On October 10th, the second network meeting took place at 't Proathoes in Enschede. The purpose of the meeting was to inform participants, interested parties, and stakeholders about the activities at the University of Twente (UT) related to Citizen Science and the status of recently selected projects in which citizens and researchers collaborate.
The host of the meeting was Wiro Kuipers, community manager at DesignLab. Presentations were given by Sabine Wildevuur, director of DesignLab, Maya van den Berg, program manager of DesignLab, and Renske van Wijk, coordinator of external relations at the Techmed Centre. Attendees received more information about the activities of the European project Incentive, the outcomes of the UT's Open House where visitors were asked what they would like to know about science, and the 'Meedoen' platform.
Positive health solutions to decrease loneliness among elderly people in Twente
Jeroen Ottink from the IkkanWelzijn-Samen1Enschede/Samen1Twente Foundation is collaborating with UT researcher Jodi Sturge on positive health solutions for lonely seniors in Twente. Jeroen has been working from his foundation for years to combat loneliness in Twente. Jodi Sturge is an assistant professor at the UT in the Interactive Design department.
Children Citizen Geo-Science for climate adaptive cities
UT researchers Javier Martinez and Funda Atun are joining forces with Martin van Hooijdonk from the International School Twente to involve children as co-researchers in adapting to climate change. Children at the International School Twente not only learn about child citizen science in climate-adaptive cities but also help formulate research questions and conduct research. Javier Martinez is an associate professor with expertise in social sciences and Earth & Environmental Sciences. Funda Atun is an assistant professor with expertise in societal resilience, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation.
AbilityTech: further development of smart assistive devices for people with disabilities
Arie Fokkink, the founder of Ability Tech and, more importantly, a father of a son with a disability, is working with UT researcher Edwin Dertien to develop tools for the self-sufficiency of people with disabilities. Edwin and Arie have been working together for some time to create tools for Arie's son, Andrei. Over the next 2 years, they aim to make these solutions available to a larger group of people with disabilities. Edwin Dertien is an assistant professor affiliated with the Robotics & Mechatronics department.
Citizen Science Dashboards - communicating climate change challenges in agriculture in Twente
UT researchers Iris van Duren and Florian Ellsäßer are collaborating with Herenboerderij Usseler Es to develop an informative dashboard for the Herenboeren farm. The goal is to actively inform visitors about the sustainable water management plan on a farm run by citizens. Iris van Duren is an assistant professor with expertise in Natural Resource Management (NRM) with an emphasis on the use of earth observation and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Florian Ellsäßer is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Natural Resources in the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation.
Improving the health condition of citizens of Boekelo
This project is about improving the health of residents in Boekelo and was initiated by Sandra van Hogen-Koster, a resident of Boekelo, in collaboration with Marjolein Kroese, working with UT researcher Anne Dijkstra. This project will be further explained in a future meeting.
It was very interesting to hear about the project details and see that the projects are finding common ground and fostering cross-pollination."
