Citizen science for monitoring the spatial and temporal dynamics of malaria vectors in relation to environmental risk factors in Ruhuha, Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: As part of malaria prevention and control efforts, the distribution and density of malaria mosquitoes requires continuous monitoring. Resources for long-term surveillance of malaria vectors, however, are often limited. The aim of the research was to evaluate the value of citizen science in providing insight into potential malaria vector hotspots and other malaria relevant information, and to determine predictors of malaria vector abundance in a region where routine mosquito monitoring has not been established to support vector surveillance. METHODS: A 1-year citizen science programme for malaria mosquito surveillance was implemented in five villages of the Ruhuha sector in Bugesera district, Rwanda. In total, 112 volunteer citizens were enrolled and reported monthly data on mosquitoes collected in their peridomestic environment using handmade carbon-dioxide baited traps. Additionally, they reported mosquito nuisance experienced as well as the number of confirmed malaria cases in their household. RESULTS: In total, 3793 female mosquitoes were collected, of which 10.8% were anophelines. For the entire period, 16% of the volunteers reported having at least one confirmed malaria case per month, but this varied by village and month. During the study year 66% of the households reported at least one malaria case. From a sector perspective, a higher mosquito and malaria vector abundance was observed in the two villages in the south of the study area. The findings revealed significant positive correlations among nuisance reported and confirmed malaria cases, and also between total number of Culicidae and confirmed malaria cases, but not between the numbers of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae and malaria cases. At the sector level, of thirteen geographical risk factors considered for inclusion in multiple regression, distance to the river network and elevation played a role in explaining mosquito and malaria mosquito abundance. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that a citizen science approach can contribute to mosquito monitoring, and can help to identify areas that, in view of limited resources for control, are at higher risk of malaria.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Citizen Science to Complement Traditional Data Gathering Approaches for Medically Important Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States.

Tick-borne diseases are increasing in North America. Knowledge of which tick species and associated human pathogens are present locally can inform the public and medical community about the acarological risk for tick bites and tick-borne infections. Citizen science (also called community-based monitoring, volunteer monitoring, or participatory science) is emerging as a potential approach to complement traditional tick record data gathering where all aspects of the work is done by researchers or public health professionals. One key question is how citizen science can best be used to generate high-quality data to fill knowledge gaps that are difficult to address using traditional data gathering approaches. Citizen science is particularly useful to generate information on human-tick encounters and may also contribute to geographical tick records to help define species distributions across large areas. Previous citizen science projects have utilized three distinct tick record data gathering methods including submission of: 1) physical tick specimens for identification by professional entomologists, 2) digital images of ticks for identification by professional entomologists, and 3) data where the tick species and life stage were identified by the citizen scientist. We explore the benefits and drawbacks of citizen science, relative to the traditional scientific approach, to generate data on tick records, with special emphasis on data quality for species identification and tick encounter locations. We recognize the value of citizen science to tick research but caution that the generated information must be interpreted cautiously with data quality limitations firmly in mind to avoid misleading conclusions.

Many lenses for planetary health: seeding citizen engagement for sustainable futures visioning with new ways of seeing.

