En postdoc om fågelskådning är utlyst på SLU Uppsala:
Bird watching is a highly popular citizen science activity with a long history. Citizen science activities of this kind are increasingly channelled through digital platforms, which prove effective in mobilising and enabling citizen science communities across the world. As a result, communities of birdwatchers can be larger and more widespread. One of the intentions of such platforms is to provide others with access to an expert community and that this would enable deeper and more meaningful interactions with the natural world, i.e. for citizen scientists to become environmental citizens as they gain scientific expertise. But does it? This research will explore how technological and organisational innovations, such as eBird and iNaturalist, shape citizen science as a communal activity: What does it mean to be a platform? How do they shape the science and the citizen? How does ‘the social’ feature? The work will provide the successful candidate with an ideal opportunity to develop inter- and transdisciplinary research capacity in the context of environmental citizen science – a rapidly expanding field of research and application.
Sista ansökningsdag 1 november. Läs mer här.
Det skall bli spännande att se vad som kommer ut av det här projektet. Det har förstås klara beröringspunkter med amatörastronomins datahanteringssystem som växt fram de senaste årtiondena, med svenska (SVO) och internationella (AAVSO AID, COBS) databaser som samlar in amatörastronomers observationer av variabla stjärnor och kometer.
Fågelskådare är spännande varelser som delvis liknar amatörastronomer; de har sina subkulturer med olika identiterer och bevekelsegrunder, med känslor som aktualiseras inför naturobservationen.