication and the development of risk reduction strategies. Publicly available data on non-natural deaths of US citizens abroad were gathered from January 2003 to December 2009 from the US Department of State's Department Bureau of Consular Affairs. Traveller information was gathered from the US Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism for the same time period. Rates of death were calculated by dividing the number of non-natural deaths of US citizens abroad by the number of US outbound visits for each country. A total of 5417 non-natural death events were retrieved between 2003 and 2009 from the US State Department. Intentionally caused death rates ranged from 21.44 per 1 000 000 visits in the Philippines to 0 per 1 000 000 visits in several countries; the majority of countries had fewer than five intentionally caused deaths per 1 000 000 visits. Rates of road traffic crashes were higher than rates of intentionally caused deaths in almost every instance. Thailand had the highest rate of deaths due to road traffic crashes (16.49 per 1 000 000), followed by Vietnam, Morocco and South Africa (15.12 per 1 000 000, 11.96 per 1 000 000 and 10.90 per 1 000 000, respectively). Motorcycle deaths account for most of the heightened risk observed in Thailand and Vietnam. The leading cause of non-natural deaths in US travellers abroad was road crashes, which exceeds intentional injury as the leading cause of non-natural deaths in almost every country where US citizens travel. Southeast Asia had the highest unintentional injury death rates for US citizens abroad due to the high rates of deaths from motorcycle crashes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Social Media as a Platform for a Citizen Science Community of Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Liberatore

2018-03-01

Full Text Available As citizen science inherently relies upon unpaid contributors, providing a positive experience for participants is critical. This case study describes the use of social media to support participants of the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey and examines the group’s interactions in its first year through the lens of a community of practice. Communities of practice can provide forums for learning, which is an important outcome of participation by environmental volunteers. Social media can provide the setting for an online community of practice that can support dispersed groups of volunteers and requires little daily input from administrators. While the NZ Garden Bird Survey runs for only nine days annually in June–July, this Facebook group continued to be active and attract new members throughout the year. In the first year of its existence, the group grew to 1,275 members who generated nearly 75,000 interactions (posts, comments, likes, and shares. The group was used to share enthusiasm, ideas, and knowledge about New Zealand’s garden birds. A wide range of birding expertise, from novice to expert, was displayed. The group’s interactions include shared interests, contributed stories, and collective learning. This paper documents our experiences setting up and administering this group and provides advice for citizen science programs that want to use social media to support a community of practice.

From Citizen Science to Policy Development on the Coral Reefs of Jamaica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. James C. Crabbe

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the application of citizen science to help generation of scientific data and capacity-building, and so underpin scientific ideas and policy development in the area of coral reef management, on the coral reefs of Jamaica. From 2000 to 2008, ninety Earthwatch volunteers were trained in coral reef data acquisition and analysis and made over 6,000 measurements on fringing reef sites along the north coast of Jamaica. Their work showed that while recruitment of small corals is returning after the major bleaching event of 2005, larger corals are not necessarily so resilient and so need careful management if the reefs are to survive such major extreme events. These findings were used in the development of an action plan for Jamaican coral reefs, presented to the Jamaican National Environmental Protection Agency. It was agreed that a number of themes and tactics need to be implemented in order to facilitate coral reef conservation in the Caribbean. The use of volunteers and citizen scientists from both developed and developing countries can help in forging links which can assist in data collection and analysis and, ultimately, in ecosystem management and policy development.

Citizen radiation monitoring program for the TMI area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baratta, A.J.; Gricar, B.G.; Jester, W.A.

1981-07-01

The purpose of the program was to develop a system for citizens to independently measure radiation levels in and around their communities. This report describes the process by which the Program was developed and operated. It also presents the methods used to select and train the citizens in making and interpreting the measurements. The test procedures used to select the equipment for the program are described as are the results of the testing. Finally, the actual monitoring results are discussed along with the citizens' reactions to the program

Citizen radiation monitoring program for the TMI area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baratta, A.J.; Gricar, B.G.; Jester, W.A.

1981-07-01

The purpose of the program was to develop a system for citizens to independently measure radiation levels in and around their communities. This report describes the process by which the Program was developed and operated. It also presents the methods used to select and train the citizens in making and interpreting the measurements. The test procedures used to select the equipment for the program are described as are the results of the testing. Finally, the actual monitoring results are discussed along with the citizens' reactions to the program.

Citizen observations contributing to flood modelling: opportunities and challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. H. Assumpção

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Citizen contributions to science have been successfully implemented in many fields, and water resources is one of them. Through citizens, it is possible to collect data and obtain a more integrated decision-making process. Specifically, data scarcity has always been an issue in flood modelling, which has been addressed in the last decades by remote sensing and is already being discussed in the citizen science context. With this in mind, this article aims to review the literature on the topic and analyse the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The literature on monitoring, mapping and modelling, was evaluated according to the flood-related variable citizens contributed to. Pros and cons of the collection/analysis methods were summarised. Then, pertinent publications were mapped into the flood modelling cycle, considering how citizen data properties (spatial and temporal coverage, uncertainty and volume are related to its integration into modelling. It was clear that the number of studies in the area is rising. There are positive experiences reported in collection and analysis methods, for instance with velocity and land cover, and also when modelling is concerned, for example by using social media mining. However, matching the data properties necessary for each part of the modelling cycle with citizen-generated data is still challenging. Nevertheless, the concept that citizen contributions can be used for simulation and forecasting is proved and further work lies in continuing to develop and improve not only methods for collection and analysis, but certainly for integration into models as well. Finally, in view of recent automated sensors and satellite technologies, it is through studies as the ones analysed in this article that the value of citizen contributions, complementing such technologies, is demonstrated.

Citizen observations contributing to flood modelling: opportunities and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Assumpção, Thaine H.; Popescu, Ioana; Jonoski, Andreja; Solomatine, Dimitri P.

2018-02-01

Citizen contributions to science have been successfully implemented in many fields, and water resources is one of them. Through citizens, it is possible to collect data and obtain a more integrated decision-making process. Specifically, data scarcity has always been an issue in flood modelling, which has been addressed in the last decades by remote sensing and is already being discussed in the citizen science context. With this in mind, this article aims to review the literature on the topic and analyse the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The literature on monitoring, mapping and modelling, was evaluated according to the flood-related variable citizens contributed to. Pros and cons of the collection/analysis methods were summarised. Then, pertinent publications were mapped into the flood modelling cycle, considering how citizen data properties (spatial and temporal coverage, uncertainty and volume) are related to its integration into modelling. It was clear that the number of studies in the area is rising. There are positive experiences reported in collection and analysis methods, for instance with velocity and land cover, and also when modelling is concerned, for example by using social media mining. However, matching the data properties necessary for each part of the modelling cycle with citizen-generated data is still challenging. Nevertheless, the concept that citizen contributions can be used for simulation and forecasting is proved and further work lies in continuing to develop and improve not only methods for collection and analysis, but certainly for integration into models as well. Finally, in view of recent automated sensors and satellite technologies, it is through studies as the ones analysed in this article that the value of citizen contributions, complementing such technologies, is demonstrated.

Citizen Science and the Modern Web

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2014-01-01

Beginning as a research project to help scientists communicate, the Web has transformed into a ubiquitous medium. As the sciences continue to transform, new techniques are needed to analyze the vast amounts of data being produced by large experiments. The advent of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey increased throughput of astronomical data, giving rise to Citizen Science projects such as Galaxy Zoo. The Web is no longer exclusively used by researchers, but rather, a place where anyone can share information, or even, partake in citizen science projects. As the Web continues to evolve, new and open technologies enable web applications to become more sophisticated. Scientific toolsets may now target the Web as a platform, opening an application to a wider audience, and potentially citizen scientists. With the latest browser technologies, scientific data may be consumed and visualized, opening the browser as a new platform for scientific analysis.

"Here we're all in the same boat" - a qualitative study of group based rehabilitation for sick-listed citizens with chronic pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lotte Nygaard; Kohberg, Maria; Herborg, Lene Gram

2014-01-01

emotional and instrumental, while the physical training program offers a "here-and-now"-experience and motivation to participate. This study indicates that the self-management program could potentially improve coping while the physical activity program revealed one example of a means of progression.......Musculoskeletal pain impacts upon everyday life. A degree of chronicity may pose an increased risk of sickness absence. One of two rehabilitative interventions, "Tailored Physical Activity" or "Chronic Pain Self-Management Program", was offered to sick-listed citizens who experienced pain...... on Roessler's notion of progression. The analysis revealed four main themes: (1) Living with pain and unemployment; (2) "Putting my foot down" and "asking for help"; (3) Significance of the group, including instructors, and; (4) Aspects significant to progression. Unemployment is a major life event...

What actions in the domain of energy saving?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gourlia, J.P.; Richard, P.

2007-01-01

The energy saving potentialities are very often put forward to justify actions of mastery of energy demand. What are the possible substitutes and their result in terms of energy saving? What are the tools implemented and the services proposed by energy suppliers to end-users? What is the optimum mix between the regulatory measures and the market instruments to perform energy saving? What are the costs generated by such measures with respect to the expected results? How to sensibilize citizens to energy saving actions? These questions were debated during a round table which gathered 4 participants and two chairmen. (J.S.)

Computer analysis of digital sky surveys using citizen science and manual classification

Science.gov (United States)

Kuminski, Evan; Shamir, Lior

2015-01-01

As current and future digital sky surveys such as SDSS, LSST, DES, Pan-STARRS and Gaia create increasingly massive databases containing millions of galaxies, there is a growing need to be able to efficiently analyze these data. An effective way to do this is through manual analysis, however, this may be insufficient considering the extremely vast pipelines of astronomical images generated by the present and future surveys. Some efforts have been made to use citizen science to classify galaxies by their morphology on a larger scale than individual or small groups of scientists can. While these citizen science efforts such as Zooniverse have helped obtain reasonably accurate morphological information about large numbers of galaxies, they cannot scale to provide complete analysis of billions of galaxy images that will be collected by future ventures such as LSST. Since current forms of manual classification cannot scale to the masses of data collected by digital sky surveys, it is clear that in order to keep up with the growing databases some form of automation of the data analysis will be required, and will work either independently or in combination with human analysis such as citizen science. Here we describe a computer vision method that can automatically analyze galaxy images and deduce galaxy morphology. Experiments using Galaxy Zoo 2 data show that the performance of the method increases as the degree of agreement between the citizen scientists gets higher, providing a cleaner dataset. For several morphological features, such as the spirality of the galaxy, the algorithm agreed with the citizen scientists on around 95% of the samples. However, the method failed to analyze some of the morphological features such as the number of spiral arms, and provided accuracy of just ~36%.

Educating Digital Citizens

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Thomas

2011-01-01

Digital citizenship is how educators, citizens, and parents can teach where the lines of cyber safety and ethics are in the interconnected online world their students will inhabit. Aside from keeping technology users safe, digital citizenship also prepares students to survive and thrive in an environment embedded with information, communication,…

Algebra in action a course in groups, rings, and fields

CERN Document Server

Shahriari, Shahriar

2017-01-01

This text-based on the author's popular courses at Pomona College-provides a readable, student-friendly, and somewhat sophisticated introduction to abstract algebra. It is aimed at sophomore or junior undergraduates who are seeing the material for the first time. In addition to the usual definitions and theorems, there is ample discussion to help students build intuition and learn how to think about the abstract concepts. The book has over 1300 exercises and mini-projects of varying degrees of difficulty, and, to facilitate active learning and self-study, hints and short answers for many of the problems are provided. There are full solutions to over 100 problems in order to augment the text and to model the writing of solutions. Lattice diagrams are used throughout to visually demonstrate results and proof techniques. The book covers groups, rings, and fields. In group theory, group actions are the unifying theme and are introduced early. Ring theory is motivated by what is needed for solving Diophantine equa...

An evaluation of life satisfaction and health – Quality of life of senior citizens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artur Ziółkowski

2015-02-01

Full Text Available [b]Introduction and objective[/b]. Modern medicine is still searching for the antecedents which will lead to [i]successful aging[/i]. The article discusses the self-perception of life satisfaction and health of senior citizens. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between self-evaluation of life satisfaction and health by senior citizens in comparison to different age groups. [b]Materials and method[/b]. The study included 463 persons – 230 men and 233 women. The age of the participants was in the range 16 – 83 years. All participants were asked to fill the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire ([i]Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit [/i]– FLZ. The FLZ questionnaire assesses the global life satisfaction of a person and health domain separately. [b]Results[/b]. The results show age-related differences in the evaluation of life satisfaction. Accordingly, there is a significant change in health evaluations in different age groups, but there are no significant gender differences in health self-report data. The senior citizens’ assessment of general health, although the lowest among all the age-subgroups, showed significant difference only in relation to the people below 45 years of age. The significant differences in satisfaction from mental health occurred only for the elderly and participants aged 25–34 and 35–44. [b]Conclusions[/b]. Life satisfaction is associated with subjective health evaluations. There are two domains (mental health and performance that are positively evaluated by more than two-thirds of senior citizens. The observed differences challenge stereotypes and prejudices relating to negative aging process. Senior citizens can improve their control beliefs and develop self-regulation and coping skills.

Active Citizens, Good Citizens, and Insouciant Bystanders: The Educational Implications of Chinese University Students' Civic Participation via Social Networking

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Lin; Starkey, Hugh

2014-01-01

This virtual ethnographic study explores how Chinese university students use social network sites (SNSs) to participate in civic activities. An ideal of "active" citizens is contrasted with good citizens (Crick) and insouciant bystanders. We find that students engage with the civic issues embedded in everyday life; their online civic…

Energy policy - dialogue with the citizen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zillessen, H.

1977-01-01

The attempt made by the Federal government to enter a dialogne with the citizen on prerequisites and objectives of energy policy has met with a conflicting response. On the one hand a lot of citizens have welcomed the fact that the sector of energy policy being socially as relevant as that is being discussed in detail and in public. On the other hand, especially representatives of citizens' initiatives fear that the dialogne will be degradaded to a mere hearing unless it leads to a bitter participation of the citizen in the process of will formation concerning decisions being socially obligatory. The confrontations on energy policy have clearly shown that new forms of the formation of political will are being demanded with an increasing emphasis. In the meantime risks involved in industrial civilization are being recognized as being dangerous to their lives by many people, and doubts concerning the ability of traditional institutions and procedures to meet present and future challenges are increasing. Simultaneously there is resistance against bureaucratic patronizing as well as against party dependence being too strong and dependent interest of the state. Many of those who are affected by a faulty development and by unbearable things - due to the way in which governmental and private economic problems are tackled - demand new forms of will formation concerning the mediation of social needs and political responsibilities. (orig.) [de

Citizens in sustainable transitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoffmann, Birgitte; Agger, Annika

2013-01-01

The paper explores how local public authorities can support and facilitate citizens’ participa-tion and learning in sustainable transition in urban neighbourhoods, by supporting local in-termediaries. The role of intermediaries can be performed by a variety of actors such as public housing...... associations; NGO´s, or semi public institutions. Our claim is that intermediary actors have the potential to facilitate new platforms for citizens’ participation in urban sustainable transition due to their particular role in between public authorities and civil society. The key question of the paper is how...... the intermediary actors facilitate citizens' participatory processes in sustainable urban transitions, and the paper explores the concept of institutional capacity building as a way to develop learning processes and new practises? The aim is to analyse approaches of creating platforms for involving citizens...

Linking Consumer Rights with Citizen Roles: An Opportunity for Consumer Educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Georgia L.

1994-01-01

Consumer educators can help students develop consumer/citizen roles through curricula linking consumer rights with citizen responsibilities. Dialogue about issues, community needs assessment, and community volunteer service enable students to practice citizen roles. (SK)

CIGEO public debate. Presentation of the Citizens' Conference - Press file. Presentation of the citizens panel opinion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermitte, Marie-Angele; Bedu, Clemence; Besnus, Francois; Brom, Jean-Marie; Grambow, Bernd; Ruedinger, Andreas; Fourniau, Jean-Michel; Bobbio, Luigi; Blatrix, Cecile

2013-01-01

After a presentation of the organisation and implementation of the Citizens' Conference, a presentation of the members of the steering committee and of the assessment committee of this conference, this document presents the opinion of the citizen panel in the framework of the public debate on the Cigeo project of deep underground disposal of radioactive wastes. This opinion notably outlines the waste issue as an inter-generational issue, comments the calendar and condition of the Cigeo project, states the panel opinion on risks which are specific to the Cigeo project, discusses the issue of recoverability and reversibility, discusses the issue of site memory, evokes the possibility of exploitation of geothermal energy, outlines the importance of health and environmental monitoring, comments opportunities for local development, and discusses cost and financing assessments. An appendix presents the different training programmes proposed during the citizens' conference

14 CFR 47.7 - United States citizens and resident aliens.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false United States citizens and resident aliens... AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION General § 47.7 United States citizens and resident aliens. (a) U.S. citizens... the application. (b) Resident aliens. An applicant for aircraft registration under 49 U.S.C. 44102 who...

If it matters for the group then it matters to me: collective action outcomes for seasoned activists.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackwood, Leda M; Louis, Winnifred R

2012-03-01

The present article reports a longitudinal study of the psychological antecedents for, and outcomes of, collective action for a community sample of activists. At Time 1, activist identification influenced intentions to engage in collective action behaviours protesting the Iraq war, both directly and indirectly via perceptions of the efficacy of these behaviours for achieving group goals, as well as perceptions of individual-level benefits. At Time 2, identification was associated with differences in the dimensions on which the movement's success was evaluated. In the context of the movement's failure to achieve its stated objectives of troop withdrawal, those with strong activist identity placed less importance on influencing government decision making. The implications are discussed in terms of models of collective action and social identity, focusing on a dynamic model that relates identification with a group to evaluations of instrumentality at a group and individual level; and to beliefs about strategic responses to achieve group goals. © 2011 The British Psychological Society.

