Citizen Science Show

Citizen Science Show

Welcome to the Citizen Science Show, a place to share stories of purpose about ecology. We explore the diverse activities of passionate people who record observations, gather empirical evidence and use technology to uncover scientific proof for positive social, cultural and political change. We hope that these stories will inspire and encourage you to take action and become a Citizen Scientist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. #165 Living with Predators in a Human World with Jonny Hanson

    2 DAYS AGO

    #165 Living with Predators in a Human World with Jonny Hanson

    The tension between humans and the wild extends far beyond landscapes, reaching into culture, psychology, and identity. What begins as a discussion about large carnivores evolves into a broader reflection on how humanity chooses to coexist with nature. Jonny Hanson's interest in large carnivores began in childhood, particularly with big cats. Over time, that fascination expanded into a deeper engagement with conservation and, ultimately, the human systems that shape environmental outcomes. He emphasises that conservation is not solely a biological issue. The challenges facing nature are driven by human behaviour, and therefore, the solutions must also come from within human society. More Information - Jonny Hanson Website: https://jonnyhanson.com/ - Coexisting with carnivores TedX Talks: https://youtu.be/2FCUumWaTBo?si=x5KaifdmhJOYUw2n - Young people research update: RU168.pdf - Book chapter preview playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQN5xAQ3b01d40TJNJLjef61y1y2Qx5t4&si=7qmO7UaB8h2w56cN Lynx Photo Credit: Julia Moning: https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/people/birdingjulia If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  2. #161 The Enigma of the Great Spider Crab with Elodie Camprasse

    7 APR

    #161 The Enigma of the Great Spider Crab with Elodie Camprasse

    The Enigma of the Great Spider Crab Australia’s great spider crab is hard to miss. With a leg span reaching up to a metre, these arthropods gather in extraordinary numbers along the seafloor. Each winter, tens of thousands converge in Port Phillip Bay in a phenomenon that has featured in global documentaries. Yet, as Elodie Camprasse discovered, scientific understanding of the species is surprisingly thin. “We know almost nothing,” she explains. What researchers do know is tied to a vulnerable moment in the crab’s life cycle. Like all arthropods, spider crabs must shed their hard shells to grow. During this moulting phase, they are soft and exposed—easy targets for predators. 4The mass gatherings are believed to offer safety in numbers. Beyond that, much remains uncertain: How often do they moult? Where do they come from? Why do they choose specific locations? More Information https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/spider-crab-watch https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/report/Giant_spider_crab_ecological_assessment_in_Port_Phillip_Bay/23306219?file=41091581 If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  3. #160 Tracking Giant Mantas Beneath the Surface with Asia Armstrong

    3 APR

    #160 Tracking Giant Mantas Beneath the Surface with Asia Armstrong

    In 2008, the scientific community believed there was only one species of manta ray. That assumption quickly shifted when new research identified a second species, and more recently, a third. These are not small or hidden creatures—they are enormous animals, some stretching up to seven meters across—yet for years they remained largely misunderstood. One of the most powerful tools used to study them is deceptively simple. Each manta ray has a unique pattern on its belly, much like a fingerprint. These markings allow researchers to identify individuals from photographs, many of which are submitted by members of the public. A single image can reveal where a manta ray has been seen before, how often it returns, whether it is reproducing, and even provide insights into its lifespan. This form of citizen science has become central to the work. Asia Armstrong has spent years studying manta rays, yet they continue to surprise her in ways that feel both humbling and urgent. Her path into this work was not predetermined. Although she had always been drawn to the ocean, it was a single dive nearly two decades ago that changed everything. Encountering a manta ray for the first time left her captivated, and what struck her even more was how little was known about them. That realization led her back to university and eventually to Project Manta, where she has spent over a decade working to close those knowledge gaps. More Information https://www.unisc.edu.au/project-manta https://ladyelliot.com.au/sustainability/project-manta/ https://sharkrayareas.org/ https://www.iucnredlist.org/ https://www.cbd.int/gbf/targets If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  4. #158 Stories from Kayaking the Wild Waters of the Macquarie Marshes with Bron Powell

    30 MAR

    #158 Stories from Kayaking the Wild Waters of the Macquarie Marshes with Bron Powell

    Bron Powell has spent years paddling through the winding channels of the Macquarie Marshes, drawn again and again to the raw wildness of the wetlands. The turning point came during the floods between 2020 and 2022, when the Marshes burst into life. What had always been a special place suddenly became extraordinary. Guiding a group of birdwatchers through the flooded landscape, Bron watched birdlife fill every corner of the water. One moment that stayed with her was a great crested grebe gliding past with a chick riding on its back while another chick struggled to keep up behind, pulled along in the parent’s wake because it had grown too big to fit on board. Scenes like that convinced Bron she wanted to bring more people into the Marshes by kayak. More Information https://www.facebook.com/MarshesTours If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min
  5. #157 Saving the Spotted Tree Frog with Matt West

