Citizen science project wins 3rd place
The project Meet je Stad (Measure your City), which has links to two UiB research projects, has been named the 3rd most sustainable Dutch initiative.
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Diana Wildschut, research assistant at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities (SVT) at UiB, is one of the researchers of Meet je Stad. This autonomous citizen science project was started three years ago in the Dutch city of Amersfoort, and it measures climate change locally in five cities around the world.
Bergen is one of these cities, and at SVT, the Measure your City project is part of research projects Co-cli-serv, led by professor Jeroen P. Van der Sluijs and CALENDARS, led by senior researcher Scott Bremer.
Wildschut recently co-edited a special issue in the journal Climate Risk Management, where she published an article with Harmen Zijp about the social history of Meet je Stad: The discoveries of citizens running around.
A list of green thinkers and doers
The prestigious list where the project came in third, 'Trouw Duurzame 100' (Trouw Sustainable 100), is published by Dutch daily newspaper Trouw. On their website they describe this year’s list in the following words (translated from Dutch):
"Also this year, Trouw presents the Sustainable 100: A list of green thinkers and doers. Just like in 2019, it is no longer a list of scientists, politicians or business people: Now the citizen initiative is in focus!"
"Meet je Stad is unique"
Trouw also ran a news article about citizen scientists Paul Geurts and Teus Hagen to showcase the positive influence of Meet je Stad.
In the article, jury member and Professor Joyeeta Gupta’s opinion was quoted (translated from Dutch):
Meet je Stad is unique. It contributes to science and increases awareness about the consequences of climate change. It’s an outstanding citizens’ initiative.
Citizen science
“With autonomous citizen science we mean science initiated and run by citizens, using the scientific method, without the leadership or initiative of an academic scientist.” (Wildschut, 2017)
Measure your City in Bergen
"'Measure your City' project started in Bergen in 2018. The project helps local citizens measure the changing weather in places around Bergen over the next two years, or longer, using weather sensor stations that citizens themselves build.
'Measure your City' is started by the University of Bergen, but the citizens of Bergen will lead it. There is room for everyone, of all ages and backgrounds." (Measure your City UiB team, 2018)