Assessing Motivations and Use of Online Citizen Science Astronomy Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Nona Bakerman, Maya; Buxner, Sanlyn; Bracey, Georgia; Gugliucci, Nicole

2018-01-01

The exponential proliferation of astronomy data has resulted in the need to develop new ways to analyze data. Recent efforts to engage the public in the discussion of the importance of science has led to projects that are aimed at letting them have hands-on experiences. Citizen science in astronomy, which has followed the model of citizen science in other scientific fields, has increased in the number and type of projects in the last few years and poses captivating ways to engage the public in science.The primary feature of this study was citizen science users’ motivations and activities related to engaging in astronomy citizen science projects. We report on participants’ interview responses related to their motivations, length and frequency of engagement, and reasons for leaving the project. From May to October 2014, 32 adults were interviewed to assess their motivations and experiences with citizen science. In particular, we looked at if and how motivations have changed for those who have engaged in the projects in order to develop support for and understandparticipants of citizen science. The predominant reasons participants took part in citizen science were: interest, helping, learning or teaching, and being part of science. Everyone interviewed demonstrated an intrinsic motivation to do citizen science projects.Participants’ reasons for ending their engagement on any given day were: having to do other things, physical effects of the computer, scheduled event that ended, attention span or tired, computer or program issues. A small fraction of the participants also indicated experiencing negative feedback. Out of the participants who no longer took part in citizen science projects, some indicated that receiving negative feedback was their primary reason and others reported the program to be frustrating.Our work is helping us to understand participants who engage in online citizen science projects so that researchers can better design projects to meet their

Renormalization-group flow of the effective action of cosmological large-scale structures

CERN Document Server

Floerchinger, Stefan

2017-01-01

Following an approach of Matarrese and Pietroni, we derive the functional renormalization group (RG) flow of the effective action of cosmological large-scale structures. Perturbative solutions of this RG flow equation are shown to be consistent with standard cosmological perturbation theory. Non-perturbative approximate solutions can be obtained by truncating the a priori infinite set of possible effective actions to a finite subspace. Using for the truncated effective action a form dictated by dissipative fluid dynamics, we derive RG flow equations for the scale dependence of the effective viscosity and sound velocity of non-interacting dark matter, and we solve them numerically. Physically, the effective viscosity and sound velocity account for the interactions of long-wavelength fluctuations with the spectrum of smaller-scale perturbations. We find that the RG flow exhibits an attractor behaviour in the IR that significantly reduces the dependence of the effective viscosity and sound velocity on the input ...

Explaining radical group behavior: Developing emotion and efficacy routes to normative and nonnormative collective action.

Science.gov (United States)

Tausch, Nicole; Becker, Julia C; Spears, Russell; Christ, Oliver; Saab, Rim; Singh, Purnima; Siddiqui, Roomana N

2011-07-01

A recent model of collective action distinguishes 2 distinct pathways: an emotional pathway whereby anger in response to injustice motivates action and an efficacy pathway where the belief that issues can be solved collectively increases the likelihood that group members take action (van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, & Leach, 2004). Research supporting this model has, however, focused entirely on relatively normative actions such as participating in demonstrations. We argue that the relations between emotions, efficacy, and action differ for more extreme, nonnormative actions and propose (a) that nonnormative actions are often driven by a sense of low efficacy and (b) that contempt, which, unlike anger, entails psychological distancing and a lack of reconciliatory intentions, predicts nonnormative action. These ideas were tested in 3 survey studies examining student protests against tuition fees in Germany (N = 332), Indian Muslims' action support in relation to ingroup disadvantage (N = 156), and British Muslims' responses to British foreign policy (N = 466). Results were generally supportive of predictions and indicated that (a) anger was strongly related to normative action but overall unrelated or less strongly related to nonnormative action, (b) contempt was either unrelated or negatively related to normative action but significantly positively predicted nonnormative action, and (c) efficacy was positively related to normative action and negatively related to nonnormative action. The implications of these findings for understanding and dealing with extreme intergroup phenomena such as terrorism are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved

Citizen Science for Traffic Planning: A Practical Example

Science.gov (United States)

Rieke, Matthes; Stasch, Christoph; Autermann, Christian; de Wall, Arne; Remke, Albert; Wulffius, Herwig; Jirka, Simon

2017-04-01

Measures affecting traffic flows in urban areas, e.g. changing the configuration of traffic lights, are often causing emotional debates by citizens who are affected by these measures. Up to now, citizens are usually not involved in traffic planning and the evaluation of the decisions that were taken. The enviroCar project provides an open platform for collecting and analyzing car sensor data with GPS position data. On the hardware side, enviroCar relies on using Android smartphones and OBD-II Bluetooth adapters. A Web server component collects and aggregates the readings from the cars, anonymizes them and publishes the data as open data which scientists, public administrations or other third parties can utilize for further analysis. In this work, we provide a general overview on the enviroCar project and present a project in a mid-size city in Germany. The city's administration utilized the enviroCar platform with the help of a traffic system consultancy for including citizens in the evaluation process of different traffic light configurations along major traffic axes. Therefore, a public campaign was started including local workshops to engage the citizens. More than 150 citizens were actively collecting more about 9.500 tracks including about 2.5 million measurements. Dedicated evaluation results for the different traffic axes were computed based on the collected data set. Because the data is publicly available as open data, others may prove and reproduce the evaluation results contributing to an objective discussion of traffic planning measures. In summary, the project illustrates how Citizen Science methods and technologies improve traffic planning and related discussions.

Gauging citizen support for a low carbon fuel standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, Ekaterina; Axsen, Jonn; Jaccard, Mark

2015-01-01

Since 2007, several variations of a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) have been implemented around the world. While emerging research tends to focus on greenhouse gas emission reductions from an LCFS, no studies have assessed the policy's political acceptability—a critical component of implementation. We elicit public support for an existing LCFS in British Columbia and a hypothetical (proposed) LCFS for the rest of Canada using survey data collected from a representative sample of Canadian citizens (n=1306). Specifically, we assess: (1) citizen awareness of British Columbia's LCFS, (2) stated citizen support for the LCFS, and (3) how individual characteristics relate to levels of citizen support. We find that British Columbia's LCFS is almost unknown among British Columbia respondents, but once explained, 90% of respondents support it. We refer to this combination of low knowledge and high support as “passive support.” We find similarly broad support in all other Canadian provinces, implying that citizen opposition is unlikely in jurisdictions considering an LCFS. Statistical analysis identifies some individual characteristics associated with LCFS support, including attitudes, demographics, and contextual factors. Results indicate where policymakers might anticipate opposition if it arises due to increased policy stringency or media coverage. - Highlights: • Most citizens are unaware of British Columbia's low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). • We observe passive support: low awareness and high support of the policy. • An LCFS achieves broad support among British Columbia's and Canadian citizens. • Households relying on single occupancy vehicles are less likely to support an LCFS

A Repression of Czechoslovak Citizens in the USSR

OpenAIRE

Hornik Jan

2015-01-01

Around 30,000 citizens of pre-war Czechoslovakia were persecuted in the Soviet Union, at least 5.000 originated from Czech lands. One of the groups consist of the people who in the period of 1939-1942 sought refuge in the USSR from German or Hungarian Nazism, or who wanted to actively fight against it. They ended up in the Gulag, from which they were freed during an amnesty linked to the creation of a Czechoslovak unit in the USSR. Many were Czechoslovak Jews, including those who escaped from...

A natural user interface to integrate citizen science and physical exercise

OpenAIRE

Palermo, Eduardo; Laut, Jeffrey; Nov, Oded; Cappa, Paolo; Porfiri, Maurizio

2017-01-01

Citizen science enables volunteers to contribute to scientific projects, where massive data collection and analysis are often required. Volunteers participate in citizen science activities online from their homes or in the field and are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the possibility of integrating citizen science tasks within physical exercises envisaged as part of a potential rehabilitation therapy session. The citizen science activity entailed envir...

Citizens and Handicaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Stanley B., Jr.

In a speech delivered at the National Easter Seal Society's Annual Convention (1974), the author discusses progress toward full citizenship for the handicapped focusing on the roles of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) and the Office for the Handicapped, Constitutional guarantees of equal rights for all citizens, and national…

Predictors of Death Penalty Views in China: An Empirical Comparison Between College Students and Citizens.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shanhe; Hu, Ming; Lambert, Eric G

2018-04-01

China's current Criminal Law has 46 death-eligible offenses, and China executes more people than any other country in the world. However, there is a lack of study of attitudes toward capital punishment for specific offenses, and no death penalty view comparison between college students and regular citizens in China was found. This study was taken to address these limitations. Using a sample of 401 respondents from Zhejiang, China, in 2016, the present study found that more than 72% of respondents favored the death penalty without any specification of crime types. Level of death penalty support differed by various specific crimes. As expected, relative to college students, general population citizens were more likely to support capital punishment. Both groups had the highest death penalty support for murder. The study also revealed similar and different reasons behind death penalty attitudes between college students and regular citizens.

Citizen Science Initiatives: Engaging the Public and Demystifying Science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Van Vliet

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Internet and smart phone technologies have opened up new avenues for collaboration among scientists around the world. These technologies have also expanded citizen science opportunities and public participation in scientific research (PPSR. Here we discuss citizen science, what it is, who does it, and the variety of projects and methods used to increase scientific knowledge and scientific literacy. We describe a number of different types of citizen-science projects. These greatly increase the number of people involved, helping to speed the pace of data analysis and allowing science to advance more rapidly. As a result of the numerous advantages of citizen-science projects, these opportunities are likely to expand in the future and increase the rate of novel discoveries.

Student Attitudes Towards and Impressions of Project Citizen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Winstead FRY

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Project Citizen is a civic education curriculum used across the United States and internationally, yet research about its impact on students is lacking in the literature. This article reports the results of a preliminary study designed to answer the following questions: What are students’ attitudes toward and perceptions of Project Citizen? How do their attitudes and perceptions compare to those of students who completed senior projects? Tenhigh school students and 23 first-year college students completed a questionnaire designed for this study. Our findings indicate that the high school students had positive perceptions of Project Citizen, and they self-reported anunderstanding and high levels of efficacy regarding civic responsibility. In contrast, the first-year college students had lower levels of efficacy regarding civic responsibility. Our findings suggest the importance of specific learning experiences to help students develop civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and indicate the need for further research into civic programs such as Project Citizen

The Problem of Citizens: E-Democracy for Actually Existing Democracy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Kreiss

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This article argues that many contemporary e-democracy projects, particularly in the United States, have at their heart a model of atomistic, independent, rational, and general-interest citizens. As such, these projects, variously grouped under the labels of e-governance, online deliberation, open government, and civic technology, often assume a broad shared consensus about collective definitions of “public problems” that both does not exist and sidesteps debates over what these problems are and what potential solutions can and should be. Drawing on recent theories of political parties, social identity, and cultural cognition, this article argues that e-democracy efforts need to account for the fact that the citizens practitioners appeal to see themselves by default as members of social groups, and that this has implications for politics and what Jasanoff calls “civic epistemology.” Presenting the case of attempting to change Republican opinions about climate change, I argue that e-democracy initiatives should seek to foster collaboration and deliberation within , not between, parties and among partisans. To do so, e-democratic reformers need to explicitly structure the collaborative and deliberative environment so there is a range of intra-party opinions and beliefs as part of the consultative and policy-making process.

Citizen Science: The First Peninsular Malaysia Butterfly Count

Science.gov (United States)

Jisming-See, Shi-Wei; Brandon-Mong, Guo-Jie; Lim, Aik-Hean; Lim, Voon-Ching; Lee, Ping-Shin; Sing, Kong-Wah

2015-01-01

Abstract Background Over the past 50 years, Southeast Asia has suffered the greatest losses of biodiversity of any tropical region in the world. Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of Southeast Asia with roughly the same number of mammal species, three times the number of butterfly species, but only 4% of the land area of Australia. Consequently, in Malaysia, there is an urgent need for biodiversity monitoring and also public engagement with wildlife to raise awareness of biodiversity loss. Citizen science is “on the rise” globally and can make valuable contributions to long-term biodiversity monitoring, but perhaps more importantly, involving the general public in science projects can raise public awareness and promote engagement. Butterflies are often the focus of citizen science projects due to their charisma and familiarity and are particularly valuable “ambassadors” of biodiversity conservation for public outreach. New information Here we present the data from our citizen science project, the first “Peninsular Malaysia Butterfly Count”. Participants were asked to go outdoors on June 6, 2015, and (non-lethally) sample butterfly legs for species identification through DNA barcoding. Fifty-seven citizens responded to our adverts and registered to take part in the butterfly count with many registering on behalf of groups. Collectively the participants sampled 220 butterfly legs from 26 mostly urban and suburban sampling localities. These included our university campus, a highschool, several public parks and private residences. On the basis of 192 usable DNA barcodes, 43 species were sampled by the participants. The most sampled species was Appias olferna, followed by Junonia orithya and Zizina otis. Twenty-two species were only sampled once, five were only sampled twice, and four were only sampled three times. Three DNA barcodes could not be assigned species names. The sampled butterflies revealed that widely distributed, cosmopolitan

Citizen Observatories and the New Earth Observation Science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Grainger

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Earth observation is diversifying, and now includes new types of systems, such as citizen observatories, unmanned aerial vehicles and wireless sensor networks. However, the Copernicus Programme vision of a seamless chain from satellite data to usable information in the hands of decision makers is still largely unrealized, and remote sensing science lacks a conceptual framework to explain why. This paper reviews the literatures on citizen science, citizen observatories and conceptualization of remote sensing systems. It then proposes a Conceptual Framework for Earth Observation which can be used in a new Earth observation science to explain blockages in the chain from collecting data to disseminating information in any Earth observation system, including remote sensing systems. The framework differs from its predecessors by including social variables as well as technological and natural ones. It is used here, with evidence from successful citizen science projects, to compare the factors that are likely to influence the effectiveness of satellite remote sensing systems and citizen observatories. The paper finds that constraints on achieving the seamless “Copernicus Chain” are not solely technical, as assumed in the new Space Strategy for Europe, but include social constraints too. Achieving the Copernicus Chain will depend on the balance between: (a the ‘forward’ momentum generated by the repetitive functioning of each component in the system, as a result of automatic operation or human institutions, and by the efficiency of interfaces between components; and (b the ‘backward’ flow of information on the information needs of end users. Citizen observatories will face challenges in components which for satellite remote sensing systems are: (a automatic or straightforward, e.g., sensor design and launch, data collection, and data products; and (b also challenging, e.g., data processing. Since citizen observatories will rely even more on

A Science Products Inventory for Citizen-Science Planning and Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggins, Andrea; Bonney, Rick; LeBuhn, Gretchen; Parrish, Julia K; Weltzin, Jake F

2018-06-01

Citizen science involves a range of practices involving public participation in scientific knowledge production, but outcomes evaluation is complicated by the diversity of the goals and forms of citizen science. Publications and citations are not adequate metrics to describe citizen-science productivity. We address this gap by contributing a science products inventory (SPI) tool, iteratively developed through an expert panel and case studies, intended to support general-purpose planning and evaluation of citizen-science projects with respect to science productivity. The SPI includes a collection of items for tracking the production of science outputs and data practices, which are described and illustrated with examples. Several opportunities for further development of the initial inventory are highlighted, as well as potential for using the inventory as a tool to guide project management, funding, and research on citizen science.

Citizen voices performing public participation in science and environment communication

CERN Document Server

Carvalho, Anabela; Doyle, Julie

2012-01-01

How is "participation" ascribed meaning and practised in science and environment communication? And how are citizen voices articulated, invoked, heard, marginalised or silenced in those processes? Citizen Voices takes its starting point in the so-called dialogic or participatory turn in scientific and environmental governance in which practices claiming to be based on principles of participation, dialogue and citizen involvement have proliferated. The book goes beyond the buzzword of "participation" in order to give empirically rich, theoretically informed and critical accounts of how citizen participation is understood and enacted in mass mediation and public engagement practices. A diverse series of studies across Europe and the US are presented, providing readers with empirical insights into the articulation of citizen voices in different national, cultural and institutional contexts. Building bridges across media and communication studies, science and technology studies, environmental studies and urban pl...

A science products inventory for citizen-science planning and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggins, Andrea; Bonney, Rick; LeBuhn, Gretchen; Parrish, Julia K.; Weltzin, Jake F.

2018-01-01

Citizen science involves a range of practices involving public participation in scientific knowledge production, but outcomes evaluation is complicated by the diversity of the goals and forms of citizen science. Publications and citations are not adequate metrics to describe citizen-science productivity. We address this gap by contributing a science products inventory (SPI) tool, iteratively developed through an expert panel and case studies, intended to support general-purpose planning and evaluation of citizen-science projects with respect to science productivity. The SPI includes a collection of items for tracking the production of science outputs and data practices, which are described and illustrated with examples. Several opportunities for further development of the initial inventory are highlighted, as well as potential for using the inventory as a tool to guide project management, funding, and research on citizen science.

A Science Products Inventory for Citizen-Science Planning and Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggins, Andrea; Bonney, Rick; LeBuhn, Gretchen; Parrish, Julia K; Weltzin, Jake F

2018-01-01

Abstract Citizen science involves a range of practices involving public participation in scientific knowledge production, but outcomes evaluation is complicated by the diversity of the goals and forms of citizen science. Publications and citations are not adequate metrics to describe citizen-science productivity. We address this gap by contributing a science products inventory (SPI) tool, iteratively developed through an expert panel and case studies, intended to support general-purpose planning and evaluation of citizen-science projects with respect to science productivity. The SPI includes a collection of items for tracking the production of science outputs and data practices, which are described and illustrated with examples. Several opportunities for further development of the initial inventory are highlighted, as well as potential for using the inventory as a tool to guide project management, funding, and research on citizen science. PMID:29867254

Climate Change and Citizen Behavior: a Challenge for EU Environmental Policy; Cambio climatico y comportamiento cotidiano del ciudadano: un reto para la politica medioambiental de la UE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prades, A.; Horlick-Jones, T.; Espluga, J.; Oltra, J.; Oltra, C.; Barnet, J.; Constantin, M.; Enander, A.; Konrad, W.; Poumadere, M.

2012-11-01

Although policy makers and citizens alike coincide in acknowledging the seriousness of the climate change problem and the resulting need for action, the public initiatives aimed at modifying our behavior to make it more sustainable are not achieving the expected effectiveness. The PACHELBEL Project, coordinated by CISOTCIEMAT and in which 10 institutions from 6 European countries (Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Romania and Sweden) are participating, is developing a tool (STAVE) to stimulate the effectiveness of the initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable habits among citizens. (Author) 28 refs.

Immersive participation: Smartphone-Apps and Virtual Reality - tools for knowledge transfer, citizen science and interactive collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Dotterweich, Markus

2017-04-01

In the last few years, the use of smartphone-apps has become a daily routine in our life. However, only a few approaches have been undertaken to use apps for transferring scientific knowledge to the public audience. The development of learning apps or serious games requires large efforts and several levels of simplification which is different to traditional text books or learning webpages. Current approaches often lack a connection to the real life and/or innovative gamification concepts. Another almost untapped potential is the use of Virtual Reality, a fast growing technology which replicates a virtual environment in order to simulate physical experiences in artificial or real worlds. Hence, smartphone-apps and VR provides new opportunities for capacity building, knowledge transfer, citizen science or interactive engagement in the realm of environmental sciences. This presentation will show some examples and discuss the advantages of these immersive approaches to improve the knowledge transfer between scientists and citizens and to stimulate actions in the real world.

Strengthening the Idea of “By Citizens, for Citizens” in the Context of the European Citizens' Initiative - Brief Analysis of Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana - Măriuca Petrescu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Regulation (EU No. 211 of 16 February 2011 on the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI, as one of the major innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon, represents the first supranational instrument of direct democracy that took effect on April 1, 2012, creating the direct legal link between the European Union citizens and the European institutions. Within the present paper we will give a general overview of the European Citizens’ Initiative instrument, trying also to analyse briefly certain citizens’ initiatives that have been already registered on the European Commission’s website where the online collection of a million signatures is still running, bearing in mind the important role of the citizens as “co-authors” of the law within the European decision-making process. From our point of view this participation will increase the responsibility of the citizens to be more active and to use their new right in the best conditions and without any obstacles.

