https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05313-w
Review
Citizen science, accessibility, art & science, critical thinking, policy and engagement: thoughts and lessons learned from the REINFORCE experience
1
European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), 56021, Cascina, Pisa, Italy
2
Università di Pisa, 56127, Pisa, Italy
3
INFN, Sezione di Pisa, 56127, Pisa, Italy
4
Ellinogermanki Agogi, 15351, Attica, Pallini, Greece
5
CP3, Institut de Mathématique et Physique, UCLouvain, Chemin du Cyclotron, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
6
ZSI–Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, Linke Wienzeile 246, 1150, Wien, Austria
7
Instituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM), Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Facultad Regional Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina
8
Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 84, Athens, Greece
9
The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal, IPC-Résidence Palace, 155 rue de la loi, 1040, Brussels, Belgium
10
Trust-IT Srl, Via Francesco Redi 10, Apt. 11–12, 4th floor, 56124, Pisa, Italy
11
School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, MK7 6AA, Milton Keynes, UK
12
Univ Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IP2I Lyon, UMR 5822, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
13
Instituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM), Universidad de Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina
14
Institute for Accelerating Systems and Applications, University Campus, 10024, Athens, Greece
15
Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille (CPPM), Marseille, France
16
Laboratoire Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75013, Paris, France
17
Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
n
gary.hemming@ego-gw.it
p
christine.kourkoumelis@cern.ch
y
massimiliano.razzano@unipi.it
Received:
23
January
2024
Accepted:
24
May
2024
Published online:
2
October
2024
REINFORCE (Research Infrastructures FOR Citizens in Europe) is a Research & Innovation Project, supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 SwafS, ‘Science with and for Society’ work programme (GA872859). The project, which ran from December, 2019, to November, 2022, engaged the public in a variety of innovative ways. Four citizen-science demonstrator projects were developed on the world-leading Zooniverse platform, each focussing on a different area of frontier physics: gravitational waves; neutrino astronomy; particle physics; and muography. A range of art and science events were launched and undertaken. A data-sonification tool—sonoUno—was developed in order to improve the accessibility of the data used in the four demonstrator projects. A course on critical thinking and a history of the Second Scientific Revolution was provided on YouTube and in podcast form, while a senior-citizen-science course was designed, co-developed and implemented. These initiatives were supported by a detailed engagement plan, a dedicated communications and dissemination strategy, and a constantly evolving assessment and evaluation approach. The experiences garnered during the project, in conjunction with consultations with project participants, volunteers and stakeholders, were built into the form of a policy roadmap explaining how to integrate citizen science into research infrastructures in Europe. The roadmap identifies a series of policy objectives and related policy gaps, associated challenges and lays out a series of recommendations. This article describes the results of the REINFORCE project and draws together the experiences of each of the involved twelve partner organisations.
This article is dedicated to the memory of Stavros Katsanevas. Stavros was a brilliant scientist, professor and thinker. He was also the driving force behind the REINFORCE project and was the Project Coordinator from its inception until the 27th of November, 2022, when he passed away; just three days before the official conclusion of the project. Stavros was a friend to all in the collaboration and his open and inclusive nature can be felt, diffused throughout the project as a whole.
© The Author(s) 2024
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