Open Science: Five New Top Citizen Science Projects

Over two thirds of adult Austrians – including politicians – do not know what money actually is. This is one of the results of Klaus Kraemer's economic-sociological studies on the subject of money, which prompted his research group to supplement their research project on the use of cash and non-cash payment methods (“Payment Methods in Motion”) with a Citizen Science project focusing on the “digital euro.” “Many people are not aware that with digital payment methods such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, money creation is also increasingly in private hands. Only five percent of the money we deal with is issued by the European Central Bank, and so far, that is exclusively cash,” says Kraemer. The digital euro, which is to be issued for the first time in the next few years, would be the only public digital currency. What do EU citizens think about this? What do they know? The Top Citizen Science project will hold two citizens' conferences, one with students and one with a group compiled to be representative of the Austrian population. At these conferences, participants will learn about the digital euro and use social research methods to survey their attitudes towards it in order to critically question them. Sociologists, in turn, use the processes to understand how attitudes develop and possibly change. “We know from our studies that there is a great deal of mistrust in institutions such as the ECB. With the Citizen Science project, we will hopefully learn more about why this is the case and whether participation and information will change anything,” says Kraemer.

Bisphenol A, or BPA for short, is an aromatic hydrocarbon, a chemical compound – now classified as a reproductive toxin – which, once it has leached from toys, the coating of tin cans, wind turbine blades, or the thermal paper of cash register receipts, is probably found widely in the environment. BPA belongs to a group of chemicals with hormone-like effects that are scientifically referred to as endocrine disruptors. The research group led by Andreas O. Wagner at the University of Innsbruck is investigating microorganisms which could break down BPA, rendering it harmless. The laboratory experiments are focusing on anaerobic microorganisms, i.e., organisms with a metabolism that functions without oxygen. With this Citizen Science project, the research group wants to broaden its focus and identify microorganisms that also break down BPA under aerobic conditions, such as certain yeasts or fungi as well as bacteria. First, however, the researchers need to find out where BPA can be found in the environment – pioneering work that can only be accomplished in cooperation with citizen scientists. “In Austria, we more or less completely lack data on how BPA is distributed in the environment,” says Wagner. The researchers at the University of Innsbruck will analyze the microbiome of samples submitted by citizen scientists. “The probability is relatively high that we can isolate microorganisms from the samples that can break down BPA. We can then try to provide these organisms with the best possible conditions to break down BPA and ultimately alleviate the BPA problem.” BPA is potentially found everywhere in the environment because the compound is so versatile. In addition to information events, there will therefore also be lab workshops, including for school classes, to show how to track down BPA. Wagner believes that working together with citizen scientists is also an opportunity to counter the prevalent mistrust of science that has grown since the pandemic. “Pollutants like BPA affect everyone. It would be good if we could raise awareness and show that research can make the world a little better.”

Of all social media posts viewed by Austrian teens, over half are posted by influencers and 40% are advertising. How can we improve the quality of these posts, especially when it comes to important topics like health? For Raffael Heiss from MCI, the answer is obvious: Have the young people research nutrition, fitness, health facts, and myths, let them create their own multimedia content based on what they learn, share it on social media, and have it picked up by influencers. "Advertising can be regulated," explains Heiss. “But increasing health literacy among young people and improving influencer communication is only possible if the target groups themselves get involved." In Heiss’ Citizen Science project, students between the ages of 15 and 20 will be developing communication and campaign tools for social media influencers. The choice of content and methods is open and the young people will be working closely with the researchers, starting from the research design through to the development and design of the tools, and finally to the research report. "For us, it's a question of validity," says Heiss. "Content developed by the influencers’ target groups themselves is not only more compatible with reality, it is also more believable and as a result, more likely to be applied."

How is it possible to switch to a sustainable diet that is fair to both people and animals? That is the major question the COwWEL Citizen Science project aims to investigate. For answers, COwWEL turns to social groups that are rarely actively involved in sustainability issues, but are particularly affected by the consequences of an unsustainable food system: low-income people. "Whenever we talk about healthy, sustainable nutrition, the issue of costs always comes up. But other factors can also play a role," says Susanne Waiblinger, professor of animal husbandry, animal welfare, and applied ethology at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, who is leading the project. In COwWEL, people with a refugee or migrant background from Ukraine and Syria as well as people at risk of poverty will be working together with researchers to find out how to support a healthy and sustainable diet, which focuses in particular on animal welfare and is accessible to all. "The citizen scientists are irreplaceable in this project, because without their input, we wouldn’t know enough about factors that inhibit or encourage sustainable nutrition. Vulnerable groups are generally underrepresented in science," says Waiblinger. The results will complement the COwLearning project, in which an interdisciplinary research team is working together with stakeholders from the field to investigate possible ways of achieving a shift towards an animal-friendly, ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable milk and meat supply. At the end of the Citizen Science project, the City of Vienna will be involved in a workshop with the citizen scientists and the researchers to inspire an inclusive, sustainable food policy.