Disaster-related fatalities among US citizens traveling abroad.

Science.gov (United States)

Partridge, Robert; Bouslough, David; Proano, Lawrence

2013-01-01

To describe the locations and risk of death associated with natural disaster fatalities for US citizens traveling abroad. A retrospective database review of US citizen disaster deaths occurring worldwide. None. Information on fatalities due to disasters was abstracted from the US Department of State Web site reporting deaths of US citizens abroad by non-natural causes from October 2002 through June 2012. The main outcome measures were the frequency of disaster deaths and countries where disasters occurred. Descriptive statistics and rates were used to evaluate the study data. There were 7,963 total non-natural deaths of US citizens traveling abroad during the study period. Of these, 163 (2.0 percent) were disaster-related deaths, involving 19 disaster events in 15 countries. Only two disaster-related events resulted in more than two deaths of US travelers-the 2010 earthquake in Haiti causing 121 fatalities (74.2 percent of disaster deaths), and the 2004 tsunami in Thailand causing 22 fatalities (13.5 percent of disaster deaths). The approximate annual mean death rate for US citizen travelers as a result of disaster events is 0.27 deaths/1 million travelers, compared with 1.4 deaths/1 million residents due to disaster annually within the United States. The risk of disaster-related fatality is low for US citizens traveling abroad. Although disaster-related death among travelers is unpredictable, during a period of almost 10 years, there was only one reported death due to disaster in the five countries most frequently visited by US travelers. Further investigation may identify population-, seasonal-, country-, or location-specific risks from which prevention strategies can be developed.

A path less traveled: A self-guided action science inquiry among a small group of adult learners

Science.gov (United States)

Folkman, Daniel Vance

This dissertation provides an analysis of the dialogue that occurred among a small group of adult learners who engaged in a self-guided action science inquiry into their own practice. The following pages describe how this group of five practitioners ventured into a critical, self-reflective inquiry into their own values, feelings, and intentions in search of personal and professional growth. It is a deeply revealing story that shows how, through group dialogue, the members gradually unravel the interconnections between their values, feelings, and intention. They uncover surprising and unanticipated patterns in their reasoning-in-action that reflect lessons from present day experiences as well as childhood axioms about what constitutes appropriate behavior. They push their learning further to recognize emotional triggers that are useful in confronting old habits of mind that must be overcome if new Model II strategies are to be learned and internalized. They conclude that becoming Model II requires a centering on basic values, a personal commitment to change, a willingness to persist in the face of resistance, and the wisdom to act with deliberate caution. The transformative power of this insight lies in the realization of what it takes personally and collectively to make the world a truly respectful, productive, democratic, and socially just place in which to live and work. The action science literature holds the assumption that a trained facilitator is needed to guide such an inquiry and the learning of Model II skills. Unfortunately, there are few educator-trainers available to facilitate the learning of Model II proficiencies over the months and years that may be required. The data presented here show that it is possible for a group of highly motivated individuals to initiate and sustain their own action science inquiry without the aid of a highly skilled facilitator. A model of the group dialogue is presented that highlights the salient characteristics of an

The Problem of Citizens: E-Democracy for Actually Existing Democracy

OpenAIRE

Daniel Kreiss

2015-01-01

This article argues that many contemporary e-democracy projects, particularly in the United States, have at their heart a model of atomistic, independent, rational, and general-interest citizens. As such, these projects, variously grouped under the labels of e-governance, online deliberation, open government, and civic technology, often assume a broad shared consensus about collective definitions of “public problems” that both does not exist and sidesteps debates over what these problems are ...

Unconventional Participation in Time of Crisis: How Ideology Shapes Citizens’ Political Actions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincenzo Memoli

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Since democracy requires the involvement of citizens, the topic of political participation has attracted great attention from both practitioners and scholars. During the current financial and economic crisis, there have been various protest movements in many European countries. In this paper, which employs data from the European Social Survey and analyzes some European countries using a longitudinal study (2002-2012, I measure unconventional political participation considering three types of action - signed a petition, participated in a lawful demonstration and joined a boycott. By linking citizens to government ideology and vote for party government to political action through a multilevel model, this paper argues that both ideology and citizens’ electoral choices have a bearing on unconventional political participation. In times of crisis, government choices do not feed the level of unconventional political participation. However, differences emerge in terms of political behavior when I consider citizens’ ideology, loser status and government ideology.

The political constitution of the EU citizen rights regime

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Tore Vincents

2011-01-01

Reactions to decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) demonstrate that the political institutions in the Union should take responsibility for the development of the structure of the European Union's (EU) citizen rights regime. This article analyses different political views on the EU...... communities and institutions to the good life of citizens, both individually and collectively. Taking the contestation between the different views seriously, the article argues in favour of political constitutionalism, according to which the development of the EU citizen rights regime is the responsibility...... citizen rights regime. It argues that the disagreement between them is largely a disagreement between ‘reasonable views’. The disagreement is mainly based on different views about the levels (European, national) at which individuals are to be seen as equals and about the contribution of different...

Mobilizing Senior Citizens in Co-Design of Mobile Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmborg, Lone; Gronvall, Erik; Messeter, Jörn

2016-01-01

. Based on the notions of design culture, communities of everyday practice and situated elderliness we present accounts from two European countries, and discuss methodological issues related to mobilizing senior citizens in co-design work as they have manifested themselves and influenced the Give......This paper disseminates work from the European Give&Take project, which aims at co-designing service sharing among senior citizens based on a mobile and distributed platform. With this project as a frame, our paper addresses methodological considerations of participation in co-design for ageing......&Take project. Challenges for mobilization are identified, based on an analysis of attitudes and values among design researchers and senior citizens. This analysis lead us to identify and discuss three strategies for mobilizing senior citizens in co-design of mobile technology: 1) Understanding being ‘elderly...

Citizen Science and the Urban Ecology of Birds and Butterflies - A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang Wei, James; Lee, Benjamin P Y-H; Bing Wen, Low

2016-01-01

Citizen science has gained widespread currency as a tool for ecological research over the past decade. However, in the discipline of urban ecology, the existing contributions and future potential of citizen science engagement, specifically in terms of knowledge gain, have not yet been comprehensively explored. Here, we present a systematic review of published work on the urban ecology of birds and butterflies in relation to their use of citizen science data between 2005 and 2014. We compared the number of studies that used citizen science data to the number of studies that could potentially have employed data derived from citizen science. The take-up rates of citizen science data were 21% and 26% for birds and butterflies respectively. Most studies that employed citizen science used volunteer-derived data as primary data, and adopted Collegial, Collaborative and Contributional engagement modes to the exclusion of Contractual and Co-created arrangements. There was no evidence that citizen science studies investigated a different organismal scale (community vs. species) compared to the urban ecology literature. For both taxa, citizen science contributions were lower than expected compared to their representation in the urban ecology literature for studies on species-environment relationships at landscape and micro-environment scales, as well as behavioural ecology in general. Other research topics that could benefit from further citizen science involvement include breeding studies and guild analyses for birds, and multi-taxa studies for butterflies. Promising models of citizen science engagement for urban ecology are highlighted in relation to their thematic foci and methodological detail, and a number of research questions that could be productively addressed using citizen science are identified. The dynamics of contemporary engagement between citizen science and urban ecology described by this review could inform the design and refinement of urban ecology-citizen

Inventing Citizens During World War I: Suffrage Cartoons in "The Woman Citizen."

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, E. Michele

2000-01-01

Contributes to scholarship advancing the understanding of human communication by examining the rhetorical invention strategies of suffrage rhetoric in the cultural context of World War I. Shows how the political cartoons published in the mainstream Suffrage Movement's "The Woman Citizen" constructed women as strong, competent, and…

Initiative of the citizen - cooperation by the citizen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haeusler, D.

1978-01-01

The position of Buerger initiatives in the social and the legal system of the FRG was the central subject of the 5th Environment Forum on Nov. 29, 1977 at Bremen, organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Umweltfragen (AGU), Bonn. 56 environment experts of groups represented in the AGU (environmental associations, employees, science, industry, Bundestag und Laender parliaments, administration, inidviduals) discussed the matter-of-course of Buerger initiatives,participation of joint boards in the possibility of introducing the action brought by joint boards. (orig./HP) [de

Active Life of the Senior Citizens through Education

Science.gov (United States)

Taziev, Saljakhutdin Fardievich

2015-01-01

The paper presents reasons for including the senior citizens into educational process, as well as active age model. Education, communication and leisure system for the senior citizens, implemented by Yelabuga municipal district, is presented as a requirement for model realization. A core of the paper is the Active Age Institute. Its program…

Earthwatch and the HSBC Climate Partnership: Impacting the Bottom Line One Citizen Scientist at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Kusek, K. M.; Stover, D. B.; Phillips, R.; Jones, A.; Campbell, J.

2009-12-01

Earthwatch has engaged more than 90,000 citizen scientists in long-term research studies since its founding in 1971. One of its newer research and engagement programs is the HSBC Climate Partnership, a five-year global program on climate change to inspire action by individuals, businesses and governments (2007-2012). In this unique NGO-business partnership, Earthwatch has implemented five forest research-focused climate centers in the US, UK, Brazil, India and China. At each center, a team of scientists—supported by HSBC employees and local citizen scientists—is gathering data to determine how temperate and tropical forests are affected by changes in climate and human activity. Results will establish baseline data to empower forest managers, conservationists and communities with the information they need to better manage forests in a changing climate. A critical component of the program is the engagement of 2,200 HSBC employees who spend two weeks out of the office at one of the regional climate centers. They work alongside leading scientists to perform forest research by day, and participate each evening in an interactive education program on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of climate change—including how climate change impacts HSBC’s bottom line. Their charge is to develop a project they will implement back in their office that furthers HSBC’s commitment to sustainability. In addition to the corporate engagement model, Earthwatch has successfully engaged scores of local community stakeholders in the HSBC Climate Partnership, including teachers who report back to their classrooms “live from the field,” reporters and other business/NGO leaders in modified versions of the two-week field program. New models of citizen science engagement are currently under development, and Earthwatch will share “lessons learned” and stories documenting the effectiveness of the program design from a research, engagement and business perspective. By the end

Your Comments Here: Contextualizing Technologies, Seeking Records and Supporting Transparency for Citizen Engagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant Hurley

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Today, governments the world over are opening decision-making processes to citizen engagement as an aspect of open government. Citizen engagement initiatives may range from making information available and seeking feedback, to highly dynamic processes that transfer authority to communities and individuals. As part of these initiatives, governments are actively using digital technologies to gather, analyze, and store citizen input; activities that in turn create an array of records. My paper surveys a range of digital technologies used by Canadian citizen engagement case initiatives. In linking technologies, recordkeeping and citizen engagement, I present the combined frameworks of the IAP2 Spectrum and archival diplomatics as one method of understanding how recordkeeping and citizen engagement frameworks may be joined. I conclude with a discussion on defining and locating the records of citizen engagement initiatives and how records and recordkeeping may support transparency and trust in citizen engagement.

Characteristics of general practice care: what do senior citizens value? A qualitative study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berkelmans, P.G.J.; Berendsen, A.J.; Verhaak, P.F.M.; Meer, K. van der

2010-01-01

Background: In view of the increasing number of senior citizens in our society who are likely to consult their GP with age-related health problems, it is important to identify and understand the preferences of this group in relation to the non-medical attributes of GP care. The aim of this study is

Characteristics of general practice care : What do senior citizens value? A qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berkelmans, P. (Ine) G. J.; Berendsen, Annette J.; Verhaak, Peter F. M.; van der Meer, Klaas

2010-01-01

Background: In view of the increasing number of senior citizens in our society who are likely to consult their GP with age-related health problems, it is important to identify and understand the preferences of this group in relation to the non-medical attributes of GP care. The aim of this study is

Multichannel marketing: an experiment on guiding citizens to the electronic channels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teerling, Marije L.; Pieterson, Willem Jan

2010-01-01

Governments have a variety of channels at their disposal to help them interact with their citizens. Having realized that citizens still prefer the traditional channels, governments are now focusing on ways to lead them to the web. Previously, we have shown that citizens prefer the use of soft

Quiet living. Challenges of citizen participation in digitized society

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stald, Gitte Bang

Quiet living. Challenges of citizen participation in digitized society The aim of this paper is to present and address challenges that citizens may encounter in the intersecting questions of democracy, digitization, and participation. Empirically, the paper draws on findings from an extensive study......, and perceptions of citizenship. From 2011 and forwards a new digitization strategy for public systems has been implemented in Denmark. According to the strategy, all interactions between the system and the citizen in its multiple contexts are now by default digital and online. The logic is that Denmark is among...... media and media content from their private sphere as well as from their work or education. Denmark can therefore be characterized as a digital society. The following quotes from the media literacy study illustrate two different situations and experiences with digitization of citizen life: “Before .. You...

Chapter 8: The "Citizen" in Youth Civic Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Roholt, Ross VeLure; Hildreth, R. W.; Baizerman, Michael

2007-01-01

The concept of citizenship is a central, necessary, and defining feature of youth civic engagement. Any effort to educate young people for citizenship entails an implicit idea of what a "good citizen" is. There are a number of different and sometimes competing versions of what is a "good citizen." This chapter reviews "standard" accounts of…

New trouble brewing: environmental associations are granted the right to institute group action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, W.

2005-01-01

An important legislative project is the transposition of Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and the Council about public participation in the development of certain plans and programs related to the environment, and the amendment of Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61EC of the Council about public participation and access to courts of law. These directives must be transposed into national law and administrative regulations by June 25, 2005. The Directive on Public Participation introduced the right to institute group action. If these provisions were adopted as planned, environmental associations henceforth would be in a position, among other things, to bring action against plant permits, permits under water management and atomic energy laws, allocations of certificates under the new emissions trading system, etc. On February 21, 2005, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) presented a first draft bill about supplementary provisions on legal remedies in environmental cases under the EU Directive (Environmental Legal Remedies Act), which is to be discussed with the Associations in the near future. The preface to the ministerial draft bill does not preclude the possibility of the introduction of group action giving rise to procedural delays in specific cases and, as a consequence, to additional expenses in investment projects. Legislation has ways and means to minimize negative consequences. (orig.)

The diversity and evolution of ecological and environmental citizen science.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael J O Pocock

Full Text Available Citizen science-the involvement of volunteers in data collection, analysis and interpretation-simultaneously supports research and public engagement with science, and its profile is rapidly rising. Citizen science represents a diverse range of approaches, but until now this diversity has not been quantitatively explored. We conducted a systematic internet search and discovered 509 environmental and ecological citizen science projects. We scored each project for 32 attributes based on publicly obtainable information and used multiple factor analysis to summarise this variation to assess citizen science approaches. We found that projects varied according to their methodological approach from 'mass participation' (e.g. easy participation by anyone anywhere to 'systematic monitoring' (e.g. trained volunteers repeatedly sampling at specific locations. They also varied in complexity from approaches that are 'simple' to those that are 'elaborate' (e.g. provide lots of support to gather rich, detailed datasets. There was a separate cluster of entirely computer-based projects but, in general, we found that the range of citizen science projects in ecology and the environment showed continuous variation and cannot be neatly categorised into distinct types of activity. While the diversity of projects begun in each time period (pre 1990, 1990-99, 2000-09 and 2010-13 has not increased, we found that projects tended to have become increasingly different from each other as time progressed (possibly due to changing opportunities, including technological innovation. Most projects were still active so consequently we found that the overall diversity of active projects (available for participation increased as time progressed. Overall, understanding the landscape of citizen science in ecology and the environment (and its change over time is valuable because it informs the comparative evaluation of the 'success' of different citizen science approaches. Comparative

COST Action TU1208 - Working Group 4 - Combined use of GPR and other NDT methods & GPR applications in geosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Pajewski, Lara; Solla, Mercedes; Fontul, Simona

2017-04-01

This work aims at presenting the main results achieved by Working Group (WG) 4 "Different applications of GPR and other NDT technologies in civil engineering" of the COST (European COoperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" (www.GPRadar.eu, www.cost.eu). The main objective of the Action TU1208, started in April 2013 and ending in October 2017, is to exchange and increase scientific-technical knowledge and experience of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) techniques in civil engineering, whilst promoting in Europe the effective use of this safe non-destructive technique. The Action involves more than 150 Institutions from 28 COST Countries, a Cooperating State, 6 Near Neighbour Countries and 6 International Partner Countries. WG4 deals with the use of GPR outside from the civil engineering area, namely in archaeological prospecting and cultural heritage diagnostics, agriculture and management of water resources, investigation of polluted industrial sites, non-destructive testing of living tree trunks, planetary exploration, demining, localization of people buried under avalanches and debris, and more. Furthermore, this WG studies the integration of GPR with other Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods. The most relevant achievements stemming from WG4 will be presented during the 2017 EGU GA. These are: (i) The collection of thorough information on the state-of-the-art, ongoing studies, problems and future research needs on the topics of interest for this WG; (ii) The performance of a plethora of interesting case studies in important sites all over Europe, including well-known historical places such as Stonehenge (United Kingdom), Carnuntum (Austria), the Wawel Cathedral (Cracow, Poland), the Tholos Tomb of Acharnon (Athens, Greece), the Łazienki Royal Palace (Warsaw, Poland), and more; (iii) WG4 contributed to the TU1208 Education Pack, an open educational package conceived to teach GPR in University

COST Action TU1208 - Working Group 2 - GPR surveying of pavements, bridges, tunnels and buildings; underground utility and void sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Pajewski, Lara; Benedetto, Andrea; Derobert, Xavier; Fontul, Simona; Govedarica, Miro; Gregoire, Colette; Loizos, Andreas; Perez-Gracia, Vega; Plati, Christina; Ristic, Aleksandar; Tosti, Fabio; Van Geem, Carl

2017-04-01

parkings, road tunnels, underground concrete tunnels, bridges, railways, buildings. GPR was also employed to detect cables and pipes, as well as to inspect road construction materials, joints, concrete and wood. A selection of the most interesting results will be presented during the 2017 EGU GA. 7. WG2 contributed to the TU1208 Education Pack, an open-access educational package conceived to teach GPR in University courses. 8. In cooperation with the other Working Groups, WG2 organized Tutorials on Ground Penetrating Radar (Brussels, Belgium, July 2014, and London, United Kingdom, March 2015), as well as Training Schools on "Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" (Pisa, Italy, September 2014), "Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar in urban areas: the sensitive case of historical cities" (Cracow, Poland, May 2015), "Ground Penetrating Radar for road pavement assessment and detection of buried utilities" (London, United Kingdom, October 2015), "Applications of GPR to civil engineering and archaeology" (Valletta, Malta, January 2016), "Non-destructive testing techniques for civil engineering" (Barcelona, Spain, March 2016), and finally "Ground Penetrating Radar for the assessment of transport infrastructure" (Osijek, Croatia, March 2017). 9. In cooperation with the other Working Groups, WG2 organized a series of national events devoted to fostering the interaction with stakeholders, new potential GPR end-users, and interested citizens. During such events, participants could discover what is GPR and how this technique can be effectively used in civil engineering works as well as in different fields ("TU1208 GPR Road Show"). Acknowledgement: The Authors are deeply grateful to COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, www.cost.eu), for funding and supporting the COST Action TU1208 "Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" (www.GPRadar.eu).

