Citizen Science

Ireland Pilot Citizen Science project

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland and Wexford libraries have a loan scheme for digital radon monitors. As part of the RadoNorm project, Wexford libraries, the Healthy Wexford group and researchers from RadoNorm have contacted citizens within the community who having borrowed a digital monitor or carried out a three month test, found high levels of radon in their homes and have not yet remediated and  invited them to become citizen scientists. They can do this by taking part in a pilot project to co-design and test a Do It Yourself (DIY) remediation toolkit. Interested citizens will:

• Take part in a workshop to co-design the DIY toolkit which includes information on remediation options (explanatory video) and professional advice on remediation tailored to their house type,
• Test the DIY toolkit in their homes,
• After testing the toolkit, provide feedback on how it can be improved and carry out a follow up three-month test in their home.

The Do It Yourself (DIY) video to reduce radon developed by EPA Ireland in the framework of RadoNorm is available here.

France Pilot Citizen Science project

The project was born by considering the low diagnostic/remediation rate after radon measurement in homes and the lack of diagnostic/remediation professionals in France. An on-line self-evaluation tool (V.1) was developed in the framework of the Jurat-Bat project, to help identify potential origins of radon in private buildings and recommend appropriate remediation action depending on the characteristics of the building. This citizen science project was an opportunity for citizens and radon/building experts to test the tool, identify improvements and co-create an effective and user-friendly self-evaluation tool (V.2), also bringing citizen’s common knowledge and perception in the tool. The project included also the development of a protocol aiming to compare the radon diagnosis performed by the self-evaluation tool with a human expert with 1-2 participants. CEPN developed the protocol and facilitated the meetings with the citizens which took place between May and July 2022. Attracting participants to the project proved extremely challenging. The results of the project are currently being analysed.

Norway Pilot Citizen Science project

Norway Pilot Citizen Science project takes place in Gjøvik municipality in collaboration with the intermunicipal public service company Miljørettet helsevern IKS . The pilot project started with an open workshop at the local library on 31^st August, where citizens were invited to discuss the barriers to remediation and decide what the scope of the project will be. The main identified barriers by citizens included availability of measurement tools and lack of information with regard to simple mitigation options among other aspects. Therefore, the citizen science pilot project in Norway is launching a measurement campaign with free measurements made available for up to 100 local residents at the same time as citizens and experts will work together to develop an information package about different mitigation options. After the measurement period is finished, another open workshop will be organized with the focus on mitigation.

Further information available at:  nmbu.no/radon (in Norwegian)

Hungary Pilot Citizen Science project

The aim of the RadoNorm pilot citizen science project in Hungary is to test whether it is feasible to develop a toolkit that consists of several low-cost sensors, that is suitable for measuring several air quality and radiation components. In the first step of our study, workshops will be organised for secondary school students of 16 to 18 years old in two high schools in Budapest (ELTE Radnóti Miklós Gyakorló Általános Iskola és Gimnázium and Budai Ciszterci Szent Imre Gimnázium). Interested students are invited to become citizen scientists. They will develop the toolkit and test it through a series of short-term individual measurements at different locations in school and at participants’ homes. The results will be interpreted in cooperation with the researchers. The project will include an interdisciplinary component, as students will also develop the technical documentation of the toolkit in easy-to-understand English, in collaboration with students of design and communication, who will accompany the development and testing process.

At least three workshops will be organised in each institution: one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of the project. However, the lead partner will meet with teachers every week to follow up the citizen science project and will decide whether more workshops are needed.

SECTION: OPEN CALL FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS

RadoNorm is looking to fund and support citizen science initiatives related to radon testing or radon mitigation in radon prone areas. RadoNorm is seeking to partner with:

• New citizen science projects on radon looking for support, financial and otherwise, to grow and become sustainable;
• Communities interested in co-designing research into radon;
• Organisations in the public and private sectors exploring the use of citizen science in their work related to radon measurements and/or radon remediation.

RadoNorm will provide funding for a six-month project, alongside dedicated activities, resources and tools to set up and run the project. You will have the chance work together with RadoNorm researchers and professionals to tailor the support you need to achieve your goals.

The call opened on the European Radon Day 7 November 2022 and has closed on 17 February 2023. Two webinars were organised: the first on 7th November and the second on 17th January 2023  to help potential applicants to prepare their proposals. The general presentation of the second webinar is available here and the Norwegian case study presentation is available here.

RadoNorm partners are not eligible to apply for a citizen science project, but they can help external organisations from the consortium (e.g. universities, local authorities, schools, civic groups, etc) to apply for a project.

Check the guide for applicants and FAQs  document here.

You can download the application form here and declaration of honour.

Check the document “RadoNorm citizen science overview”

18 applications are currently being reviewed.