OBJECTIVES: This pilot project sought to seed citizen engagement processes for sustainable futures visioning with ideas, perspectives, and processes informed by Indigenous ways of knowing. METHODS: Five circle dialogues were convened with students, faculty, and members of the public, in the spring of 2019, using Indigenous talking circle methodology and intentionally seeded with "disruptive" ideas to encourage reflexivity and open space for "out-of-the-box" thinking. These were complemented by a series of one-on-one dialogues with members of the pan-Canadian research team. Pre- and post-dialogue surveys, notes taken by participants, team members, and co-facilitators, as well as notes from one-on-one interviews, constituted the data drawn upon for this paper. RESULTS: Participants were overwhelmingly positive about their experience, noting they were able to go further and deeper in their thinking and listening, and that they valued the Indigenous talking circle methodology, even if they stopped short of claiming the experience had transformed their way of seeing the world. Key points raised in the dialogues included the need for a more relational worldview, the need to repair severed relations with the land and nature, the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing, the importance of community building, and the need to question the fundamental assumptions undergirding contemporary Western societies. CONCLUSIONS: While caution must be exercised in drawing conclusions and extrapolating from this modest pilot project, our experience underscores the value of processes that intentionally catalyze critical reflexivity and openness to other ways of seeing, informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and talking circle methodology.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Ce projet pilote visait à faire germer des idées, des opinions et des processus éclairés par les modes de savoir autochtones dans des processus de mobilisation citoyenne pour faire naître des scénarios d'avenir durables. MéTHODE: Cinq cercles de dialogue ont été organisés avec des étudiants, des professeurs et des personnes du public, au printemps 2019, en faisant appel à la méthode autochtone des cercles de la parole et en semant délibérément des idées « perturbatrices ¼ afin d'encourager la réflexivité et de sortir des sentiers battus. Les cercles ont été complétés par une série de dialogues individuels avec les membres de l'équipe de recherche pancanadienne. Les sondages pré- et post-dialogue, les notes prises par les participants, les membres de l'équipe et les coanimateurs, ainsi que les notes des entretiens individuels ont constitué la matière première du présent article. RéSULTATS: La très grande majorité des participants ont trouvé l'expérience positive : ils ont dit avoir pu aller plus loin et plus profond dans leur réflexion et leur écoute et avoir apprécié la méthode des cercles de la parole autochtones, sans toutefois aller jusqu'à dire que l'expérience avait transformé leur vision du monde. Les principaux points soulevés dans les dialogues ont été le besoin d'avoir une vision du monde plus relationnelle, le besoin de réparer les relations rompues avec la terre et la nature, l'importance des modes de savoir autochtones, l'importance de la solidarité sociale et le besoin de remettre en cause les hypothèses fondamentales qui soutiennent les sociétés occidentales contemporaines. CONCLUSIONS: S'il faut faire preuve de prudence avant d'extrapoler et de tirer des conclusions d'un simple projet pilote, notre expérience souligne la valeur des processus qui induisent intentionnellement une réflexivité critique et une ouverture à d'autres façons de voir, éclairés par les modes de savoir autochtones et par la méthode des cercles de la parole.

Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project: Citizen Science and Student-Based Discoveries for 15 Years and Counting.

The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on genetics education at any education level. Seth R. Bordenstein, Ph.D., Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and Founding Director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, is the 2020 recipient in recognition of his cofounding, developing, and expanding Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project.

Credit for and Control of Research Outputs in Genomic Citizen Science.

Citizen science encompasses activities with scientific objectives in which members of the public participate as more than passive research subjects from whom personal data or biospecimens are collected and analyzed by others. Citizen science is increasingly common in the biomedical sciences, including the fields of genetics and human genomics. Genomic citizen science initiatives are diverse and involve citizen scientists in collecting genetic data, solving genetic puzzles, and conducting experiments in community laboratories. At the same time that genomic citizen science is presenting new opportunities for individuals to participate in scientific discovery, it is also challenging norms regarding the manner in which scientific research outputs are managed. In this review, we present a typology of genomic citizen science initiatives, describe ethical and legal foundations for recognizing genomic citizen scientists' claims of credit for and control of research outputs, and detail how such claims are or might be addressed in practice across a variety of initiatives.

Translational data analytics in exposure science and environmental health: a citizen science approach with high school students.

BACKGROUND: Translational data analytics aims to apply data analytics principles and techniques to bring about broader societal or human impact. Translational data analytics for environmental health is an emerging discipline and the objective of this study is to describe a real-world example of this emerging discipline. METHODS: We implemented a citizen-science project at a local high school. Multiple cohorts of citizen scientists, who were students, fabricated and deployed low-cost air quality sensors. A cloud-computing solution provided real-time air quality data for risk screening purposes, data analytics and curricular activities. RESULTS: The citizen-science project engaged with 14 high school students over a four-year period that is continuing to this day. The project led to the development of a website that displayed sensor-based measurements in local neighborhoods and a GitHub-like repository for open source code and instructions. Preliminary results showed a reasonable comparison between sensor-based and EPA land-based federal reference monitor data for CO and NOx. CONCLUSIONS: Initial sensor-based data collection efforts showed reasonable agreement with land-based federal reference monitors but more work needs to be done to validate these results. Lessons learned were: 1) the need for sustained funding because citizen science-based project timelines are a function of community needs/capacity and building interdisciplinary rapport in academic settings and 2) the need for a dedicated staff to manage academic-community relationships.

Citizen Science-Informed Community Master Planning: Land Use and Built Environment Changes to Increase Flood Resilience and Decrease Contaminant Exposure.