Fictional citizens and real effects: accountability to citizens in competitive and monopolistic markets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, A.J.; Schillemans, T.

2009-01-01

This paper evaluates the influence of market conditions – (semi) competitive versus monopolistic markets –on (the effects of) citizen accountability on public sector organisations. Empirical material from case studies in education, healthcare, social security and land registry in the Netherlands is

[The Positionality of Caring Action: Small Group Dialogue in a Course on Nursing Ethics].

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Hsien-Hsien

2016-12-01

The content of nursing-ethics education has typically focused on the external standards of caring behavior and neglected the relationship between the ethical attitudes and internal experiences of caregivers. To explore the embodied experience in order to define the positionality of caring action, which is necessary to enrich the content of nursing ethics through small-group-learning-based dialogue. The researcher, as a participant observer, teaches a course on nursing ethics. Reflective analysis was used to analyze the data from the process of small group learning, a reflective group of faculty members, and 30 reflective journals submitted by 10 students. The results identified three items that were related to the positionality of caring action: the attitudes of belief, including the choice to belief and deep understanding; articulating the value system, including exploring affectivity and positionality; and cultivating the self through self-dialogues and dialogues with others. The attitudes of belief promote trust in interpersonal relationships. Articulating the value system deepens the meaning of caring. Cultivating the self may facilitate the ethical self.

Improving the Grade Point Average of Our At-Risk Students: A Collaborative Group Action Research Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Saurino, Dan R.; Hinson, Kenneth; Bouma, Amy

This paper focuses on the use of a group action research approach to help student teachers develop strategies to improve the grade point average of at-risk students. Teaching interventions such as group work and group and individual tutoring were compared to teaching strategies already used in the field. Results indicated an improvement in the…

Attitudinal Change in Elderly Citizens Toward Social Robots: The Role of Personality Traits and Beliefs About Robot Functionality.

Science.gov (United States)

Damholdt, Malene F; Nørskov, Marco; Yamazaki, Ryuji; Hakli, Raul; Hansen, Catharina Vesterager; Vestergaard, Christina; Seibt, Johanna

2015-01-01

Attitudes toward robots influence the tendency to accept or reject robotic devices. Thus it is important to investigate whether and how attitudes toward robots can change. In this pilot study we investigate attitudinal changes in elderly citizens toward a tele-operated robot in relation to three parameters: (i) the information provided about robot functionality, (ii) the number of encounters, (iii) personality type. Fourteen elderly residents at a rehabilitation center participated. Pre-encounter attitudes toward robots, anthropomorphic thinking, and personality were assessed. Thereafter the participants interacted with a tele-operated robot (Telenoid) during their lunch (c. 30 min.) for up to 3 days. Half of the participants were informed that the robot was tele-operated (IC) whilst the other half were naïve to its functioning (UC). Post-encounter assessments of attitudes toward robots and anthropomorphic thinking were undertaken to assess change. Attitudes toward robots were assessed with a new generic 35-items questionnaire (attitudes toward social robots scale: ASOR-5), offering a differentiated conceptualization of the conditions for social interaction. There was no significant difference between the IC and UC groups in attitude change toward robots though trends were observed. Personality was correlated with some tendencies for attitude changes; Extraversion correlated with positive attitude changes to intimate-personal relatedness with the robot (r = 0.619) and to psychological relatedness (r = 0.581) whilst Neuroticism correlated negatively (r = -0.582) with mental relatedness with the robot. The results tentatively suggest that neither information about functionality nor direct repeated encounters are pivotal in changing attitudes toward robots in elderly citizens. This may reflect a cognitive congruence bias where the robot is experienced in congruence with initial attitudes, or it may support action-based explanations of cognitive dissonance reductions

Attitudinal change in elderly citizens towards social robots: the role of personality traits and beliefs about robot functionality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malene Flensborg Damholdt

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Attitudes towards robots influence the tendency to accept or reject robotic devices. Thus it is important to investigate whether and how attitudes towards robots can change. In this pilot study we investigate attitudinal changes in elderly citizens toward a tele-operated robot in relation to three parameters: (i the information provided about robot functionality, (ii the number of encounters, (iii personality type. Fourteen elderly residents at a rehabilitation centre participated. Pre-encounter attitudes towards robots, anthropomorphic thinking, and personality were assessed. Thereafter the participants interacted with a tele-operated robot (Telenoid during their lunch (c. 30 min. for up to three days. Half of the participants were informed that the robot was tele-operated (IC whilst the other half were naïve to its functioning (UC. Post-encounter assessments of attitudes towards robots and anthropomorphic thinking were undertaken to assess change. Attitudes towards robots were assessed with a new generic 35-item questionnaire (Attitudes towards social robots scale: ASOR-5, offering a differentiated conceptualization of the conditions for social interaction.There was no significant difference between the IC and UC groups in attitude change towards robots though trends were observed. Personality was correlated with some tendencies for attitude changes; Extraversion correlated with positive attitude changes to intimate-personal relatedness with the robot (r=.619 and to psychological relatedness (r=.581 whilst Neuroticism correlated negatively (r=-.582 with mental relatedness with the robot. The results tentatively suggest that neither information about functionality nor direct repeated encounters are pivotal in changing attitudes towards robots in elderly citizens. This may reflect a cognitive congruence bias where the robot is experienced in congruence with initial attitudes, or it may support action-based explanations of cognitive dissonance

Innovation in Citizen Science – Perspectives on Science-Policy Advances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanne Hecker

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Citizen science is growing as a field of research with contributions from diverse disciplines, promoting innovation in science, society, and policy. Inter- and transdisciplinary discussions and critical analyses are needed to use the current momentum to evaluate, demonstrate, and build on the advances that have been made in the past few years. This paper synthesizes results of discussions at the first international citizen science conference of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA in 2016 in Berlin, Germany, and distills major points of the discourse into key recommendations. To enhance innovation in science, citizen science needs to clearly demonstrate its scientific benefit, branch out across disciplines, and foster active networking and new formats of collaboration, including true co-design with participants. For fostering policy advances, it is important to embrace opportunities for policy-relevant monitoring and policy development and to work with science funders to find adequate avenues and evaluation tools to support citizen science. From a society angle it is crucial to engage with societal actors in various formats that suit participants and to evaluate two-way learning outcomes as well as to develop the transformative role of science communication. We hope that these key perspectives will promote citizen science progress at the science-society-policy interface.

Framework for Processing Citizens Science Data for Applications to NASA Earth Science Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, William; Albayrak, Arif

2017-01-01

Citizen science (or crowdsourcing) has drawn much high-level recent and ongoing interest and support. It is poised to be applied, beyond the by-now fairly familiar use of, e.g., Twitter for natural hazards monitoring, to science research, such as augmenting the validation of NASA earth science mission data. This interest and support is seen in the 2014 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, the 2015 White House forum on citizen science and crowdsourcing, the ongoing Senate Bill 2013 (Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2015), the recent (August 2016) Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) call for public participation in its newly-established Citizen Science Domain Working Group, and NASA's initiation of a new Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program (along with its first citizen science-focused solicitation for proposals). Over the past several years, we have been exploring the feasibility of extracting from the Twitter data stream useful information for application to NASA precipitation research, with both "passive" and "active" participation by the twitterers. The Twitter database, which recently passed its tenth anniversary, is potentially a rich source of real-time and historical global information for science applications. The time-varying set of "precipitation" tweets can be thought of as an organic network of rain gauges, potentially providing a widespread view of precipitation occurrence. The validation of satellite precipitation estimates is challenging, because many regions lack data or access to data, especially outside of the U.S. and in remote and developing areas. Mining the Twitter stream could augment these validation programs and, potentially, help tune existing algorithms. Our ongoing work, though exploratory, has resulted in key components for processing and managing tweets, including the capabilities to filter the Twitter stream in real time, to extract location information, to filter for exact phrases, and to plot tweet distributions. The

Twisted Diff S sup 1 -action on loop groups and representations of the Virasoro algebra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harnad, J [Montreal Univ., Quebec (Canada). Centre de Recherches Mathematiques (CRM); Kupershmidt, B A [Tennessee Univ., Tullahoma (USA). Space Inst.

1990-05-01

A modified Hamiltonian action of Diff S{sup 1} on the phase space LG{sup C}/G{sup C}, where LG is a loop group, is defined by twisting the usual action by a left translation in LG. This twisted action is shown to be generated by a nonequivariant moment map, thereby defining a classical Poisson bracket realization of a central extension of the Lie algebra diff{sub C} S{sup 1}. The resulting formula expresses the Diff S{sup 1} generators in terms of the left LG translation generators, giving a shifted modification of both the classical and quantum versions of the Sugawara formula. (orig.).

Building a Co-Created Citizen Science Program with Community Members Neighboring a Hazardous Waste Site

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez-Andreotta, M.; Brusseau, M. L. L.; Artiola, J. F.; Maier, R. M.; Gandolfi, A. J.

2015-12-01

A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, often gives low priority to the development of a comprehensive strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. To date, only a limited number of co-created citizen science projects, where community members are involved in most or all steps of the scientific process, have been initiated at contaminated sites and even less in conjunction with risk communication. Gardenroots: The Dewey-Humboldt AZ Garden Project was a place-based, co-created citizen science project where community members and researchers together: defined the question for study, developed hypotheses, collected environmental samples, disseminated results broadly, translated the results into action, and posed new research questions. This co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels) that was not being evaluated in the current site assessment. Furthermore, co-producing science led to both individual learning and social-ecological outcomes. This approach illustrates the benefits of a co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a hazardous waste sites. Such a project increased the community's involvement in regional environmental assessment and decision-making, which has the potential to help mitigate environmental exposures and thereby reduce associated risks.

Aurorasaurus: A citizen science platform for viewing and reporting the aurora

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, E. A.; Case, N. A.; Clayton, J. H.; Hall, M. K.; Heavner, M.; Lalone, N.; Patel, K. G.; Tapia, A.

2015-09-01

A new, citizen science-based, aurora observing and reporting platform has been developed with the primary aim of collecting auroral observations made by the general public to further improve the modeling of the aurora. In addition, the real-time ability of this platform facilitates the combination of citizen science observations with auroral oval models to improve auroral visibility nowcasting. Aurorasaurus provides easily understandable aurora information, basic gamification, and real-time location-based notification of verified aurora activity to engage citizen scientists. The Aurorasaurus project is one of only a handful of space weather citizen science projects and can provide useful results for the space weather and citizen science communities. Early results are promising with over 2000 registered users submitting over 1000 aurora observations and verifying over 1700 aurora sightings posted on Twitter.

Citizen-based environmental radiation monitoring network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alemayehu, B.; Mckinzie, M.; Cochran, T.; Sythe, D.; Randrup, R.; Lafargue, E.

2017-01-01

This paper discusses a Citizen Radiation Monitoring project designed and implemented by the Natural Resources Defense Council . The goal of the project was to implement a radiation monitoring system that provides radiation data accessible to the public. The monitoring system consisted of usage of a radiation detector integrated with near real-time data collection and visualization. The monitoring systems were installed at five different locations and background radiation measurements were taken. The developed monitoring system demonstrated that citizen-based monitoring system could provide accessible radiation data to the general public and relevant to the area where they live. (author)

Examining citizen participation: local participatory policymaking and democracy revisited

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michels, A.M.B.; de Graaf, Laurens

2017-01-01

This article discusses developments in citizen participation and its contribution to democracy since the publication of the original article. It evaluates the continued relevance of the use of a normative framework to assess different forms of citizen participation, nuances some of the conclusions

Examining Citizen Participation: Local Participatory Policy Making and Democracy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michels, A.M.B.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/11124501X; de Graaf, L.J.

2010-01-01

Citizen participation is usually seen as a vital aspect of democracy. Many theorists claim that citizen participation has positive effects on the quality of democracy. This article examines the probability of these claims for local participatory policymaking projects in two municipalities in the

Examining Citizen Participation : Local participatory Policymaking and Democracy revisted

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ank Michels; Laurens de Graaf

2017-01-01

This article discusses developments in citizen participation and its contribution to democracy since the publication of the original article. It evaluates the continued relevance of the use of a normative framework to assess different forms of citizen participation, nuances some of the conclusions

Influencing citizen behavior: experiences from multichannel marketing pilot projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Wijngaert, Lidwien; Pieterson, Willem Jan; Teerling, Marije L.

2011-01-01

Information technology allows national and local governments to satisfy the needs of citizens in a cost effective way. Unfortunately, citizens still tend to prefer traditional, more costly channels, such as the front desk, phone and mail. Through pilot projects government agencies attempt to

CULTURAL ADAPTATION OF CZECH CITIZENS IN THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiří Čeněk

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article relates to the process of adaptation of Czech citizens to Turkish culture. The article explores the perception of Turkish culture by Czech citizens, problems they encounter in the Turkish society and the ways of their adjustment to the host culture. The empirical research on 10 Czech citizens was conducted using the method of semi-structured interviews. The article addresses the most important issues connected with the process of cultural adaptation.

Logistics and logistics support in crisis management and citizen protection

OpenAIRE

HOLEJŠOVSKÝ, Jan

2010-01-01

ABSTRAKT LOGISTICS AND LOGISTICS SUPPORT IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND CITIZEN PROTECTION The graduation thesis on topic "Logistics and logistics support in crisis management and citizen protection" is divided into several chapters, which in summary are a material presenting information about logistics and logistics support in crisis management and citizen protection. This was one of the aims at this work. Chapters I., II., III., IV. describe logistics and logistics support, crisis management, cit...

19 CFR 148.54 - Exemption for effects of citizens dying abroad.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exemption for effects of citizens dying abroad... § 148.54 Exemption for effects of citizens dying abroad. (a) Exemption. Articles claimed to be personal and household effects, not stock in trade, the title to which is in the estate of a citizen of the...

Enhancing citizen engagement in cancer screening through deliberative democracy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rychetnik, Lucie; Carter, Stacy M; Abelson, Julia; Thornton, Hazel; Barratt, Alexandra; Entwistle, Vikki A; Mackenzie, Geraldine; Salkeld, Glenn; Glasziou, Paul

2013-03-20

Cancer screening is widely practiced and participation is promoted by various social, technical, and commercial drivers, but there are growing concerns about the emerging harms, risks, and costs of cancer screening. Deliberative democracy methods engage citizens in dialogue on substantial and complex problems: especially when evidence and values are important and people need time to understand and consider the relevant issues. Information derived from such deliberations can provide important guidance to cancer screening policies: citizens' values are made explicit, revealing what really matters to people and why. Policy makers can see what informed, rather than uninformed, citizens would decide on the provision of services and information on cancer screening. Caveats can be elicited to guide changes to existing policies and practices. Policies that take account of citizens' opinions through a deliberative democracy process can be considered more legitimate, justifiable, and feasible than those that don't.

Citizen science on a smartphone: Participants' motivations and learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Land-Zandstra, Anne M; Devilee, Jeroen L A; Snik, Frans; Buurmeijer, Franka; van den Broek, Jos M

2016-01-01

Citizen science provides researchers means to gather or analyse large datasets. At the same time, citizen science projects offer an opportunity for non-scientists to be part of and learn from the scientific process. In the Dutch iSPEX project, a large number of citizens turned their smartphones into actual measurement devices to measure aerosols. This study examined participants' motivation and perceived learning impacts of this unique project. Most respondents joined iSPEX because they wanted to contribute to the scientific goals of the project or because they were interested in the project topics (health and environmental impact of aerosols). In terms of learning impact, respondents reported a gain in knowledge about citizen science and the topics of the project. However, many respondents had an incomplete understanding of the science behind the project, possibly caused by the complexity of the measurements. © The Author(s) 2015.

A natural user interface to integrate citizen science and physical exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Palermo, Eduardo; Laut, Jeffrey; Nov, Oded; Cappa, Paolo; Porfiri, Maurizio

2017-01-01

Citizen science enables volunteers to contribute to scientific projects, where massive data collection and analysis are often required. Volunteers participate in citizen science activities online from their homes or in the field and are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the possibility of integrating citizen science tasks within physical exercises envisaged as part of a potential rehabilitation therapy session. The citizen science activity entailed environmental mapping of a polluted body of water using a miniature instrumented boat, which was remotely controlled by the participants through their physical gesture tracked by a low-cost markerless motion capture system. Our findings demonstrate that the natural user interface offers an engaging and effective means for performing environmental monitoring tasks. At the same time, the citizen science activity increases the commitment of the participants, leading to a better motion performance, quantified through an array of objective indices. The study constitutes a first and necessary step toward rehabilitative treatments of the upper limb through citizen science and low-cost markerless optical systems.

A natural user interface to integrate citizen science and physical exercise.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Palermo

Full Text Available Citizen science enables volunteers to contribute to scientific projects, where massive data collection and analysis are often required. Volunteers participate in citizen science activities online from their homes or in the field and are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the possibility of integrating citizen science tasks within physical exercises envisaged as part of a potential rehabilitation therapy session. The citizen science activity entailed environmental mapping of a polluted body of water using a miniature instrumented boat, which was remotely controlled by the participants through their physical gesture tracked by a low-cost markerless motion capture system. Our findings demonstrate that the natural user interface offers an engaging and effective means for performing environmental monitoring tasks. At the same time, the citizen science activity increases the commitment of the participants, leading to a better motion performance, quantified through an array of objective indices. The study constitutes a first and necessary step toward rehabilitative treatments of the upper limb through citizen science and low-cost markerless optical systems.

How can a society make its citizens just? | Lotter | South African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

How can citizens be made just? I focus on how modern constitutional democracies can entice, convince, and guide their citizens to become just. I rely chiefly on Rawls's theory of justice (1971), as well as the work of sociologist Derek L. Phillips. I argue that internal control by citizens them selves is the best option. This view ...

A citizens' jury on regulation of McDonald's products and operations in Australia in response to a corporate health impact assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Anaf, Julia; Baum, Fran; Fisher, Matthew

2018-04-01

1) To report outcomes from a citizens' jury examining regulatory responses to the health impacts of McDonald's Australia; 2) To determine the value of using citizens' juries to develop policy recommendations based on the findings of health impact assessment of transnational corporations (TNCs). A citizens' jury engaged 15 randomly selected and demographically representative jurors from metropolitan Adelaide to deliberate on the findings of a Corporate Health Impact Assessment, and to decide on appropriate policy actions. Jurors unanimously called for government regulation to ensure that transnational fast food corporations pay taxes on profits in the country of income. A majority (two-thirds) also recommended government regulation to reduce fast food advertising, and improve standards of consumer information including a star-ratings system. A minority held the view that no further regulation is required of the corporate fast food industry in Australia. The jury's recommendations can help inform policy makers about the importance of ending the legal profit-shifting strategies by TNCs that affect taxation revenue. They also endorse regulating the fast food industry to provide healthier food, and employing forms of community education and awareness-raising. Implications for public health: Citizens' juries can play an important role in providing feedback and policy recommendations in response to the findings of a health impact assessment of transnational corporations. © 2018 The Authors.

