Author: Monica Constatin and Enrique Sánchez Bautista

In an ever-evolving landscape of scientific progress, where breakthroughs continually reshape our understanding of the world, the role of civil society in science is becoming increasingly vital. Recognising this mutual exchange between civil society and researchers, initiatives like Citizen Science^[1] have emerged as powerful conduits for public engagement with scientific research. Strongly supported by the European Commission, Citizen Science fosters collaboration between citizens and the scientific community, paving the way for impactful contributions to knowledge and policy formation.

The Surrounded by Science (SbS) project, funded by the Horizon 2020 programme, promotes and advocates for Citizen Science and other forms of informal scientific education. The European Physical Society (EPS) continues its committment of promoting scientific engagement by holding the second EPS Citizen Science Competition. This is an initiative designed to bring citizens closer to current research projects via Zooniverse, an online platform facilitating civil society to get involved and to engage in scientific research.

Building upon the success of the first EPS Citizen Sience Competition 2022, this second edition invites individuals to embark on a thrilling scientific journey between 1st-29th February 2024, where participants are encouraged to join the GWitchHunters project on the Zooniverse platform and participate in the classification challenge posed by the project. The GWitchHunters project focuses on enhancing the capabilities of the Virgo Gravitational Wave detector, offering participants a unique opportunity to contribute to a real gravitational wave astronomy experiment. The competition not only empowers citizens to actively participate in scientific research, but also offers enticing incentives, namely the change to win one of the three travel grants to explore the cutting-edge facilities of EGO-Virgo, European Gravitational Observatory, located in Pisa, Italy. As such, winners of these grants will gain firsthand experience in state-of-the-art research facilities, further enriching their scientific knowledge. 

Beyond this competition, initiatives like Surrounded by Science and the Science Chaser app offer additional avenues for engagement of civil society in STEM subjects, underscoring the multifaceted nature of informal science education. By leveraging digital tools and innovative methodologies, these initiatives strive to democratize access to scientific knowledge and foster a sense of ownership and empowerment among citizens who are not professionally involved in research. If you want to participate in the competition, visit the competition page on the SbS website.