Communities adjacent to concentrated areas of industrial land use (CAILU) are exposed to elevated levels of pollutants during flood disasters. Many CAILU are also characterized by insufficient infrastructure, poor environmental quality, and socially vulnerable populations. Manchester, TX is a marginalized CAILU neighborhood proximate to several petrochemical industrial sites that is prone to frequent flooding. Pollutants from stormwater runoff discharge from industrial land uses into residential areas have created increased toxicant exposures. Working with local organizations, centers/institutes, stakeholders, and residents, public health researchers sampled air, water, indoor dust, and outdoor soil while researchers from landscape architecture and urban planning applied these findings to develop a community-scaled master plan. The plan utilizes land use and built environment changes to increase flood resiliency and decrease exposure to contaminants. Using a combination of models to assess the performance, costs, and benefits of green infrastructure and pollutant load impacts, the master plan is projected to capture 147,456 cubic feet of runoff, and create $331,400 of annual green benefits by reducing air pollution and energy use, providing pollution treatment, increase carbon dioxide sequestration, and improve groundwater replenishment. Simultaneously, there is a 41% decrease across all analyzed pollutants, reducing exposure to and transferal of toxic materials.

Citizen Science: A New Approach to Smoke-Free Policy Advocacy.

Kentucky has the second highest adult smoking rate, has the highest incidence of lung cancer in the nation, and does not have a state law prohibiting smoking inside workplaces. These tobacco disparities and policy gap leave Kentucky behind tobacco control progress made in other areas of the United States. Williamstown is a rural community with a population of 3,900 and a strong history of tobacco use. In 2017, the Northern Kentucky Health Department, in partnership with Interact for Health, worked with two coalitions to collect data, educate the community, and advocate for a local smoke-free policy. Coalition members collected 227 public opinion surveys. Community leaders-including the mayor-and advocates participated in Citizen Science, a research collaboration between scientists and volunteers. Advocates were trained on AirBeam monitors, wearable devices that gather air quality data in real time, and then were deployed in six establishments. The indoor air quality in smoking establishments was two times worse than the outdoor air quality standard. Community leaders and advocates then mobilized to educate City Council members on the benefits of a smoke-free policy, focusing on business, health, and tourism. In 2018, the Williamstown City Council voted in favor of the smoke-free policy, becoming the first jurisdiction in the Northern Kentucky region with a comprehensive smoke-free policy. The Citizen Science process helped develop coalition capacity, build community support, and engage policymakers in a successful smoke-free policy effort. Through participatory and inclusive efforts, local residents were able to affect policy change in the direction of health for all people.

Native American Youth Citizen Scientists Uncovering Community Health and Food Security Priorities.

Citizen science based on principles of community-based participatory research involves the co-creation of research among citizens and professional researchers in substantive aspects of scientific inquiry including equitable contributions to governance, research questions, data collection, analysis, application of findings, and dissemination. This article reports on a citizen science project conducted by 12 youth in the Karuk Tribe collaborating with university scientists. The youth participated in a research leadership development program conducted in their community located in rural/remote northern California. The youth led a community health and food security assessment survey using a mobile application tool (n = 212). They uncovered community concerns about the health of residents and healthfulness of food choices in schools, as well as a significant difference related to confidence in making healthy food choices between those who are and are not physically active. The Tribe applied the study findings with youth in alignment with cultural values and practices investing in developing community gardens, improving school food quality, and promoting native food practices that incorporate physical activities such as hiking, gathering, and preserving food. This study offers lessons for research collaborations among citizen scientists from communities underrepresented in health research and university scientists.

Using citizen science to speed up plastic collection and mapping of urban noise: Lessons learned from Denmark.

Pollution is a widespread global problem, in which there is a particular need to involve the general populations. Approaches for involving the public in order to contribute for reaching a sustainable environment may include plastic collection and mapping of urban soundscape. Here we briefly reflect on some of the latest initiatives in Denmark involving citizen labor and citizen science.

Public participation in science: How citizen science initiatives in healthcare and the environment are opening up new directions in research.

Public participation in science is opening up new research avenues. Recognising the potential of citizen science in fields such as health care could help science to better meet societal needs.

Meeting the needs of underserved populations: setting the agenda for more inclusive citizen science of medicine.

In its expansion to genomic, epidemiological and biomedical research, citizen science has been promoted as contributing to the democratisation of medical research and healthcare. At the same time, it has been criticised for reinforcing patterns of exclusion in health and biomedicine, and sometimes even creating new ones. Although citizen science has the potential to make biomedical research more inclusive, the benefits of current citizen science initiatives are not equally accessible for all people-in particular those who are resource-poor, located outside of traditional networks of healthcare services, or members of minorities and marginalised groups. In view of growing public investments in participatory research endeavours, we argue that it should be considered more explicitly if, and how, citizen science could help make research more inclusive, contribute to the public good, and possibly even lead to better and more equitable healthcare. Reflecting on emerging ethical concerns for scientific conduct and best medical practice, we propose a set of relevant considerations for researchers, practitioners, bioethicists, funders and participants who seek to advance ethical practices of citizen-led health initiatives, and address profound differences in position, privilege and power in research.