Attitudes of Brazilian citizens towards pig production systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra; Kügler, Jens Oliver; Saab, Maria Stella Melo

to identify Brazilian citizen clusters. Respondents' socio-demographic profile, attitudes towards issues that are expected to influence the way how people evaluate pig meat production systems, and consumption frequency of various pork products were used as background information for profiling. Three clusters...... and consumption behaviour was found to be weak. As it was suggested for Europe (Krystallis et al., 2009), what people think in their role as citizens related to pig production does not appear to significantly influence their pork consumption choices.......The objective of this study is to map Brazilian citizen attitudes towards pig meat production systems and to investigate whether these attitudes associate with pork and pork product consumption. A conjoint experiment was carried out with empirical data collected from 475 respondents interviewed...

Invisible death. Citizens' fears of the atom. 2. ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthel, W.; Jaenecke, H.; Thomsen, P.

1979-01-01

Contents in key-words: The devils' pact. A story from the a-bomb up to the fast breeder. The bomb/the resistance is being formed/the euphoria in the industry/the resistance of the citizens/the doubts of the scientists/are the lights really being turned off in the industrial society. Drilling Place Gorleben or the radiating giant. Are we living on a time bomb.- The expertises: Reprocession of atomic waste and the final waste management/What is reprocession. What is plutonium. What are the alternatives of reprocession. International group of scientists is discussing the plutonium reactor on the heath. The escape from Harrisburg or when the pile was boiling. Is the FRG going to be an atom country. Do we need nuclear energy at all. How dangerous is radioactivity in the normal case./How dangerous in disturbances : explosions, terror acts, war./Can radioactivity cause cancer. Who protects the citizens from governmental protective measures or do we need an atom restitution. Annex: Nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic/Nuclear power plant accidents in the Federal Republic/Experts in the Gorleben-hearing in Hannover. (orig.) 891 HP/orig. 892 RKD [de

A Citizen Science Campaign to Validate Snow Remote-Sensing Products

Science.gov (United States)

Wikstrom Jones, K.; Wolken, G. J.; Arendt, A. A.; Hill, D. F.; Crumley, R. L.; Setiawan, L.; Markle, B.

2017-12-01

The ability to quantify seasonal water retention and storage in mountain snow packs has implications for an array of important topics, including ecosystem function, water resources, hazard mitigation, validation of remote sensing products, climate modeling, and the economy. Runoff simulation models, which typically rely on gridded climate data and snow remote sensing products, would be greatly improved if uncertainties in estimates of snow depth distribution in high-elevation complex terrain could be reduced. This requires an increase in the spatial and temporal coverage of observational snow data in high-elevation data-poor regions. To this end, we launched Community Snow Observations (CSO). Participating citizen scientists use Mountain Hub, a multi-platform mobile and web-based crowdsourcing application that allows users to record, submit, and instantly share geo-located snow depth, snow water equivalence (SWE) measurements, measurement location photos, and snow grain information with project scientists and other citizen scientists. The snow observations are used to validate remote sensing products and modeled snow depth distribution. The project's prototype phase focused on Thompson Pass in south-central Alaska, an important infrastructure corridor that includes avalanche terrain and the Lowe River drainage and is essential to the City of Valdez and the fisheries of Prince William Sound. This year's efforts included website development, expansion of the Mountain Hub tool, and recruitment of citizen scientists through a combination of social media outreach, community presentations, and targeted recruitment of local avalanche professionals. We also conducted two intensive field data collection campaigns that coincided with an aerial photogrammetric survey. With more than 400 snow depth observations, we have generated a new snow remote-sensing product that better matches actual SWE quantities for Thompson Pass. In the next phase of the citizen science portion of

Let’s Talk about Citizen Science: What Doesn’t Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allison B. Kaufman

2014-11-01

Full Text Available “Citizen Science,” or the idea of using interested laypeople to assist in data collection, has the potential to be a valuable resource to those who study animal cognition. This is largely due to the potential increase in sample size it can provide. However, this technique also has the potential to introduce a significant amount of error to an experiment. As a result, before citizen science can be used as a tool, it is important to determine how it best works; specifically, what methods best motivate people to participate and to provide the most accurate data. This includes sharing situations in which data collection was not successful. Presented here is a failed attempt at collecting data on mirror self-recognition (MSR in pet parrots, orchestrated via yahoo groups listservs. The goals in presenting this unsuccessful methodology are to encourage discussion, to prevent others from repeating the same ill-fated methodology, and to encourage others to attempt variations on said methods which might be more successful.

Citizen Complaints about Environmental Pollution: A Survey Study in Suzhou, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianbing Liu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses environmental complaints made by citizens living close to industrial polluters in China. Data collected from a questionnaire survey in Suzhou City is used for the analysis. The results confirm a marginal level of citizen environmental complaints in the study area at present. Meaningful findings include the fact that citizens have a tendency to complain collectively, and that perception of the level of environmental information provided by companies significantly determines a citizen’s likelihood of lodging environmental complaints. Therefore, the disclosure of corporate environmental information must be emphasized continuously; citizens must be encouraged to correctly understand the environmental performance of companies so that they might make appropriate complaints. Governments need to show their support for citizen-led environmental complaint initiatives. The successful cases would convince them to keep a closer eye on their neighbouring polluters.

Spaces for Citizen Involvement in Healthcare: An Ethnographic Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Renedo, Alicia; Marston, Cicely

2015-06-01

This ethnographic study examines how participatory spaces and citizenship are co-constituted in participatory healthcare improvement efforts. We propose a theoretical framework for participatory citizenship in which acts of citizenship in healthcare are understood in terms of the spaces they are in. Participatory spaces consist of material, temporal and social dimensions that constrain citizens' actions. Participants draw on external resources to try to make participatory spaces more productive and collaborative, to connect and expand them. We identify three classes of tactics they use to do this: 'plotting', 'transient combination' and 'interconnecting'. All tactics help participants assemble to a greater or lesser extent a less fragmented participatory landscape with more potential for positive impact on healthcare. Participants' acts of citizenship both shape and are shaped by participatory spaces. To understand participatory citizenship, we should take spatiality into account, and track the ongoing spatial negotiations and productions through which people can improve healthcare.

A conceptual approach to a citizens' observatory--supporting community-based environmental governance.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hai-Ying; Kobernus, Mike; Broday, David; Bartonova, Alena

2014-12-12

In recent years there has been a trend to view the Citizens' Observatory as an increasingly essential tool that provides an approach for better observing, understanding, protecting and enhancing our environment. However, there is no consensus on how to develop such a system, nor is there any agreement on what a Citizens' Observatory is and what results it could produce. The increase in the prevalence of Citizens' Observatories globally has been mirrored by an increase in the number of variables that are monitored, the number of monitoring locations and the types of participating citizens. This calls for a more integrated approach to handle the emerging complexities involved in this field, but before this can be achieved, it is essential to establish a common foundation for Citizens' Observatories and their usage. There are many aspects to a Citizens' Observatory. One view is that its essence is a process that involves environmental monitoring, information gathering, data management and analysis, assessment and reporting systems. Hence, it requires the development of novel monitoring technologies and of advanced data management strategies to capture, analyse and survey the data, thus facilitating their exploitation for policy and society. Practically, there are many challenges in implementing the Citizens' Observatory approach, such as ensuring effective citizens' participation, dealing with data privacy, accounting for ethical and security requirements, and taking into account data standards, quality and reliability. These concerns all need to be addressed in a concerted way to provide a stable, reliable and scalable Citizens' Observatory programme. On the other hand, the Citizens' Observatory approach carries the promise of increasing the public's awareness to risks in their environment, which has a corollary economic value, and enhancing data acquisition at low or no cost. In this paper, we first propose a conceptual framework for a Citizens' Observatory

Citizen Science and the Urban Ecology of Birds and Butterflies — A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Wang Wei, James; Lee, Benjamin P. Y-H.; Bing Wen, Low

2016-01-01

Citizen science has gained widespread currency as a tool for ecological research over the past decade. However, in the discipline of urban ecology, the existing contributions and future potential of citizen science engagement, specifically in terms of knowledge gain, have not yet been comprehensively explored. Here, we present a systematic review of published work on the urban ecology of birds and butterflies in relation to their use of citizen science data between 2005 and 2014. We compared the number of studies that used citizen science data to the number of studies that could potentially have employed data derived from citizen science. The take-up rates of citizen science data were 21% and 26% for birds and butterflies respectively. Most studies that employed citizen science used volunteer-derived data as primary data, and adopted Collegial, Collaborative and Contributional engagement modes to the exclusion of Contractual and Co-created arrangements. There was no evidence that citizen science studies investigated a different organismal scale (community vs. species) compared to the urban ecology literature. For both taxa, citizen science contributions were lower than expected compared to their representation in the urban ecology literature for studies on species-environment relationships at landscape and micro-environment scales, as well as behavioural ecology in general. Other research topics that could benefit from further citizen science involvement include breeding studies and guild analyses for birds, and multi-taxa studies for butterflies. Promising models of citizen science engagement for urban ecology are highlighted in relation to their thematic foci and methodological detail, and a number of research questions that could be productively addressed using citizen science are identified. The dynamics of contemporary engagement between citizen science and urban ecology described by this review could inform the design and refinement of urban ecology–citizen

Triple Helix - in Action?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helms, Niels Henrik; Tellerup, Susanne

This paper presents a project i-Space about learning and playful applications, which could also document performance. The target group is mentally impaired citizens. The project is used as reference to a discussion on structures within innovation processes. This discussion leads to a discussion o...... of the user as a sense-making category in multi-disciplinary settings....

Citizen Sensors for SHM: Towards a Crowdsourcing Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Maria Q.; Feng, Dongming

2015-01-01

This paper presents an innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) platform in terms of how it integrates smartphone sensors, the web, and crowdsourcing. The ubiquity of smartphones has provided an opportunity to create low-cost sensor networks for SHM. Crowdsourcing has given rise to citizen initiatives becoming a vast source of inexpensive, valuable but heterogeneous data. Previously, the authors have investigated the reliability of smartphone accelerometers for vibration-based SHM. This paper takes a step further to integrate mobile sensing and web-based computing for a prospective crowdsourcing-based SHM platform. An iOS application was developed to enable citizens to measure structural vibration and upload the data to a server with smartphones. A web-based platform was developed to collect and process the data automatically and store the processed data, such as modal properties of the structure, for long-term SHM purposes. Finally, the integrated mobile and web-based platforms were tested to collect the low-amplitude ambient vibration data of a bridge structure. Possible sources of uncertainties related to citizens were investigated, including the phone location, coupling conditions, and sampling duration. The field test results showed that the vibration data acquired by smartphones operated by citizens without expertise are useful for identifying structural modal properties with high accuracy. This platform can be further developed into an automated, smart, sustainable, cost-free system for long-term monitoring of structural integrity of spatially distributed urban infrastructure. Citizen Sensors for SHM will be a novel participatory sensing platform in the way that it offers hybrid solutions to transitional crowdsourcing parameters. PMID:26102490

Citizen Sensors for SHM: Towards a Crowdsourcing Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekin Ozer

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an innovative structural health monitoring (SHM platform in terms of how it integrates smartphone sensors, the web, and crowdsourcing. The ubiquity of smartphones has provided an opportunity to create low-cost sensor networks for SHM. Crowdsourcing has given rise to citizen initiatives becoming a vast source of inexpensive, valuable but heterogeneous data. Previously, the authors have investigated the reliability of smartphone accelerometers for vibration-based SHM. This paper takes a step further to integrate mobile sensing and web-based computing for a prospective crowdsourcing-based SHM platform. An iOS application was developed to enable citizens to measure structural vibration and upload the data to a server with smartphones. A web-based platform was developed to collect and process the data automatically and store the processed data, such as modal properties of the structure, for long-term SHM purposes. Finally, the integrated mobile and web-based platforms were tested to collect the low-amplitude ambient vibration data of a bridge structure. Possible sources of uncertainties related to citizens were investigated, including the phone location, coupling conditions, and sampling duration. The field test results showed that the vibration data acquired by smartphones operated by citizens without expertise are useful for identifying structural modal properties with high accuracy. This platform can be further developed into an automated, smart, sustainable, cost-free system for long-term monitoring of structural integrity of spatially distributed urban infrastructure. Citizen Sensors for SHM will be a novel participatory sensing platform in the way that it offers hybrid solutions to transitional crowdsourcing parameters.

Impact of Group Emotions on Student Collective Action Tendencies, Ties, and Task Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Sundararajan, Malavika; Sundararajan, Binod; Manderson, Jill

2016-01-01

The authors tested the dynamics of collective action tendencies of student teams when trying to accomplish a shared goal, with a focus on the impact of member ties and team member interaction and emotional responses on team performance. The results show the direct and indirect impacts of both positive and negative group emotions on the student…

Citizen Preparedness Campaign: Information Campaigns Increasing Citizen Preparedness to Support Creating a ̀Culture of Preparedness

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bloom, Paula

2007-01-01

.... There are currently readiness programs being conducted through the Citizen Corps, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency but they are not coordinated across...

FRIENDSHIP OF CITIZENS

OpenAIRE

Ottmann, Henning

2011-01-01

The author advocates a modernization of the antique doctrine of friendship. Friendship understood in the political sense is the friendship of citizens, as a regulative idea of ideal political community. Such friendship is above justice, it implies a permanent and stable mutual benevolence, living together, harmony, mutuality and equality, involvement and compassion, mutual openness in words and deeds, a culture of voluntary cooperation and a spirit of selfaware and self-resp...

Priming and Context Effects in Citizen Satisfaction Surveys

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjortskov, Morten

2017-01-01

Citizen satisfaction surveys are used extensively throughout the public sector to assess the performance of public services and to inform decision-makers. Recent research points to cognitive biases that may occur in citizens’ perceptions of performance of public services, but we know little about...... possible biases in the collection of these data. This shortcoming is addressed by investigating the priming and context effects that can arise from the structure of citizen surveys—for example from the question order in the survey. Two independent experimental studies find that prior positively framed...... questions about police services affect subsequent satisfaction evaluations of other local public services. However, an informational prime about crime and unrelated questions about family-life satisfaction have little effect on the subsequent satisfaction evaluations. The results show that citizen...

Testing the Value of Citizen Science for Roadkill Studies: A Case Study from South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphanie Périquet

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Roads impact wildlife through a range of mechanisms from habitat loss and decreased landscape connectivity to direct mortality through wildlife-vehicle collisions (roadkill. These collisions have been rated amongst the highest modern risks to wildlife. With the development of “citizen science” projects, in which members of the public participate in data collection, it is now possible to monitor the impacts of roads over scales far beyond the limit of traditional studies. However, the reliability of data provided by citizen scientists for roadkill studies remains largely untested. This study used a dataset of 2,666 roadkill reports on national and regional roads in South Africa (total length ~170,000 km over 3 years. We first compared roadkill data collected from trained road patrols operating on a major highway with data submitted by citizen scientists on the same road section (431 km. We found that despite minor differences, the broad spatial and taxonomic patterns were similar between trained reporters and untrained citizen scientists. We then compared data provided by two groups of citizen scientists across South Africa: (1 those working in the zoology/conservation sector (that we have termed “regular observers,” whose reports were considered to be more accurate due to their knowledge and experience, and (2 occasional observers, whose reports required verification by an expert. Again, there were few differences between the type of roadkill report provided by regular and occasional reporters; both types identified the same area (or cluster where roadkill was reported most frequently. However, occasional observers tended to report charismatic and easily identifiable species more often than road patrols or regular observers. We conclude that citizen scientists can provide reliable data for roadkill studies when it comes to identifying general patterns and high-risk areas. Thus, citizen science has the potential to be a valuable tool for

Action against 2nd partial construction permit for Muelheim-Kaerlich reactor dismissed on grounds of the community having no claim to legal action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1985-01-01

Key sentences: (non-official) 1. A community is not authorized to plead its citizens' rights and interests. 2. A community is not entitled to plead environmental and nature-protection aspects. 3. Fear of community-owned land being adversely affected constitutes no cause of action. 4. By transferring self-administration tasks to an independent company the community gives up the possibility to plead on its own behalf the legal claims deriving from the self-administration. Koblenz Court of Administration. Ruling of December 13, 1984 - 10 K 3/82 - (non-final). From the reasons given for the ruling: Nonsuit on grounds of the action being inadmissible. (orig./HP) [de

Floating Forests: Validation of a Citizen Science Effort to Answer Global Ecological Questions

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, I.; Byrnes, J.; Cavanaugh, K. C.; Haupt, A. J.; Trouille, L.; Bell, T. W.; Rassweiler, A.; Pérez-Matus, A.; Assis, J.

2017-12-01

Researchers undertaking long term, large-scale ecological analyses face significant challenges for data collection and processing. Crowdsourcing via citizen science can provide an efficient method for analyzing large data sets. However, many scientists have raised questions about the quality of data collected by citizen scientists. Here we use Floating-Forests (http://floatingforests.org), a citizen science platform for creating a global time series of giant kelp abundance, to show that ensemble classifications of satellite data can ensure data quality. Citizen scientists view satellite images of coastlines and classify kelp forests by tracing all visible patches of kelp. Each image is classified by fifteen citizen scientists before being retired. To validate citizen science results, all fifteen classifications are converted to a raster and overlaid on a calibration dataset generated from previous studies. Results show that ensemble classifications from citizen scientists are consistently accurate when compared to calibration data. Given that all source images were acquired by Landsat satellites, we expect this consistency to hold across all regions. At present, we have over 6000 web-based citizen scientists' classifications of almost 2.5 million images of kelp forests in California and Tasmania. These results are not only useful for remote sensing of kelp forests, but also for a wide array of applications that combine citizen science with remote sensing.

A Repression of Czechoslovak Citizens in the USSR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hornik Jan

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Around 30,000 citizens of pre-war Czechoslovakia were persecuted in the Soviet Union, at least 5.000 originated from Czech lands. One of the groups consist of the people who in the period of 1939-1942 sought refuge in the USSR from German or Hungarian Nazism, or who wanted to actively fight against it. They ended up in the Gulag, from which they were freed during an amnesty linked to the creation of a Czechoslovak unit in the USSR. Many were Czechoslovak Jews, including those who escaped from the Nazi concentration camp in Poland. Nisko, while thousands were inhabitants of Carpathian Ruthenia.

