'Citizen science' is a concept that has been gaining traction in different fields of knowledge by proposing the active participation of society in the production of scientific data and knowledge. This practice has been debated and incorporated into initiatives of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) and is likely to gain even more ground in the coming years.
The last day (October 31st) of Act 3 of Symposium IOC Jubilee 125 years It was dedicated to the theme "Citizen Science: workshops on concepts and practices," with sessions that shared successful experiences and discussed ways to broaden social participation in scientific endeavors.
With online streaming via Channel IOC on YoutubeThe opening panel presented the concept and highlighted that, although its use is relatively recent in Brazil, the practice has been part of the Institute's routine research and projects for many years.
Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation at IOCLuciana Garzoni emphasized that the proposal for the coming years is to broaden the dialogue between science and society, promoting actions that value local knowledge and contribute to more applied and transformative research.
“It is essential to see the citizen as a popular researcher — someone who exchanges knowledge with us and helps generate more reliable, real, and applicable data for the population we study. We hope that this meeting will serve as a starting point to expand this movement within the Institute and consolidate citizen science as a cross-cutting practice in our research,” he highlighted.
Check out the full broadcast:
The first session of the day, 'Open and Citizen Science: Opportunities and Challenges', featured researcher Sarita Albagli from the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT). The session was moderated by Mariana Alberti, a doctoral candidate in the Postgraduate Program in Education in Brazil.iocScience and Health IOC.
The scientist linked citizen science to open science, an approach that seeks to make scientific processes more transparent, collaborative, and accessible.
According to the researcher, both areas are experiencing a moment of consolidation, in which institutional advances go hand in hand with political and semantic disputes. On the one hand, there is a growing structuring of networks, laboratories, and programs dedicated to the theme—such as the National Institute of Science and Technology in Citizen Science and the Brazilian Network of Citizen Science—; on the other hand, controversies persist about what it means, in practice, to open up science and recognize the role of the population in the production of knowledge.
"We are at a point where these terms, concepts, and values are being challenged," he stated.
“There are disputes over narratives about what we want to express and defend when we talk about open or citizen science, and also disputes over appropriation: not only about how we name these practices, but about what we actually do with them,” Sarita added.
In this context, the author highlighted that 'citizen science' is a polysemous term—with multiple meanings and interpretations—and contextual, since it acquires different meanings, emphases, and effects depending on the location, the actors, and the protocols involved. Therefore, she argued that institutionalization should advance, but be guided by the question 'what kind of science do we want, for what purpose, and for whom?'
Next, the Information and Communication Coordinator of FiocVanessa de Arruda Jorge, from Ruz, presented an initial mapping of citizen science at the Foundation, based on scientific production, projects registered in the Lattes platform, research groups, and funding initiatives.
The results indicate a growing trend in the use of participatory approaches, with the IOC in a prominent position among projects already underway or completed. Vanessa also mentioned that FiocRuz has open science policies and infrastructure—such as Arca Dados—and participates in the formulation of national indicators for evaluating citizen science projects.
The Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation at IOCLuciana Garzoni presented a citizen science experiment developed in the Baixada Fluminense region to address the Covid-19 pandemic in vulnerable areas.
The project integrated home testing, genomic surveillance, and educational activities, with coordination from FiocRuz, municipalities, and local associations are working to ensure rapid access to diagnosis and vaccination.
The initiative was co-created and conducted in conjunction with residents, from formulating the questions to analyzing and providing feedback on the results. Nurses and nursing technicians from the communities themselves were trained to act as community surveillance agents, conducting testing, serological surveys, and educational activities.
The experience ensured the testing of over a thousand residents and resulted in vaccination campaigns coordinated with local municipalities, reaching areas dominated by violence and difficult for public authorities to access.
According to the researcher, the project proves that citizen science can be an instrument of equity, reducing inequalities and strengthening local capacity to respond to health issues.
In the afternoon, the program focused on other successful citizen science initiatives. Karine Bueno, a researcher at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), presented an overview of participatory science developed in protected areas of the Baixada Fluminense region, especially in the Mário Xavier National Forest in Seropédica (RJ).
