����vlog����

will serve as a hub for citizen scientists, collating a list of vetted scientific projects and promoting citizen science best practices, building on a tested and internationally recognised infrastructure from the United States and the Atlas of living Australia’s BioCollect platform.

“With SciStarter Australia now live, it has never been easier to find a project that interests you and for the public to contribute to the understanding of our world,” says project co-lead Professor Frank Grützner, from the University of ����vlog����’s School of Biological Sciences and the��Environment Institute.

“We hope SciStarter Australia will bring new capabilities and increase participation in citizen science projects here in South Australia and across the country.”

SciStarter Australia, which has launched in beta form, will enable greater accessibility to and visibility about science projects that are open to public participation and collaboration.

Project co-lead Professor Rachel Ankeny, from the University of ����vlog����’s School of Humanities, says the project will provide insights into how citizen science is performed in Australia.

“The SciStarter Australia platform will allow us to investigate how citizen science is being done and initiate more efforts to diversify participation so that all Australians can collaborate on these important scientific activities,” says Professor Ankeny.

“It will also allow more engagement with communities and businesses so that their members can volunteer for citizen science activities that align with their interests and skills."

SciStarter Australia received a $160,000 grant from the South Australian government’s Citizen Science Fund.

Its advisory board includes members representing Flinders University, the University of South Australia, the Australian Citizen Science Association including the SA Chapter, the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, and SciStarter (USA).

Just like science is a collaborative pursuit, Professor Ankeny says partnership and collaboration were key to the project coming to fruition.

“The goal of the new SciStarter Australia platform is to provide a sustainable and accessible space for those conducting citizen science projects to make potential participants aware of their fantastic projects, and hence it is a collaboration between all with interests in Australian citizen science,” she says.

Dr Annie Lane, Chair of the Australian Citizen Science Association, says she is thrilled to be able to celebrate the launch of SciStarter Australia.

“This initiative aims to mobilise the Australian public and facilitate connections between people and scientists and the diverse range of scientific projects conducted by community groups,” says Dr Lane.

“Citizen science empowers individuals to contribute to the creation of new knowledge through collaborative scientific investigation. SciStarter Australia will facilita