A Pro-Environmental Reasoned Action Model for Measuring Citizens’ Intentions regarding Ecolabel Product Usage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reny Nadlifatin

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Ecolabel products are one approach towards environmental sustainability. Ecolabel programs have been socialized by governments all over the world to reduce environmental harm caused by the daily life cycles of the products that citizens use. The present study was aimed at measuring citizens’ behavior intention (BI regarding ecolabel product usage. An extended theory of reasoned action (TRA, namely that of pro-environmental reasoned action (PERA, is used as the predictor model. A total of 213 questionnaire data, collected from citizens of Indonesia, was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The analysis results show that the PERA model is able to describe 68% of citizens’ BI regarding ecolabel product usage. The analysis results also reveal that attitude is a key determinant factor. Several practical suggestions based on the results can be used as input for policy makers and company management to consider in their efforts to increase citizens’ BI to use ecolabel products.

What are the prospects for citizen science in agriculture? Evidence from three continents on motivation and mobile telephone use of resource-poor farmers.

Science.gov (United States)

Beza, Eskender; Steinke, Jonathan; van Etten, Jacob; Reidsma, Pytrik; Fadda, Carlo; Mittra, Sarika; Mathur, Prem; Kooistra, Lammert

2017-01-01

As the sustainability of agricultural citizen science projects depends on volunteer farmers who contribute their time, energy and skills, understanding their motivation is important to attract and retain participants in citizen science projects. The objectives of this study were to assess 1) farmers' motivations to participate as citizen scientists and 2) farmers' mobile telephone usage. Building on motivational factors identified from previous citizen science studies, a questionnaire based methodology was developed which allowed the analysis of motivational factors and their relation to farmers' characteristics. The questionnaire was applied in three communities of farmers, in countries from different continents, participating as citizen scientists. We used statistical tests to compare motivational factors within and among the three countries. In addition, the relations between motivational factors and farmers characteristics were assessed. Lastly, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to group farmers based on their motivations. Although there was an overlap between the types of motivations, for Indian farmers a collectivistic type of motivation (i.e., contribute to scientific research) was more important than egoistic and altruistic motivations. For Ethiopian and Honduran farmers an egoistic intrinsic type of motivation (i.e., interest in sharing information) was most important. While fun has appeared to be an important egoistic intrinsic factor to participate in other citizen science projects, the smallholder farmers involved in this research valued 'passing free time' the lowest. Two major groups of farmers were distinguished: one motivated by sharing information (egoistic intrinsic), helping (altruism) and contribute to scientific research (collectivistic) and one motivated by egoistic extrinsic factors (expectation, expert interaction and community interaction). Country and education level were the two most important farmers' characteristics that

What are the prospects for citizen science in agriculture? Evidence from three continents on motivation and mobile telephone use of resource-poor farmers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eskender Beza

Full Text Available As the sustainability of agricultural citizen science projects depends on volunteer farmers who contribute their time, energy and skills, understanding their motivation is important to attract and retain participants in citizen science projects. The objectives of this study were to assess 1 farmers' motivations to participate as citizen scientists and 2 farmers' mobile telephone usage. Building on motivational factors identified from previous citizen science studies, a questionnaire based methodology was developed which allowed the analysis of motivational factors and their relation to farmers' characteristics. The questionnaire was applied in three communities of farmers, in countries from different continents, participating as citizen scientists. We used statistical tests to compare motivational factors within and among the three countries. In addition, the relations between motivational factors and farmers characteristics were assessed. Lastly, Principal Component Analysis (PCA was used to group farmers based on their motivations. Although there was an overlap between the types of motivations, for Indian farmers a collectivistic type of motivation (i.e., contribute to scientific research was more important than egoistic and altruistic motivations. For Ethiopian and Honduran farmers an egoistic intrinsic type of motivation (i.e., interest in sharing information was most important. While fun has appeared to be an important egoistic intrinsic factor to participate in other citizen science projects, the smallholder farmers involved in this research valued 'passing free time' the lowest. Two major groups of farmers were distinguished: one motivated by sharing information (egoistic intrinsic, helping (altruism and contribute to scientific research (collectivistic and one motivated by egoistic extrinsic factors (expectation, expert interaction and community interaction. Country and education level were the two most important farmers' characteristics

Citizens Integrity Pledge ######################### I believe

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

I believe that all stakeholders such as governrnent , citizens and the private sector need to work together to eradicate corruption. I realise that ... maintaining highest standards of integrity, transparency and good governance in all aspects of our.

Benefits and challenges of incorporating citizen science into university education.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Nicola; Triska, Maggie; Liberatore, Andrea; Ashcroft, Linden; Weatherill, Richard; Longnecker, Nancy

2017-01-01

A common feature of many citizen science projects is the collection of data by unpaid contributors with the expectation that the data will be used in research. Here we report a teaching strategy that combined citizen science with inquiry-based learning to offer first year university students an authentic research experience. A six-year partnership with the Australian phenology citizen science program ClimateWatch has enabled biology students from the University of Western Australia to contribute phenological data on plants and animals, and to conduct the first research on unvalidated species datasets contributed by public and university participants. Students wrote scientific articles on their findings, peer-reviewed each other's work and the best articles were published online in a student journal. Surveys of more than 1500 students showed that their environmental engagement increased significantly after participating in data collection and data analysis. However, only 31% of students agreed with the statement that "data collected by citizen scientists are reliable" at the end of the project, whereas the rate of agreement was initially 79%. This change in perception was likely due to students discovering erroneous records when they mapped data points and analysed submitted photographs. A positive consequence was that students subsequently reported being more careful to avoid errors in their own data collection, and making greater efforts to contribute records that were useful for future scientific research. Evaluation of our project has shown that by embedding a research process within citizen science participation, university students are given cause to improve their contributions to environmental datasets. If true for citizen scientists in general, enabling participants as well as scientists to analyse data could enhance data quality, and so address a key constraint of broad-scale citizen science programs.

Welfare Lobby Groups responding to Globalisation: A Comparison of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS and the UK Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2004-05-01

Full Text Available The past decade has witnessed a period of intense economic globalisation. The growing significance of international trade, investment, production and financial flows appears to be curtailing the autonomy of individual nation states. In particular, globalisation appears to be encouraging, if not demanding, a decline in social spending and standards. However, many authors believe that this thesis ignores the continued impact of national political and ideological pressures and lobby groups on policy outcomes. In particular, it has been argued that national welfare consumer and provider groups remain influential defenders of the welfare state. For example, US aged care groups are considered to be particularly effective defenders of social security pensions. According to this argument, governments engaged in welfare retrenchment may experience considerable electoral backlash (Pierson 1996; Mishra 1999. Yet, it is also noted that governments can take action to reduce the impact of such groups by reducing their funding, and their access to policy-making and consultation processes. These actions are then justified on the basis of removing potential obstacles to economic competitiveness (Pierson 1994; Melville 1999.

Tourist Activity of Senior Citizens (60+ Residing in Urban and Rural Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omelan Aneta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of place of permanent residence (urban or rural on the tourist activity of senior citizens (60+ of different socioeconomic statuses. The study involved 380 senior citizens (305 female and 75 male aged 60 years and older who were permanent residents of the region of Warmia and Mazury, Poland. In this group, 244 subjects resided in urban areas and 136 participants were rural dwellers. The respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their socioeconomic status (place of permanent residence, age, gender, educational attainment, financial status, membership in senior organizations, marital status, and professional activity and tourist activity. A significance test of two structure coefficients (α=0.05 was applied. Factors such as gender, professional activity, and marital status were not related with the travel propensity of seniors from different groups (urban and rural, but were significant when rural residents were compared with urban dwellers. Seniors residing in urban areas of Warmia and Mazury, Poland, were significantly more likely to travel for leisure than those residing in rural areas. The tourist activity of seniors decreased significantly (p<0.05 with the age (60-74 years and financial status of rural residents. The travel propensity of elderly people increased significantly (p<0.05 with educational attainment and membership in senior organizations. The study revealed considerable differences in the socioeconomic status and social characteristics of seniors residing in rural and urban areas, and those variations significantly influenced their propensity for travel: urban residents traveled more frequently than rural residents. It can be concluded that place of residence was a crucial factor determining the tourist behavior of senior citizens, and urban dwellers were more likely to travel.

Adoption Patterns for the Digital Post System by Danish Municipalities and Citizens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berger, Jesper B.; Hertzum, Morten

2014-01-01

The value of e-government, services to citizens by public institutions through the internet, is dependent on the mutual adoption of e-government by both the public institution and the citizens. This paper describes a longitudinal study of e-government adoption by municipalities and citizens...... Post. The adoption patterns among citizens were less distinct. We calculated the realized savings to only 20% of the anticipated savings, leading to a deficit of nearly €5 million in 2013. Municipal funding was reduced according to the anticipated savings. In addition, the variation in adoption...

CitRec 2017 : International Workshop on Recommender Systems for Citizens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yang, J.; Sun, Zhu; Bozzon, A.; Zhang, J.; Larson, M.A.

2017-01-01

The "International Workshop on Recommender Systems for Citizens" (CitRec) is focused on a novel type of recommender systems both in terms of ownership and purpose: recommender systems run by citizens and serving society as a whole.

High Prevalence of Hypertension in a Danish Population Telemedical Home Measurement of Blood Pressure in Citizens Aged 55–64 Years in Holstebro County

Science.gov (United States)

Lauritzen, Torsten; Bech, Jesper Nørgaard; Pedersen, Erling Bjerregaard

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Home blood pressure (HBP) is prognostically superior to office BP (OBP) and similar to ambulatory BP measurements. We determined the prevalence of hypertension using HBP with telemedical data transmission in the municipality of Holstebro, Denmark (57,000 citizens). METHODS Using the Civil Registration System, we invited citizens aged 55–64 years to have their OBP and HBP measured using telemedical data transmission. Elevated OBP was defined as ≥140/90mm Hg. HBP was measured 3 times daily on 3 consecutive days with 3 measurements on each occasion. HBP was the mean of all measurements on day 1 and 3, and hypertension was defined as ≥135/85mm Hg. RESULTS We included 3,102 citizens who had performed at least 12 HBP measurements during day 2 and 3. Group 1: (n = 1,464, 47%) had both normal OBP and HBP. Group 2: (n = 838, 27%) had both elevated OBP and HBP indicating persistent hypertension. Group 3: (n = 560, 18%) had elevated OBP and normal HBP indicating white coat hypertension (WCH). Group 4: (n = 240, 8%) had normal OBP and elevated HBP indicating masked hypertension (MH). Thus, 1,078 (35%, groups 2 and 4) were untreated or insufficiently treated. Awareness of hypertension was registered in 950 patients (31%) and of these 49% had a normal HBP. CONCLUSIONS This is the first large-scale study to eliminate completely reporting bias by using telemedical transmission of BP data. One third of citizens in the age group 55–64 years had an abnormally high HBP, and one fourth either had WCH or MH. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identification number: NCT02355392 PMID:26208671

Towards a Citizen-Centered E-Government: Exploring Citizens' Satisfaction with E-Government in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianchuan

2013-01-01

E-government research has been practical and utilitarian, lacking theoretical concerns. Based on the literature of customer satisfaction with private-sector services, citizen/user satisfaction with public services, and information systems management, this study systematically investigates the following factors and their effects on citizen…

Transparency, citizen participation, organisation and roles. Report from the third RISCOM-II Workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Kjell; Paeivioe, Josefin

2003-10-01

This workshop was the final one in a series of three workshops within the RISCOM II project. It was an event where the RISCOM group of researchers disseminated the results to a wider circle of the nuclear waste management community in Europe with the focus on their own 'peers' in participating countries. However, the aim was not just to present RISCOM II results but also to see them in the context of adjacent projects. Especially, the workshop was set up in cooperation with the NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) since this was seen as a good opportunity for exchange of experiences between the two activities. There was also participation by representatives from the EC COWAM Concerted Action and one presentation was devoted to this activity. There was thus an opportunity to discuss the three activities together. A draft of the RISCOM II Final Report had been made available for workshop participants before the meeting. The first part of the workshop entitled Transparency and citizen participation was moderated by Yves Le Bars, FSC chairman, and president of ANDRA. The second part dealt with Outcomes of the RISCOM Project and was moderated by Elizabeth Atherton from UK Nirex. Magnus Westerlind (SKI), the RISCOM-II coordinator, moderated the third part that dealt with Organisation and roles

Involving a Citizens' Jury in Decisions on Individual Screening for Prostate Cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Mosconi

Full Text Available Most public health agencies and learned societies agree that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA test in asymptomatic men should not be recommended, on account of its potential for harm. Yet PSA is still widely used as a screening test and is not being abandoned. This remains a significant public health issue, and citizens' engagement is needed. This study was designed to produce a deliberation on the PSA screening test by a citizens' jury.Fifteen citizens were selected and balanced for sex, age, and education. They received an information booklet and participated in a two-day meeting with experts to reach a deliberation on the question "Should the National Health Service discourage or recommend PSA as an individual screening test for prostate cancer in men 55-69 years old?". A facilitator ran the jurors' discussion.All except three of the jurors decided that the National Health Service should discourage the use of PSA as an individual screening test for prostate cancer in 55-69 year-old men. The jury was particularly convinced by the uncertainty of the test outcomes, the utility of the test, and its cost/benefit ratio. Before the meeting 60% of jurors would have recommended the test to a relative, and all the male jurors would have done so. After the meeting these percentages fell to 15% and 12%.This experience confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of delegating to a group of citizens the responsibility to decide on public health issues on behalf of the community. Public health authorities should invest in information campaigns aimed at the public and in educational initiatives for physicians. This also provided an opportunity to disseminate information on screening, over-diagnosis, and over-treatment.

Political rationality: Young Danish and Norwegian immigrant citizens and their political reasoning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Solhaug, Trond; Kristensen, Niels Nørgaard

2012-01-01

combining identities, emotions, and information is suggested and examined empirically. In a qualitative study the reflectivity of the students and their willingness to act as rational and responsible citizens is evaluated. Based on a selection of young Danish and Norwegian immigrant students, the dynamics......This article aims to uncover the dynamics of political reasoning among young immigrants. How do they people reason about the larger social and political world around them and what rationalities are in play? A dynamic approach is used to analyze cognitive functioning. A model of political reasoning...... between the elements of the model are explored. In the analysis, some identities play a decisive role, while emotions seem fairly often to be the trigger and the mechanism of political action....

Ignoring Ignorance: Notes on Pedagogical Relationships in Citizen Science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Scroggins

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Theoretically, this article seeks to broaden the conceptualization of ignorance within STS by drawing on a line of theory developed in the philosophy and anthropology of education to argue that ignorance can be productively conceptualized as a state of possibility and that doing so can enable more democratic forms of citizen science. In contrast to conceptualizations of ignorance as a lack, lag, or manufactured product, ignorance is developed here as both the opening move in scientific inquiry and the common ground over which that inquiry proceeds. Empirically, the argument is developed through an ethnographic description of Scroggins' participation in a failed citizen science project at a DIYbio laboratory. Supporting the empirical case are a review of the STS literature on expertise and a critical examination of the structures of participation within two canonical citizen science projects. Though onerous, through close attention to how people transform one another during inquiry, increasingly democratic forms of citizen science, grounded in the commonness of ignorance, can be put into practice.

Alternative Forms of Resilience. A typology of approaches for the study of Citizen Collective Responses in Hard Economic Times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Kousis

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A variety of theoretical and conceptual perspectives have been applied to studying collective citizen initiatives arising in response to hard economic times, such as solidarity-based exchanges and networks, cooperative structures, barter clubs, credit unions, ethical banks, time banks, alternative social currency, citizens' self-help groups, neighbourhood assemblies and social enterprises. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, scholarly attention on novel, alternative, resilient structures has increased, especially in regions that have been most affected. A comprehensive literature review is therefore needed on these initiatives which usually aim to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, health and education at the community level, or build and envision autonomous communities. This paper has four aims. First, it proposes a new, all-encompassing conceptual framework, alternative forms of resilience, to embrace all issues and groups related to such initiatives, during the new millennium and its economic and political challenges, while taking into account the impact of the 2008 crisis. Secondly, it offers a comprehensive literature review on collective citizen initiatives studied through different theoretical, methodological and conceptual understandings. Thirdly, it provides a new typology of several approaches on novel, collective and solidarity-oriented critical resilience initiatives which take into account political issues, be they policy or social-movement related. Finally, it points to future research areas which would aim to systematically address the political and non-political features of citizen-collective responses.

Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Pereira Neto

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Information and Communication Technologies, considered both as a technological resource and as a social technology, play an important role in the shaping of existing social relations and in the creation of new modes of interaction and social organization (AA. VV., 2000. However, traditional approaches of political action frequently misstate just how politically active citizens are by underrating changes occurred in the realm of political mediation (Norris, 2002, p. 2; Epstein, 1991, p. 230. The changes in the organizational and action repertoires go hand in hand with the specificities of each NGO's cultural interpretative devices, which are influenced by technological change (Zald, 1996, p. 266-270. On the other hand, frames are also subject to internal debate, a process in which ICTs also take part (Webster, 2001, p. 7. Hence, this paper focuses on clarifying the ways in which NGOs have their structure and action repertoires changed by the use of ICTs.

Characteristics of general practice care: What do senior citizens value? A qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verhaak Peter FM

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In view of the increasing number of senior citizens in our society who are likely to consult their GP with age-related health problems, it is important to identify and understand the preferences of this group in relation to the non-medical attributes of GP care. The aim of this study is to improve our understanding about preferences of this group of patients in relation to non-medical attributes of primary health care. This may help to develop strategies to improve the quality of care that senior citizens receive from their GP. Methods Semi-structured interviews (N = 13 with senior citizens (65-91 years in a judgement sample were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis was conducted according to qualitative research methodology and the frame work method. Results Continuity of care providers, i.e. GP and practice nurses, GPs' expertise, trust, free choice of GP and a kind open attitude were highly valued. Accessibility by phone did not meet the expectations of the interviewees. The interviewees had difficulties with the GP out-of-office hours services. Spontaneous home visits were appreciated by some, but rejected by others. They preferred to receive verbal information rather than collecting information from leaflets. Distance to the practice and continuity of caregiver seemed to conflict for respondents. Conclusions Preferences change in the process of ageing and growing health problems. GPs and their co-workers should be also aware of the changing needs of the elderly regarding non-medical attributes of GP care. Meeting their needs regarding non-medical attributes of primary health care is important to improve the quality of care.

Safari Science: Assessing the reliability of citizen science data for wildlife surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Steger, Cara; Butt, Bilal; Hooten, Mevin B.