She reported that a deficit in environmental education was observed in the municipality. Based on this finding, in 2018 she created the 'Shared Guardianship of the Mário Xavier National Forest' program, aimed at training environmental monitors and fostering closer ties between UFRRJ (Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro), schools, and the conservation unit.
"Green spaces in the city benefit everyone, so everyone needs to take care of and share the responsibility of safeguarding this environment. There needs to be a vision of mutual collaboration between the residents of Seropédica and this public space," he said.
According to Karine, the project has already involved more than 5 students and 100 teachers from the basic education network, in addition to hundreds of university students from UFRRJ, who act as environmental educators. The activities include interpretive trails, workshops, booklets, puppet theater, and playful materials produced by the students themselves.
Other developments of the initiative include participatory mapping and nature photography projects as a tool for scientific dissemination. The 'Baixada Fluminense and Pulsating Life' contest, for example, gathered more than 300 images submitted by participants from different conservation units in the region.
Finally, researcher Marcelo Antônio Barros de Cicco from the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO) detailed the 'EXOSS Citizen Science' project, a Brazilian network for observing and studying meteors based on voluntary collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers.
Created in 2015, the initiative began with nine enthusiasts and twelve cameras and has grown into a collaborative network with 81 cameras in 58 stations distributed throughout all regions of Brazil, bringing together 57 people and 21 institutions.
"It's a genuinely citizen science project. It unites science professionals with amateurs who want to be part of a scientific study," he defined.
The network monitors bolides and meteor showers, determining orbits and trajectories from records made by cameras installed by volunteers, combining low cost with high participant motivation.
The researcher presented images of meteors captured by the stations and highlighted the educational dimension of the initiative, which maintains the website 'press.exoss.org' and promotes science outreach activities in schools and museums.
Among the results of EXOSS are collaborations with NASA, the SETI Institute, the National Observatory, and Brazilian universities. The network is also responsible for representing in Brazil the international tool 'Report a Bolide', which allows the public to submit reports and videos of meteors observed in the sky.
"The project ends up being a gateway for young people who, at the very least, didn't have a strong interest in science, and when they participate, they become so enthusiastic that they end up pursuing a scientific career," he concluded.
'Citizen science' is a concept that has been gaining traction in different fields of knowledge by proposing the active participation of society in the production of scientific data and knowledge. This practice has been debated and incorporated into initiatives of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) and is likely to gain even more ground in the coming years.
The last day (October 31st) of Act 3 of Symposium IOC Jubilee 125 years It was dedicated to the theme "Citizen Science: workshops on concepts and practices," with sessions that shared successful experiences and discussed ways to broaden social participation in scientific endeavors.
With online streaming via Channel IOC on YoutubeThe opening panel presented the concept and highlighted that, although its use is relatively recent in Brazil, the practice has been part of the Institute's routine research and projects for many years.
Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation at IOCLuciana Garzoni emphasized that the proposal for the coming years is to broaden the dialogue between science and society, promoting actions that value local knowledge and contribute to more applied and transformative research.
“It is essential to see the citizen as a popular researcher — someone who exchanges knowledge with us and helps generate more reliable, real, and applicable data for the population we study. We hope that this meeting will serve as a starting point to expand this movement within the Institute and consolidate citizen science as a cross-cutting practice in our research,” he highlighted.
Check out the full broadcast:
The first session of the day, 'Open and Citizen Science: Opportunities and Challenges', featured researcher Sarita Albagli from the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT). The session was moderated by Mariana Alberti, a doctoral candidate in the Postgraduate Program in Education in Brazil.iocScience and Health IOC.
The scientist linked citizen science to open science, an approach that seeks to make scientific processes more transparent, collaborative, and accessible.
According to the researcher, both areas are experiencing a moment of consolidation, in which institutional advances go hand in hand with political and semantic disputes. On the one hand, there is a growing structuring of networks, laboratories, and programs dedicated to the theme—such as the National Institute of Science and Technology in Citizen Science and the Brazilian Network of Citizen Science—; on the other hand, controversies persist about what it means, in practice, to open up science and recognize the role of the population in the production of knowledge.
"We are at a point where these terms, concepts, and values are being challenged," he stated.
“There are disputes over narratives about what we want to express and defend when we talk about open or citizen science, and also disputes over appropriation: not only about how we name these practices, but about what we actually do with them,” Sarita added.
