By Virginia de Pablo and Esteban González – UPM

The meeting, held by Dr. Wendy Jacobs with the support of Esteban González, will serve to understand what is and how citizen science works in its broadest sense, basing the lines of action and the program of the course on the well-known book by Dr. Jacobs: “The Citizen Science Manual”.

Wendy Jacobs, professor of environmental law and director of the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School, is the central figure of a meeting on citizen science to be held at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) under the title “Citizen Science for the Resolution of Environmental Problems”. The course will offer a complete overview of this discipline next June 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, thanks to the organization of the Center for Innovation in Technology for Human Development (itdUPM).

The meeting will be attended by Esteban González (OEG/UPM), member of the ACTION project, who will act as support for Dr. Jacobs. González will contribute to the development of the course thanks to his experience in the field of citizen science, as he has participated in the collection and management and visualization of data from various projects, as well as in the development and management of projects such as STARS4ALL or GLORIA. Esteban González will explain to the attendees the work and operation of the air quality data collection stations in the city of Madrid. The operation of measurement systems and data collection will be one of the sections of the meeting trying to shape this type of “community-driven science: science engaged in, by, and for, the non-scientist populace”, as  Dr. Jacobs defines it. 

Organised by the UPM’s International Summer School and aimed at any person or entity, the course will serve to lay the foundations for learning the keys to designing or participating in citizen science projects. This citizen science Course will bring together experts and professionals to debate and address the importance of citizen science and its immediate future.