2017-01-01

Protected areas are the cornerstone of global conservation, yet financial support for basic monitoring infrastructure is lacking in 60% of them. Citizen science holds potential to address these shortcomings in wildlife monitoring, particularly for resource-limited conservation initiatives in developing countries – if we can account for the reliability of data produced by volunteer citizen scientists (VCS).This study tests the reliability of VCS data vs. data produced by trained ecologists, presenting a hierarchical framework for integrating diverse datasets to assess extra variability from VCS data.Our results show that while VCS data are likely to be overdispersed for our system, the overdispersion varies widely by species. We contend that citizen science methods, within the context of East African drylands, may be more appropriate for species with large body sizes, which are relatively rare, or those that form small herds. VCS perceptions of the charisma of a species may also influence their enthusiasm for recording it.Tailored programme design (such as incentives for VCS) may mitigate the biases in citizen science data and improve overall participation. However, the cost of designing and implementing high-quality citizen science programmes may be prohibitive for the small protected areas that would most benefit from these approaches.Synthesis and applications. As citizen science methods continue to gain momentum, it is critical that managers remain cautious in their implementation of these programmes while working to ensure methods match data purpose. Context-specific tests of citizen science data quality can improve programme implementation, and separate data models should be used when volunteer citizen scientists' variability differs from trained ecologists' data. Partnerships across protected areas and between protected areas and other conservation institutions could help to cover the costs of citizen science programme design and implementation.

Mapping epistemic cultures and learning potential of participants in citizen science projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallabh, Priya; Lotz-Sisitka, Heila; O'Donoghue, Rob; Schudel, Ingrid

2016-06-01

The ever-widening scope and range of global change and interconnected systemic risks arising from people-environment relationships (social-ecological risks) appears to be increasing concern among, and involvement of, citizens in an increasingly diversified number of citizen science projects responding to these risks. We examined the relationship between epistemic cultures in citizen science projects and learning potential related to matters of concern. We then developed a typology of purposes and a citizen science epistemic-cultures heuristic and mapped 56 projects in southern Africa using this framework. The purpose typology represents the range of knowledge-production purposes, ranging from laboratory science to social learning, whereas the epistemic-cultures typology is a relational representation of scientist and citizen participation and their approach to knowledge production. Results showed an iterative relationship between matters of fact and matters of concern across the projects; the nexus of citizens' engagement in knowledge-production activities varied. The knowledge-production purposes informed and shaped the epistemic cultures of all the sampled citizen science projects, which in turn influenced the potential for learning within each project. Through a historical review of 3 phases in a long-term river health-monitoring project, we found that it is possible to evolve the learning curve of citizen science projects. This evolution involved the development of scientific water monitoring tools, the parallel development of pedagogic practices supporting monitoring activities, and situated engagement around matters of concern within social activism leading to learning-led change. We conclude that such evolutionary processes serve to increase potential for learning and are necessary if citizen science is to contribute to wider restructuring of the epistemic culture of science under conditions of expanding social-ecological risk. © 2016 Society for

Institutionalisation of Mediation for Dispute Resolution in the Field of Social Bankruptcy of Citizens in Russia or how to prevent losses of 300 billions rubles of Russian Federation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avdyev Marat Aleksandrovich

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The important problem of modern Russia is poverty of about 22,1 billions citizens. because of illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest. About 4,2 billions citizens of Russian are social bankrupts. There are many obstacles for human right in court. Total budget for legal expenses may estimates over than 1,5-2 average annual income of household. Therefore author considers mediation as alternative procedure for dispute resolution between creditors and debtors. Some amendment of law desirable for institutionalization of mediation practice in this types conflicts such as mandatory mediation and so on.

(Un)taming Citizen Science – Policies, Practices, People

OpenAIRE

Van Oudheusden, Michiel; Van Hoyweghen, Ine

2017-01-01

We are presently witnessing a global explosion of citizen science initiatives covering a wide range of topics, from counting hummingbirds to actively researching new medical treatments, to the use of smartphones to measuring radioactivity in the environment. European policymakers and societal stakeholders hail citizen science as a means of (re)building trust in science, which may in turn lead to “more democratic research based on evidence and informed decision-making” and more responsible inn...

Assessing participants' perceptions on group-based principles for action in community-based health enhancing physical activity programmes: The APEF tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Herens, Marion; Wagemakers, Annemarie

2017-12-01

In community-based health enhancing physical activity (CBHEPA) programmes, group-based principles for action such as active participation, enjoyment, and fostering group processes are widely advocated. However, not much is known about participants' perceptions of these principles as there are no assessment tools available. Therefore, this article describes the development of the APEF (Active Participation, Enjoyment, and Fostering group processes) tool and reports on its implementation in a Dutch CBHEPA programme. Indicators for the principles have been identified from literature research, interviews with professionals, and secondary analysis of three group interviews with 11 practitioners. To address the identified indicators, the APEF tool was developed, pretested, and used in 10 focus groups with 76 participants. The APEF tool consists of eight statements about group-based principles for action, on which CBHEPA participants vote, followed by in-depth discussion. The voting procedure engages participants. Spider diagrams visualise participants' perceptions of group-based principles. The APEF tool addresses the challenge of relating group level outcomes to individual outcomes such as physical activity behaviour. The tool facilitates as well as evaluates group-based principles for action, it stimulates dialogue and is culturally sensitive, but it needs strong facilitating skills to manage group dynamics. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

22 CFR 94.8 - Interagency coordinating group.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Interagency coordinating group. 94.8 Section 94... § 94.8 Interagency coordinating group. The U.S. Central Authority shall nominate federal employees and may, from time to time, nominate private citizens to serve on an interagency coordinating group to...

Masked or Informed Citizens?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Kim Normann; Medaglia, Rony

2012-01-01

The diffusion of social media is having profound impacts on the relationship between government and citizens in many areas of government service provision. In the area of healthcare the emergence of new venues of interaction between patients and between patients and doctors is challenging the gov....... In the conclusion, we suggest venues of future research on this emerging trend....

A Coastal Citizen Science Project - How to run an international Citizen Science Project?

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, K.; Knickmeier, K.; Thiel, M.; Gatta, M.

2016-02-01

"Searching for plastic garbage" is an international Citizen Science project that aims to participate school students in the public discussion on the topic "plastic pollution in the ocean". For this, young people apply various research methods, evaluate their data, communicate and publish their results and investigate solutions solving this problem. The project will be carried out in Chile and Germany at the same time, which allows the participating students to share and compare their results and discuss their ideas with an international partner. This takes place on the website www.save-ocean.org. The project promotes intercultural and scientific skills of the students. They get insights into scientific research, get into another culture and experiences plastic pollution as an important global problem. Since May 2015, 450 pupils aged 10 to 15 years and 20 teachers in Germany and Chile have explored the plastic garbage on beaches. Where are the largest plastic garbage deposits? Which items of plastic are mostly found in Germany and Chile? Or where does this garbage comes from? These and other research questions are being answered by an international network between students, teachers and scientists. After completing the first Citizen Science pilot study successfully in summer 2015, the entire German and Chilean coast will be explored in spring 2016 by around 2500 participating school students. The project "Searching for plastic garbage" is the first international Citizen Science project that is a cooperation between the ocean:lab of Kiel Science Factory and the "Cientificos de la Basura", a project of the department of marine biology at University Catolica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. The project is supported by the Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean", the Leibniz Institute for Science Education and Mathematics (IPN), the Ministry of School and Professional Education of Land Schleswig-Holstein and the University Catolica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile

Action research and empowerment in a Danish context – experiences from three different contexts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, John; Søgård jensen, Michael; Bilfeldt, Anette

The paper discusses how action research with active participation from a.o. citizens, public employees, private employees and environmental organizations, can contribute to strengthen these actors’ capacity to get influence on the development of society and to contribute to societal change...... for better social and environmental conditions. The paper introduces the core concepts in action research and the linkage between critical participatory action research and empowerment. The paper presents three different action research projects that has been carried out in: 1) a public nursing home, where...... in methods that have been employed in the three projects. Finally challenges and opportunities for action research to contribute to empowerment and to the development of societal change with better social and environmental conditions are discussed....

Citizen Observatories: A Standards Based Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Simonis, Ingo

2015-04-01

A number of large-scale research projects are currently under way exploring the various components of citizen observatories, e.g. CITI-SENSE (http://www.citi-sense.eu), Citclops (http://citclops.eu), COBWEB (http://cobwebproject.eu), OMNISCIENTIS (http://www.omniscientis.eu), and WeSenseIt (http://www.wesenseit.eu). Common to all projects is the motivation to develop a platform enabling effective participation by citizens in environmental projects, while considering important aspects such as security, privacy, long-term storage and availability, accessibility of raw and processed data and its proper integration into catalogues and international exchange and collaboration systems such as GEOSS or INSPIRE. This paper describes the software architecture implemented for setting up crowdsourcing campaigns using standardized components, interfaces, security features, and distribution capabilities. It illustrates the Citizen Observatory Toolkit, a software suite that allows defining crowdsourcing campaigns, to invite registered and unregistered participants to participate in crowdsourcing campaigns, and to analyze, process, and visualize raw and quality enhanced crowd sourcing data and derived products. The Citizen Observatory Toolkit is not a single software product. Instead, it is a framework of components that are built using internationally adopted standards wherever possible (e.g. OGC standards from Sensor Web Enablement, GeoPackage, and Web Mapping and Processing Services, as well as security and metadata/cataloguing standards), defines profiles of those standards where necessary (e.g. SWE O&M profile, SensorML profile), and implements design decisions based on the motivation to maximize interoperability and reusability of all components. The toolkit contains tools to set up, manage and maintain crowdsourcing campaigns, allows building on-demand apps optimized for the specific sampling focus, supports offline and online sampling modes using modern cell phones with

The V in VGI: Citizens or Civic Data Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suthee Sangiambut

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Volunteered geographic information (VGI, delivered via mobile and web apps, offers new potentials for civic engagement. If framed in the context of open, transparent and accountable governance then presumably VGI should advance dialogue and consultation between citizen and government. If governments perceive citizens as consumers of services then arguably such democratic intent elide when municipalities use VGI. Our empirical research shows how assumptions embedded in VGI drive the interaction between citizens and government. We created a typology that operationalises VGI as a potential act of citizenship and an instance of consumption. We then selected civic apps from Canadian cities that appeared to invoke these VGI types. We conducted interviews with developers of the apps; they were from government, private sector, and civil society. Results from qualitative semi-structured interviews indicate a blurring of consumer and citizen-centric orientations among respondents, which depended on motivations for data use, engagement and communication objectives, and sector of the respondent. Citizen engagement, an analogue for citizenship, was interpreted multiple ways. Overall, we found that government and developers may increase choice by creating consumer-friendly apps but this does not ensure VGI offers an act of civic participation. The burden is placed on the contributor to make it so. Apps and VGI could potentially further a data-driven and neoliberal government. Planners should be mindful of the dominance of a consumer-centric view even as they assume VGI invariably improves democratic participation.

Urban traffic pollution and citizens information; Misure anti inquinamento da traffico urbano e partecipazione del cittadino. Uno studio di caso

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giuntarelli, P; Borrelli, G; Brini, S [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dipt. Ambiente

1999-07-01

The following report is strictly connected to studies for introducing certain actions useful to effort the problem of urban traffic pollution. Technologies are today available to reduce traffic pollution and it is possible to verify effectiveness during the implementation. On the other hand it is not always possible to verify effectiveness of these measures on the citizen customs and quality of life. Frequently policies aiming to limit environmental risk are viewed by citizens as an insupportable coercion. In the case of urban traffic it is particularly true because the measures in this field are limited to a certain numbers of prohibitions limiting the moving freedom of citizens inside urban areas. This research, realised via a questionnaire on citizens representative of two roman districts, analyses the social acceptability degree of actions for reducing atmospheric pollution produced by automobile traffic in the city of Rome. [Italian] Il lavoro presentato di seguito si inserisce in un filone di studi che tendono a individuare quelle azioni capaci di sciogliere il nodo ormai cruciale dell'inquinamento da traffico nelle aree urbane. Azioni efficaci ne sono state individuate numerose ma, mentre per quanto riguarda le misure tecnologiche l'efficacia intrinseca della misura viene verificata nell'applicazione, non sempre si puo' dire la stessa cosa per quanto riguarda le misure che incidono sulle abitudini di vita dei cittadini. Sempre piu' spesso le politiche tese a limitare i danni ambientali sono vissute dal cittadino come una insopportabile coercizione. Nel caso del traffico urbano cio' e' particolarmente vero proprio perche' le misure di questo settore si limitano spesso a una serie di divieti che oggettivamente limitano la liberta' di movimento del cittadino. I blocchi del traffico, le zone blu, sono gli esempi piu' lampanti di questo tipo di limitazione. Questa ricerca sul campo, svolta tramite questionario e su un campione di cittadini di due quartieri di

High School Students’ Perception of the Concept of ‘Good Citizen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emin KILINÇ

2013-11-01

Full Text Available One of the main roles of education is to develop the concept of citizenship among young people in the society. Especially in the democratic societies, civic education is considered as a tool to enable young generations to know their rights and responsibilities, be active and take action within their communities. Because there can be no democracy without democratic citizens. Thus, educating students on what it means to be good citizens for the republic is one of the major goals of Turkish education. Each Turkish curriculum has at least one civic course that teaches the knowledge, skills, and values believed necessary for democratic citizenship since 1924. Therefore, students in Turkey are required to take particular civics courses. Elementary school students take Life Learning courses that contain chapters about citizenship education, 6th and 7th grade students take Social Studies and 8th grade students take a course titled Citizenship and Democracy Education. Civic education in Turkey has been extensively studied in Turkey in the past decades. While previous studies of citizenship have focused on pre-service teachers’ perception of citizenship, elementaryand middle school students’ perception of good citizenship, little in-depth research has taken place with high school students. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explain what are the qualities of good citizenship perceived by high school students in Uşak/Turkey. In this context, three research questions are tried to be answered: 1. What are the qualities of good citizenship perceived by high school students? 2. Is there a significant difference between high school students’ perception of the concept of good citizen by a. Gender b. School type 3. What are the main elements that have effects on the development of good citizenship concept? The researchers used quantitative survey method in this research. The data were collected by survey from high school students. The survey questionnaire

Integrating citizen advisory boards in public participation: Lessons from the field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snyder, S.

1995-01-01

Citizen advisory boards have been used successfully, particularly by the chemical industry, as programs for public participation. Now the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has responded to a growing demand for more direct citizen involvement in environmental restoration decision making. The experience of the site-specific advisory board at the department's Fernald Environmental Management Project near Cincinnati provides lessons that contribute to the development of a model for the most efficient use of citizen advisory boards

Righting Wrongs: Citizen Journalism and Miscarriages of Justice

OpenAIRE

Greer, C.; McLaughlin, E.

2014-01-01

This chapter demonstrates the agenda-setting power of citizen journalism in a context of miscarriages of justice. Our empirical analysis focuses on the interaction of media, political and judicial forces following the death of newspaper vendor, Ian Tomlinson, shortly after being struck by a police officer at the G20 Protests in London 2009. We examine the rise of citizen journalism as a key challenge to those institutions that traditionally have been able to control the information environmen...

A Citizen Science Approach: A Detailed Ecological Assessment of Subtropical Reefs at Point Lookout, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Roelfsema, Chris; Thurstan, Ruth; Beger, Maria; Dudgeon, Christine; Loder, Jennifer; Kovacs, Eva; Gallo, Michele; Flower, Jason; Gomez Cabrera, K-le; Ortiz, Juan; Lea, Alexandra; Kleine, Diana

2016-01-01

Subtropical reefs provide an important habitat for flora and fauna, and proper monitoring is required for conservation. Monitoring these exposed and submerged reefs is challenging and available resources are limited. Citizen science is increasing in momentum, as an applied research tool and in the variety of monitoring approaches adopted. This paper aims to demonstrate an ecological assessment and mapping approach that incorporates both top-down (volunteer marine scientists) and bottom-up (divers/community) engagement aspects of citizen science, applied at a subtropical reef at Point Lookout, Southeast Queensland, Australia. Marine scientists trained fifty citizen scientists in survey techniques that included mapping of habitat features, recording of substrate, fish and invertebrate composition, and quantifying impacts (e.g., occurrence of substrate damage, presence of litter). In 2014 these volunteers conducted four seasonal surveys along semi-permanent transects, at five sites, across three reefs. The project presented is a model on how citizen science can be conducted in a marine environment through collaboration of volunteer researchers, non-researchers and local marine authorities. Significant differences in coral and algal cover were observed among the three sites, while fluctuations in algal cover were also observed seasonally. Differences in fish assemblages were apparent among sites and seasons, with subtropical fish groups observed more commonly in colder seasons. The least physical damage occurred in the most exposed sites (Flat Rock) within the highly protected marine park zones. The broad range of data collected through this top-down/bottom-up approach to citizen science exemplifies the projects' value and application for identifying ecosystem trends or patterns. The results of the project support natural resource and marine park management, providing a valuable contribution to existing scientific knowledge and the conservation of local reefs.

[Can tobacco companies be good corporate citizens?].

Science.gov (United States)

Palazzo, G; Mena, S

2009-07-01

Tobacco companies have jumped on the Corporate social responsibility (CSR) bandwagon as a tentative to be societally accepted as responsible actors and good corporate citizens. This is however not possible for two reasons. First, the product they sell is lethal and thus not compatible with the precondition of doing no harm to be a good corporate citizen. Second, the behavior of tobacco firms is not responsible, being illustrated by four examples: junk science versus sound science strategy, seducing young smokers, political lobbying and getting customers on new markets. To conclude, three implications for regulating the activities of the tobacco industry are given.

Emerging ICT for Citizens' Veillance: Theoretical and Practical Insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Boucher, Philip; Nascimento, Susana; Tallacchini, Mariachiara

2018-02-28

In ubiquitous surveillance societies, individuals are subjected to observation and control by authorities, institutions, and corporations. Sometimes, citizens contribute their own knowledge and other resources to their own surveillance. In addition, some of "the watched" observe "the watchers" "through" sous-veillant activities, and various forms of self-surveillance for different purposes. However, information and communication technologies are also increasingly used for social initiatives with a bottom up structure where citizens themselves define the goals, shape the outcomes and profit from the benefits of watching activities. This model, which we define as citizens' veillance and explore in this special issue, may present opportunities for individuals and collectives to be more prepared to meet the challenges they face in various domains including environment, health, planning and emergency response.

Putting citizens at the heart of food system governance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pimbert, Michel

2012-05-15

Establishing inclusive governance of food systems — where farmers and other citizens play an active role in designing and implementing food and agricultural policies — is not just a matter of equity or social justice. Evidence shows that it can also lead to more sustainable livelihoods and environments. And yet, across the world, food system governance is marked by exclusionary processes that favour the values and interests of more powerful corporations, investors, big farmers and large research institutes. How can we tip the balance and amplify the voice and influence of marginalised citizens in setting the food and agricultural policies that affect them? Research points to six tried and tested ways that, when combined, can empower citizens in the governance of food systems.

Citizens for new Europe / Erkki Vedder

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Vedder, Erkki

2004-01-01

Peipsi Koostöö Keskus osales partnerina Aktiivsete Kodanike Võrgustiku (Active Citizens Network) algatatud üleeuroopalises projektis, kus uuriti kodanikeühenduste olukorda ning kolmandat sektorit puudutavat seadusandlust erinevates riikides

Cell broadcast trials in The Netherlands: Using mobile phone technology for citizens' alarming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagtman, H.M.

