New visiting professor strengthens marine citizen science
The University of Gothenburg has appointed Uta Wehn visiting professor in sustainable development with focus on marine citizen science. Marine citizen science is when members of the general public participate in marine research projects, for example observing and reporting on algal blooms, or watching underwater videos to identify species.
“This is a wonderful opportunity. This will build on the substantial hands on experience I have gained over the years, not least in the projects Ground Truth 2.0 and CSEOL that I led as well as in MICS, WeSenseIt and WeObserve, among others” says Uta Wehn, Associate Professor at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, the Netherlands.
Growing interest in citizen science
Interest in citizen science is growing, both among researchers and the general public. At the University of Gothenburg there are several projects and collaborations in marine citizen science, for example Koster Seafloor Observatory and Ocean Data Factory, where the public can contribute to marine research.
“Uta's appointment is another step towards realising the full potential of an inclusive and open ocean science in Sweden. We feel passionately about this and we have seen the payback it creates for ocean literacy and marine conservation,” says Matthias Obst, researcher and project manager for Koster Seafloor Observatory.
Create lively "community of practice"
Uta Wehn has many years of experience in citizen science from several international organisations. She is currently working as Associate Professor in Water Innovation Studies at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands, which is the largest international graduate water education facility in the world.
“I want to contribute with my knowledge to the current projects in marine citizen science at the University of Gothenburg. First on my to-do-list is to create a lively 'community of practice' for marine citizen science, that brings together researchers across faculty boundaries,” says Uta Wehn.
Better marine data and deeper knowledge
“We are convinced that Uta’s knowledge and experience will help us to improve our citizen science projects, contributing to both better marine data, and better analysis and interpretation of marine data. This in turn could lead to greater and deeper knowledge about our common oceans, says Torsten Linders, project coordinator at the Department of Marine Sciences and project manager for Ocean Data Factory.
Text: Annika Wall
Uta Wehn is appointed Adlerbertska Research Foundation's visiting professor in sustainable development.
The nomination of Uta Wehn was supported by faculty representatives from Natural Sciences, IT, Social Sciences, Humanities, and the School of Business, Economics and Law, as well as representatives from the Centre for Sea and Society, and Chalmers University of Technology.
The host institution for Uta Wehn is the Department of Marine Sciences.