    26 MAR

    #157 Saving the Spotted Tree Frog with Matt West

    Matt West has spent much of his life wading through the cold mountain streams of northeast Victoria in search of a frog few Australians will ever encounter. The spotted tree frog, Litoria spenceri, is small enough to sit on a thumb, yet its survival has become one of the most complex conservation challenges in the country. The spotted tree frog inhabits granite boulder streams stretching from Lake Eildon in Victoria to Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, breeding in fast-flowing waterways between 300 and 1,100 metres elevation. Males grow to about 35 millimetres, females to 50. Their colouring ranges from bright green with gold flecks to mottled brown. In stable environments they can live for well over a decade. Stability, however, has become increasingly rare. Photography Credit: Michael Williams. It's a Wildlife. More Information https://wildresearch.com.au/ https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/768810-matt-west https://www.zoo.org.au/ https://australiantroutfoundation.com.au/ https://www.nativefish.asn.au/ https://taungurung.com.au/ https://www.ddac.net.au/ If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  6. #159 Diving Into the Silent Threat Beneath Our Oceans with Pascal van Erp

    24 MAR

    #159 Diving Into the Silent Threat Beneath Our Oceans with Pascal van Erp

    Pascal van Erp has spent years descending into waters most people will never see, uncovering a hidden layer of destruction far removed from the image of pristine marine environments. Beneath the surface, he regularly encounters lost fishing gear—nets, lines, and cages that continue to trap and kill marine life long after they have been abandoned. This reality led him to establish Ghost Diving, an organisation that has grown into a global network of seventeen chapters and more than five hundred volunteer divers. The organisation’s expansion has never been forced. Instead, technical diving teams from around the world approach Ghost Diving, motivated to apply their advanced skills to environmental work. This organic growth has led to strong chapters in countries such as Korea, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands. Other regions, including Australia, remain without a chapter simply because no local team has yet stepped forward. The work itself demands a high level of expertise. Pascal emphasises that removing ghost nets is both complex and dangerous, requiring divers trained in deep diving, decompression, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously. In these operations, diving must become second nature so that the focus can remain entirely on the removal of hazardous debris. More Information https://www.ghostdiving.org/ https://www.ghostdiving.org/our-mission/ https://www.ghostdiving.org/chapters/global/ https://www.ghostdiving.org/chapters/ https://www.ghostdiving.org/partners/ https://www.ghostdiving.shop/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  7. #156 From Builder to Beach Guardian: How a Drone Changed Jason’s Life Above Bondi

    19 MAR

    #156 From Builder to Beach Guardian: How a Drone Changed Jason’s Life Above Bondi

    Eight years ago, Jason Iggleden was working as a builder, swinging tools and searching for something that would make him want to jump out of bed each morning. He still works in construction today, but back then he was looking for a shift in direction. Almost on impulse, he bought a drone and decided to create an app. There was no detailed business plan, just a desire to build something meaningful and help people along the way. That decision would end up reshaping his life. He launched what became known as the Drone Shark app. It was expensive to develop and eventually too costly to maintain, and it is no longer available in the App Store. In the early days, Jason flew drones each morning with a couple of his carpenters, trying to capture footage for the app. Progress was slow until someone suggested Instagram. He barely knew what the platform was at the time. Once he began posting there, momentum built quickly. Audiences connected with the footage, his live commentary evolved naturally, and a global community began forming around his aerial view of Bondi. What started as simple ocean filming soon became something more detailed. Jason began noticing individual animals and recurring behaviours. He gave them names—Alex the seal, Homer the hammerhead, Nelly the grey nurse shark with scoliosis, Sunny the sunfish, and Dolly the dolphins. Naming them helped audiences form emotional connections. Instead of seeing an anonymous shark, viewers saw a character. That shift, Jason believes, encourages people to care. More Information https://www.youtube.com/@DroneSharkApp https://www.facebook.com/dronesharkapp/ https://www.instagram.com/stories/dronesharkapp/ https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals https://sarahhatherley.com/portfolio_page/shark-bait-teaser/ If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  8. #154 The Bush Naturalist Who Gave Australia a New Bee: Gary Taylor

    16 MAR

    #154 The Bush Naturalist Who Gave Australia a New Bee: Gary Taylor

    Gary Taylor has always felt most at home in the bush. Long before native bees became his focus, he was a child wandering through scrub and creek beds, watching everything that moved. His father shaped that way of seeing. He spoke about trees, spiders and insects as if they were old friends. Nothing was to be squashed or dismissed. Every creature simply wanted to get back to its companions. That quiet respect settled into Gary early and never left. In a patch of bush he calls his bee paradise, Gary noticed a large male Stenotritus with a reddish tuft at the end of its abdomen. Australia’s Stenotritidae are found nowhere else in the world, and with only a small number of known species, the difference stood out. After sharing photographs with Dr Megan Halcroft, he was connected with entomologist Terry Houston. The following season, specimens were collected and subjected to months of detailed measurement and description. The result was confirmation of a new species: Stenotritus taylori. Having an Australian native bee named in his honour remains one of Gary’s proudest achievements. More Information https://ausemade.com.au/blog/ If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
See All (158)

4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Citizen Science Show, a place to share stories of purpose about ecology. We explore the diverse activities of passionate people who record observations, gather empirical evidence and use technology to uncover scientific proof for positive social, cultural and political change. We hope that these stories will inspire and encourage you to take action and become a Citizen Scientist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Citizen Science Show
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    158
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Citizen Science Show
  • Show Website
    Citizen Science Show

You Might Also Like