2010-01-01

In emergency situations authorities need to warn the public. The conventionally used method for warning citizens in The Netherlands is the use of a siren. Modern telecommunication technologies, especially the use of text-based features of mobile phones, have great potential for warning the public. In the years 2005-2007 cell broadcast was tested during several large-scale field trials with citizens in The Netherlands. One of the questions was to determine the penetration of cell broadcast for citizens' alarming. This article argues that the definition of penetration in the light of warning citizens in case of emergencies should include the citizens' responses to warning messages. In addition, the approach to determining the penetration, the data and validity issues regarding these data is discussed. The trials have shown cell broadcast has potential to become an effective citizens' alarming technology. This however requires the entire technological and organisational chain of the warning system to function correctly. Attention is required to network management, handset improvements and correct communication to the public about the conditions under which a cell broadcast message can be received. The latter includes managing realistic expectations including circumstances in which cell broadcast will not reach a citizen.

Volunteer Macroinvertebrate Monitoring: Tensions Among Group Goals, Data Quality, and Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Nerbonne, Julia Frost; Nelson, Kristen C.

2008-09-01

Volunteer monitoring of natural resources is promoted for its ability to increase public awareness, to provide valuable knowledge, and to encourage policy change that promotes ecosystem health. We used the case of volunteer macroinvertebrate monitoring (VMM) in streams to investigate whether the quality of data collected is correlated with data use and organizers’ perception of whether they have achieved these outcomes. We examined the relation between site and group characteristics, data quality, data use, and perceived outcomes (education, social capital, and policy change). We found that group size and the degree to which citizen groups perform tasks on their own (rather than aided by professionals) positively correlated with the quality of data collected. Group size and number of years monitoring positively influenced whether a group used their data. While one might expect that groups committed to collecting good-quality data would be more likely to use it, there was no relation between data quality and data use, and no relation between data quality and perceived outcomes. More data use was, however, correlated with a group’s feeling of connection to a network of engaged citizens and professionals. While VMM may hold promise for bringing citizens and scientists together to work on joint conservation agendas, our data illustrate that data quality does not correlate with a volunteer group’s desire to use their data to promote regulatory change. Therefore, we encourage scientists and citizens alike to recognize this potential disconnect and strive to be explicit about the role of data in conservation efforts.

Educating Global Citizens: A Good "Idea" or an Organisational Practice?

Science.gov (United States)

Lilley, Kathleen; Barker, Michelle; Harris, Neil

2015-01-01

Higher education emphasises training and skills for employment, yet while the "idea" of educating global citizens appears in university discourse, there is limited evidence demonstrating how the "idea" of the global citizen translates into practice. Recent research emphasises a desire for graduates to be local and global…

Engagement in smartcities. Design of a framework of Theoretical analysis applied to citizen participation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María E. Cortés-Cediel

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Engagement can be defined as a psychological state in which an individual focuses all her attention and enjoys the activity she is doing. The literature highlights the importance of improving this in citizen participation by governments and administrations. However, to the best of our knowledge, the literature does not offer clues about how engagement in citizen participation can be improved. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework of citizen engagement for citizen participation in the context of smart cities. To this end, we first provide a definition of engagement, and describe some of its main characteristics. Next, we present a review of the literature on citizen participation tools in smart cities, analyzing if such tools do influence engagement attributes. The main outcomes of the study are the elaboration of a theoretical framework that integrates characteristic attributes of engagement in the field of citizen participation, and the identification of participation tools analyzing whether they can be designed to increase citizen engagement levels.

Facebooking Citizen Science with the Zooniverse

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Joseph; Gay, P. L.; Hogan, K.; Lintott, C.; Impey, C.; Watson, C.

2011-01-01

While fully online citizen science projects like Galaxy Zoo and Moon Zoo are able to garner participation by tens to hundreds of thousands of people, this success pales next to the number of people who use Facebook. With a population well over half a billion, Facebook is, at the time of this writing, the largest single online community. As an experiment in social science-engagement, we have created Facebook fan pages for Zooniverse science tasks, social-sharing apps for Moon Zoo and Galaxy Zoo, and a novel galaxy-related citizen science project all within Facebook. In this poster we present early analysis on how these engagements attract both old and new users, and how users choose to share and interact through these pages.

Project Roadkill: Linking European Hare vehicle collisions with landscape-structure using datasets from citizen scientists and professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Stretz, Carina; Heigl, Florian; Steiner, Wolfgang; Bauer, Thomas; Suppan, Franz; Zaller, Johann G.

2015-04-01

Road networks can implicate lots of negative effects for wildlife. One of the most important indication for strong landscape fragmentation are roadkills, i.e. collisions between motorised vehicles and wild animals. A species that is often involved in roadkills is the European hare (Lepus europaeus). European hare populations are in decline throughout Europe since the 1960s and classified as "potentially endangered" in the Red Data Book of Austria. Therefore, it is striking that in the hunting year 2013/14, 19,343 hares were killed on Austrian roads translating to 53 hare roadkills each day, or rather about two per hour. We hypothesized, that (I) hare-vehicle-collisions occur as an aggregation of events (hotspot), (II) the surrounding landscape influences the number of roadkilled hares and (III) roadkill data from citizen science projects and data from professionals (e.g. hunters, police) are convergent. Investigations on the surrounding landscape of the scenes of accidents will be carried out using land cover data derived from Landsat satellite images. Information on road kills are based on datasets from two different sources. One dataset stems from the citizen science project "Roadkill" (www.citizen-science.at/roadkill) where participants report roadkill findings via a web application. The second dataset is from a project where roadkill data were collected by the police and by hunters. Besides answering our research questions, findings of this project also allow the location of dangerous roadkill hotspots for animals and could be implemented in nature conservation actions.

User interaction in smart ambient environment targeted for senior citizen.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulli, Petri; Hyry, Jaakko; Pouke, Matti; Yamamoto, Goshiro

2012-11-01

Many countries are facing a problem when the age-structure of the society is changing. The numbers of senior citizen are rising rapidly, and caretaking personnel numbers cannot match the problems and needs of these citizens. Using smart, ubiquitous technologies can offer ways in coping with the need of more nursing staff and the rising costs of taking care of senior citizens for the society. Helping senior citizens with a novel, easy to use interface that guides and helps, could improve their quality of living and make them participate more in daily activities. This paper presents a projection-based display system for elderly people with memory impairments and the proposed user interface for the system. The user's process recognition based on a sensor network is also described. Elderly people wearing the system can interact the projected user interface by tapping physical surfaces (such as walls, tables, or doors) using them as a natural, haptic feedback input surface.

Democratizing Process Innovation? On Citizen Involvement in Public Sector BPM

Science.gov (United States)

Niehaves, Björn; Malsch, Robert

‘Open Innovation’ has been heavily discussed for product innovations; however, an information systems (IS) perspective on ‘process innovation’ has not yet been taken. Analyzing the example of the public sector in Germany, the paper seeks to investigate the factors that hinder and support ‘open process innovation’, a concept we define as the involvement of citizens in business process management (BPM) activities. With the help of a quantitative study (n=358), six factors are examined for their impact on citizen involvement in local government BPM initiatives. The results show that citizen involvement in reform processes is not primarily motivated by the aim of cost reduction, but rather related to legitimacy reasons and the intent to increase employee motivation. Based on these findings, implications for (design) theory and practice are discussed: Instead of detailed collaborative business processes modeling, the key of citizen involvement in public sector BPM lies in communication and mutual understanding.

How training citizen scientists affects the accuracy and precision of phenological data

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Richard E.; Žemaitė, Irma; Miller-Rushing, Abraham J.

2018-05-01

Monitoring plant and animal phenology is a critical step to anticipating and predicting changes in species interactions and biodiversity. Because phenology necessarily involves frequent and repeated observations over time, citizen scientists have become a vital part of collecting phenological data. However, there is still concern over the accuracy and precision of citizen science data. It is possible that training citizen scientists can improve data quality though there are few comparisons of trained and untrained citizen scientists in the ability of each to accurately and precisely measure phenology. We assessed how three types of observers—experts, trained citizen scientists that make repeated observations, and untrained citizen scientists making once-per-year observations—differ in quantifying temporal change in flower and fruit abundance of American mountain ash trees (Sorbus americana Marsh.) and arthropods in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA. We found that trained more so than untrained citizen science observers over- or under-estimated abundances leading to precise but inaccurate characterizations of phenological patterns. Our results suggest a new type of bias induced by repeated observations: A type of learning takes place that reduces the independence of observations taken on different trees or different dates. Thus, in this and many other cases, having individuals make one-off observations of marked plants may produce data as good if not better than individuals making repeated observations. For citizen science programs related to phenology, our results underscore the importance of (a) attracting the most number of observers possible even if they only make one observation, (b) producing easy-to-use and informative data sheets, and (c) carefully planning effective training programs that are, perhaps, repeated at different points during the data collection period.

Operation Atalanta and the Protection of EU Citizens: Civis Europaeus unheeded?

OpenAIRE

LARIK, Joris

2011-01-01

This paper critically assesses the EU’s anti-piracy operation Atalanta in the light of the protection of Union citizens. The main question is to which extent a Union citizen threatened by pirates off the coast of Somalia could rely on the promise of civis europaeus sum. The paper discusses the various legal aspects pertaining to the forceful protection of EU citizens in international law, EU constitutional law and the operational parameters of Atalanta. It argues that within the particular fr...

Time for action: science education for an alternative future

Science.gov (United States)

Hodson, Derek

2003-06-01

Following a brief historical survey of the popular 'slogans' that have influenced science education during the past quarter century and a review of current international debate on scientific literacy and science pedagogy, the author takes the view that while much of value has been achieved, there is still considerable cause for concern and that it is time for action in two senses. First, it is time to take action on the school science curriculum because it no longer meets the needs, interests and aspirations of young citizens. Second, it is time for a science curriculum oriented toward sociopolitical action. The author argues that if current social and environmental problems are to be solved, we need a generation of scientifically and politically literate citizens who are not content with the role of 'armchair critic'. A particular concern in North America is the link between science education, economic globalization, increasing production and unlimited expansion - a link that threatens the freedom of individuals, the spiritual well-being of particular societies and the very future of the planet. The author's response is to advocate a politicized, issues-based curriculum focused on seven areas of concern (human health; food and agriculture; land, water and mineral resources; energy resources and consumption; industry; information transfer and transportation; ethics and social responsibility) and addressed at four levels of sophistication, culminating in preparation for sociopolitical action. The curriculum proposal outlined in the article is intended to produce activists: people who will fight for what is right, good and just; people who will work to re-fashion society along more socially-just lines; people who will work vigorously in the best interests of the biosphere. At the heart of this curriculum is a commitment to pursue a fundamental realignment of the values underpinning Western industrialized society. Achieving that goal is a formidable task - one that

Investing in citizen science can improve natural resource management and environmental protection

Science.gov (United States)

McKinley, Duncan C.; Miller-Rushing, Abraham J.; Ballard, Heidi L.; Bonney, Rick; Brown, Hutch; Evans, Daniel M.; French, Rebecca A.; Parrish, Julia K.; Phillips, Tina B.; Ryan, Sean F.; Shanley, Lea A.; Shirk, Jennifer L.; Stepenuck, Kristine F.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Wiggins, Andrea; Boyle, Owen D.; Briggs, Russell D.; Chapin, Stuart F.; Hewitt, David A.; Preuss, Peter W.; Soukup, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Citizen science has made substantive contributions to science for hundreds of years. More recently, it has contributed to many articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has influenced natural resource management and environmental protection decisions and policies across the nation. Over the last 10 years, citizen science—participation by the public in a scientific project—has seen explosive growth in the United States, particularly in ecology, the environmental sciences, and related fields of inquiry. In this report, we explore the current use of citizen science in natural resource and environmental science and decision making in the United States and describe the investments organizations might make to benefit from citizen science.

Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Sample McMeeking, L. B.; Weinberg, A. E.

2013-12-01

socially and politically. The PAREU model empowers the community to take action from the research they, themselves, conducted, and enables them to carry out future research. Finally, many of these communities (and the general public) lack the understanding of the nature of science, which leads to ignorance on the part of citizens in areas of science such as climate change. By participating in science/social science research, community members gain a better understanding of the nature of science, making them more informed citizens. The PAREU model is theoretically grounded in decades of research in social science and documented impacts of student research experiences. In addition to providing practical benefits for communities with needs solvable by scientific research, the model builds on and expands student skills gained from traditional REU programs Deep and sustained engagement among scientists, social scientists, and community leaders is expected to create better informed citizens and improve their ability to solve problems.

Scientific Value and Educational Goals: Balancing Priorities and Increasing Adult Engagement in a Citizen Science Project

Science.gov (United States)

Sickler, Jessica; Cherry, Tammy Messick; Allee, Leslie; Smyth, Rebecca Rice; Losey, John

2014-01-01

The Lost Ladybug Project is a citizen science project that engages individuals and groups in research and learning about ladybug population dynamics. With a dual purpose of advancing scientists' research about ladybug populations and achieving learning outcomes with participants, the project's summative evaluation led to critical reflection on the…

European citizen and consumer attitudes and preferences regarding beef and pork

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verbeke, Wim; Pérez-Cueto, Federico J. A.; de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra

2010-01-01

sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens' and consumers' attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers...... consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals' views as citizens...... and their behaviour as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers' acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating...

Evaluation of Affirmative Action in the Context of Possible Unfair Discrimination Against Subgroups in the Designated Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myrone Christopher Stoffels

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The implementation of affirmative action measures can give rise to unfair discrimination. In cases where members of the “designated groups” compete with one another for the same position, there can be allegations of unfair discrimination. The question arises as to how the employer needs to act in order to avoid unfair discrimination in cases where more than one person from the designated group applies for the same position. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the impact of unfair discrimination on the designated group, specifically with regard to the subgroup “black people” as well as how the employer can avoid unfair discrimination in the implementation of the affirmative action measures aimed at advancing “black people” by selecting the most suitably qualified person from the sub group black people based on the national and regional demographics.

Initiating and continuing participation in citizen science for natural history.

Science.gov (United States)

Everett, Glyn; Geoghegan, Hilary

2016-07-22

Natural history has a long tradition in the UK, dating back to before Charles Darwin. Developing from a principally amateur pursuit, natural history continues to attract both amateur and professional involvement. Within the context of citizen science and public engagement, we examine the motivations behind citizen participation in the national survey activities of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) programme, looking at: people's experiences of the surveys as 'project-based leisure'; their motivations for taking part and barriers to continued participation; where they feature on our continuum of engagement; and whether participation in an OPAL survey facilitated their movement between categories along this continuum. The paper focuses on a less-expected but very significant outcome regarding the participation of already-engaged amateur naturalists in citizen science. Our main findings relate to: first, how committed amateur naturalists (already-engaged) have also enjoyed contributing to OPAL and the need to respect and work with their interest to encourage broader and deeper involvement; and second, how new (previously-unengaged) and relatively new participants (casually-engaged) have gained confidence, renewed their interests, refocussed their activities and/or gained validation from participation in OPAL. Overall, we argue that engagement with and enthusiasm for the scientific process is a motivation shared by citizens who, prior to participating in the OPAL surveys, were previously-unengaged, casually-engaged or already-engaged in natural history activities. Citizen science has largely been written about by professional scientists for professional scientists interested in developing a project of their own. This study offers a qualitative example of how citizen science can be meaningful to participants beyond what might appear to be a public engagement data collection exercise.

How Participation Creates Citizens: Participatory Governance as Performative Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Turnhout

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Participation is a prominent feature of many decision-making and planning processes. Among its proclaimed benefits is its potential to strengthen public support and involvement. However, participation is also known for having unintended consequences which lead to failures in meeting its objectives. This article takes a critical perspective on participation by discussing how participation may influence the ways in which citizens can become involved. Participation unavoidably involves (1 restrictions about who should be involved and about the space for negotiation, (2 assumptions about what the issue at stake is, and (3 expectations about what the outcome of participation should be and how the participants are expected to behave. This is illustrated by a case study about the Dutch nature area, the Drentsche Aa. The case study demonstrates how the participatory process that took place and the restrictions, assumptions, and expectations that were involved resulted in six forms of citizen involvement, both intended and unintended, which ranged between creativity, passivity, and entrenchment. Based on these findings, the article argues that participation does not merely serve as a neutral place in which citizens are represented, but instead creates different categories of citizens. Recognizing this means reconceiving participation as performative practice. Such a perspective goes beyond overly optimistic views of participation as a technique whose application can be perfected, as well as pessimistic views of participation as repression or domination. Instead, it appreciates both intended and unintended forms of citizen involvement as meaningful and legitimate, and recognizes citizenship as being constituted in interaction in the context of participation.

How MESSENGER Meshes Simulations and Games with Citizen Science

Science.gov (United States)

Hirshon, B.; Chapman, C. R.; Edmonds, J.; Goldstein, J.; Hallau, K. G.; Solomon, S. C.; Vanhala, H.; Weir, H. M.; Messenger Education; Public Outreach (Epo) Team

2010-12-01

How MESSENGER Meshes Simulations and Games with Citizen Science In the film The Last Starfighter, an alien civilization grooms their future champion—a kid on Earth—using a video game. As he gains proficiency in the game, he masters the skills he needs to pilot a starship and save their civilization. The NASA MESSENGER Education and Public Outreach (EPO) Team is using the same tactic to train citizen scientists to help the Science Team explore the planet Mercury. We are building a new series of games that appear to be designed primarily for fun, but that guide players through a knowledge and skill set that they will need for future science missions in support of MESSENGER mission scientists. As players score points, they gain expertise. Once they achieve a sufficiently high score, they will be invited to become participants in Mercury Zoo, a new program being designed by Zooniverse. Zooniverse created Galaxy Zoo and Moon Zoo, programs that allow interested citizens to participate in the exploration and interpretation of galaxy and lunar data. Scientists use the citizen interpretations to further refine their exploration of the same data, thereby narrowing their focus and saving precious time. Mercury Zoo will be designed with input from the MESSENGER Science Team. This project will not only support the MESSENGER mission, but it will also add to the growing cadre of informed members of the public available to help with other citizen science projects—building on the concept that engaged, informed citizens can help scientists make new discoveries. The MESSENGER EPO Team comprises individuals from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE); Center for Educational Resources (CERES) at Montana State University (MSU) - Bozeman; National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE); Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL); National Air and Space Museum (NASM); Science

8 CFR 319.2 - Person whose United States citizen spouse is employed abroad.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... NATIONALITY REGULATIONS SPECIAL CLASSES OF PERSONS WHO MAY BE NATURALIZED: SPOUSES OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS...) To reside abroad with the citizen spouse; and (ii) To take up residence within the United States...; and (3) Notify the Service immediately if he or she is unable to reside with the citizen spouse...

The Fabrication of Qualified Citizens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andrade-Molina, Melissa

2017-01-01

a rhizomatic analytical move, a historization of the present is deployed to map the fabrication of the desired qualified citizen in Chile. The analysis evidences the (re)production of dominant narratives about the “qualified citizen” are and have been entangled with the functioning of school geometry...

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