FEATURES
Bridging the Gap
▲ FIG . 2 :
Example task in the GWitchHunters project . Citizens are invited to classify a glitch and correlate it with noise in auxiliary channels of the Virgo detector in these demonstrators , citizens were invited to collaborate with researchers and dedicate time and effort to perform classification of more than 80,000 images as well as identify and note properties of the images in question [ 3 ].
In GWitchHunters , citizens are invited to examine real data and classify transient noise features , “ glitches ”, that introduce dead time in the Virgo Gravitational Wave detector according to their morphologies . Citizens are further asked to correlate the glitches with the output of auxiliary channels of the detector and identify potential malfunctions .
In Deep Sea Explorers , citizens are invited to Investigate the characteristics of bioluminescence in deep sea using the KM3NeT neutrino telescope optical modules . They further investigate bioacoustics in deep sea using KM3NeT hydrophones and help classify potential sources of acoustic noise in the deep marine environment .
In New Particles Search at CERN , citizens are invited to search for displaced vertices and do particle identification with simulated data using the Zooniverse and the HYPATIA online environment 11 . They perform a search for the Higgs boson and for long-lived particles with open data from the ATLAS experiment at CERN .
In Cosmic Muon Images , citizens are invited help optimise the muon reconstruction algortithms of the Diaphane Muon Detector dedicated to muography , as well as Identify extra particle strikes in the surface of the muon detectors .
In all citizen science demonstrators , a “ majority logic ” was implemented , requiring that the same image was classified by a minimum number of participants determined by the research team . The answer of the majority of participants was kept as the final answer and the image was retired for further analysis .
Participatory engagement activities
The large number of images , combined with the retirement limit as well as the need for careful classification of every image in order to achieve a scientifically sound result posed a series of requirements for the recruitment , continuous engagement and training of participating citizens . To achieve this , the REINFORCE team designed and implemented a citizen engagement strategy throughout the duration of the project implementation . The REINFORCE strategy describes the progressive approach for engaging citizens in the related demonstrators while at the same time describes the tasks and the expected contributions from citizens and the roles of the scientists in the process . It is a 5-step approach which involves enrichment of the demonstrators with dedicated educational resources and training materials and encompasses activities aiming to inform citizens - such as webinars and public talks , to involve them- such as virtual visits to large research infrastructures , to facilitate collaboration - such as challenges and competitions , to receive consultation - such as practice reflection workshops and to empower them to become ambassadors of the project in their communities- such as summer and winter schools . In order to ensure accessibility and make sure that equal opportunities are provided to everyone REINFORCE implemented a strong inclusion and diversity program , utilizing data sonification 12 in order to open up to citizens with visual and multimodal impairments . Further activities tailored to the needs of specific target groups of citizens were organized , including a Senior Citizen Science Course , a Course on Critical Thinking , dedicated workshops for students as well as dedicated art and science contests and events .
Overall , the REINFORCE team has managed to mobilise a significant number of citizens in these interventions . Throughout the duration of REINFORCE , more than 1,000,000 citizens were informed about REINFORCE throughout the dedicated campaigns and events organized and almost 30,000 citizens were involved through training activities and workshops , performing more than 1,000,000 classifications and participating in more than 5,000 discussions with researchers , with the majority of effort being done by a core community of dedicated citizens . The high levels of demonstrators ’ appeal during the implementation provided a significant “ return of investment ” as far as the time allocated by citizens : for every 1 hour dedicated by research team , 2 hours were dedicated by participating citizens !
11 https :// hypatia . iasa . gr /
12 https :// www . reinforceeu . eu / about / sonification-increasing-senses-increasing-inclusion
13 https :// www . asterics2020 . eu /
14 https :// projectescape . eu /
15 https :// www . reinforceeu . eu / index . php / interactive-workshop-citizen-science
Discussion
At this point , one has to try to evaluate what we have gained and the road that opens beyond the 4 demonstrators exposed above . Quoting the late professor Stavros Katsanevas , we have obtained a cross-fertilization of methods e . g . images vs tracking , effort to find the proper
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