In this context, the author highlighted that 'citizen science' is a polysemous term—with multiple meanings and interpretations—and contextual, since it acquires different meanings, emphases, and effects depending on the location, the actors, and the protocols involved. Therefore, she argued that institutionalization should advance, but be guided by the question 'what kind of science do we want, for what purpose, and for whom?'
Next, the Information and Communication Coordinator of FiocVanessa de Arruda Jorge, from Ruz, presented an initial mapping of citizen science at the Foundation, based on scientific production, projects registered in the Lattes platform, research groups, and funding initiatives.
The results indicate a growing trend in the use of participatory approaches, with the IOC in a prominent position among projects already underway or completed. Vanessa also mentioned that FiocRuz has open science policies and infrastructure—such as Arca Dados—and participates in the formulation of national indicators for evaluating citizen science projects.
The Director of Research, Technological Development and Innovation at IOCLuciana Garzoni presented a citizen science experiment developed in the Baixada Fluminense region to address the Covid-19 pandemic in vulnerable areas.
The project integrated home testing, genomic surveillance, and educational activities, with coordination from FiocRuz, municipalities, and local associations are working to ensure rapid access to diagnosis and vaccination.
The initiative was co-created and conducted in conjunction with residents, from formulating the questions to analyzing and providing feedback on the results. Nurses and nursing technicians from the communities themselves were trained to act as community surveillance agents, conducting testing, serological surveys, and educational activities.
The experience ensured the testing of over a thousand residents and resulted in vaccination campaigns coordinated with local municipalities, reaching areas dominated by violence and difficult for public authorities to access.
According to the researcher, the project proves that citizen science can be an instrument of equity, reducing inequalities and strengthening local capacity to respond to health issues.
In the afternoon, the program focused on other successful citizen science initiatives. Karine Bueno, a researcher at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), presented an overview of participatory science developed in protected areas of the Baixada Fluminense region, especially in the Mário Xavier National Forest in Seropédica (RJ).
She reported that a deficit in environmental education was observed in the municipality. Based on this finding, in 2018 she created the 'Shared Guardianship of the Mário Xavier National Forest' program, aimed at training environmental monitors and fostering closer ties between UFRRJ (Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro), schools, and the conservation unit.
"Green spaces in the city benefit everyone, so everyone needs to take care of and share the responsibility of safeguarding this environment. There needs to be a vision of mutual collaboration between the residents of Seropédica and this public space," he said.
According to Karine, the project has already involved more than 5 students and 100 teachers from the basic education network, in addition to hundreds of university students from UFRRJ, who act as environmental educators. The activities include interpretive trails, workshops, booklets, puppet theater, and playful materials produced by the students themselves.
Other developments of the initiative include participatory mapping and nature photography projects as a tool for scientific dissemination. The 'Baixada Fluminense and Pulsating Life' contest, for example, gathered more than 300 images submitted by participants from different conservation units in the region.
Finally, researcher Marcelo Antônio Barros de Cicco from the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO) detailed the 'EXOSS Citizen Science' project, a Brazilian network for observing and studying meteors based on voluntary collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers.
Created in 2015, the initiative began with nine enthusiasts and twelve cameras and has grown into a collaborative network with 81 cameras in 58 stations distributed throughout all regions of Brazil, bringing together 57 people and 21 institutions.
"It's a genuinely citizen science project. It unites science professionals with amateurs who want to be part of a scientific study," he defined.
The network monitors bolides and meteor showers, determining orbits and trajectories from records made by cameras installed by volunteers, combining low cost with high participant motivation.
The researcher presented images of meteors captured by the stations and highlighted the educational dimension of the initiative, which maintains the website 'press.exoss.org' and promotes science outreach activities in schools and museums.
Among the results of EXOSS are collaborations with NASA, the SETI Institute, the National Observatory, and Brazilian universities. The network is also responsible for representing in Brazil the international tool 'Report a Bolide', which allows the public to submit reports and videos of meteors observed in the sky.
"The project ends up being a gateway for young people who, at the very least, didn't have a strong interest in science, and when they participate, they become so enthusiastic that they end up pursuing a scientific career," he concluded.
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