Citizen Science Show

Clare Peddie is a science-focused journalist and editor with 25 years’ experience, including 18 in newsrooms. She joined The Conversation in 2023 after 16 years at The Advertiser , following earlier roles in science communication. Her career highlights include interviews with Sir David Attenborough and Jane Goodall, and coverage of climate, drought, and renewables.  She’s proud of her work on...

Lochie Cameron has devoted much of the first half of this year to monitoring and collecting valuable data related to a large, harmful algal bloom (HAB) that has infested the waters off South Australia. His proactive work to help monitor this devastating harmful algal bloom is inspiring and heartwarming. Not only has he contributed valuable information that scientists can use to minimise or prevent...

Larissa Braz Sousa is a Citizen Science Researcher at the University of Sydney and Associate Lecturer in Animal Biology at La Trobe University. She leads the Learning by Doing research project, exploring citizen science in schools. Her recent research focused on a citizen science mosquito project, called Mozzie Monitors. Larissa is a passionate science communicator, co-founder of the Great Souther...

The curlew is a bird that makes you stop. With its long, downward-curving bill and muted earth-toned feathers, it blends quietly into the background—until it sings. Then, its haunting, bubbling call rises like an echo from the land itself, and for a moment, everything else falls away. That sound captured Mary Colwell and never let her go. In the UK, the Eurasian curlew graces our coastal edges in...

Mitchell Harley is a coastal researcher and the creator of CoastSnap, an innovative Aussie idea to monitor changes and save the coastline  Citizen scientists taking photographs using dedicated tripod cradles at beaches all across the world.  More Information https://www.coastsnap.com/ Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science proj...

The pace of change in citizen science is exhilarating, and I’ve had the privilege of being at its forefront through my roles in the Australian Citizen Science Association and the Great Southern BioBlitz. With our upcoming conference, CitSciOz25, just around the corner, there’s a renewed sense of purpose and momentum in our work. Since the last major conference in November 2023, we’ve expanded our...

Pelicans are not endangered, and that is precisely the challenge. Because they appear abundant, little research or funding is directed toward them. Yet on a local level, these birds suffer greatly—especially from discarded fishing gear. Volunteers and rescuers repeatedly encounter the same injuries: hooks embedded in beaks and fishing lines wrapped tightly around legs. Despite this, no national da...

Beneath the familiar rhythm of Australian surf lies a hidden truth: sharks are still being killed in government-sanctioned culling programs, largely out of public sight and mind. This podcast is not just a conversation, it's a collective story of awakening, resistance, and resolve. Protecting sharks, comes at a cost. Time, energy, finances, emotional weight. Yet this is not optional, it's a respon...

Spot A Shark remains a volunteer-powered initiative. Sarah personally covers many of the project’s expenses, alongside a small group of dedicated collaborators. The project was originally launched in 2006 with grants from Valerie and Ron Taylor and support from organisations including PADI. It uses technology originally developed by NASA to map stars, now adapted to identify individual greynurse s...

Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick is the chief scientific officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre of Ireland. She is the co-founder of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan, which is a conservation initiative to protect native pollinators across Ireland. In this episode Dani and Úna discuss the challenges of protecting habitats for native bees and how local initiatives, like the Tidy Towns competition, can h...

Dr. Iain Kerr is a technology enthusiast with a love for innovation. Together with his team of whale trackers, he has forged the way and inspired many whale researchers by flying drones through whale spouts, dropping electronic tags on whales from drones and developing new ways to disentangle whales. More Information https://whale.org/ https://www.facebook.com/oceanalliance/ https://www.youtube.co...

Those of you who have seen the documentary Follow The Rain, will be familiar with the Zombie Hunter, Donovan Teal. Donovan has since collected holotypes for sixteen new fungi species, and worked with scientists to describe them. He is a prolific photographer and champion of the little things :) More Information https://earthlingcards.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/earthlingcards.bsky.social https:/...

My connection to sharks began, ironically, with fear. Like many others, I watched Jaws as a teenager and internalised the narrative of sharks as killers. When I first encountered a shark—a wobbegong, calmly passing beneath me during a snorkel—it left me both mesmerised and terrified. That moment pushed me to better understand sharks instead of fearing them. The more I dove, the more that fear diss...

Emeritus Professor Rob Harcourt leads the Marine Predator Research Group at Macquarie University and Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System Animal Tracking Facility. He is active in marine conservation, behavioural ecology of marine predators, and marine observations. Rob uses technology to 'open a window' into the world of large marine predators and was part of the first team to successfu...

Andy Howe is helping to save a species of Australia fauna that has only 400 individuals left. This is achieved by putting aside small sanctuaries that are protected from outside interference. Data is collected within the sanctuary using various technologies, from masking tape to ground level radar systems. Andy Howe works with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy or AWC on projects across Australia...

Dr Liam Lysaght is the CEO of the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Ireland, and chair of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. His organisation plays a key role in mobilising citizen science data and projects with a focus on non protected habitats and species.  More Information https://biodiversityireland.ie/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-lysaght-22875324/ https://www.gbif.org/...

Lynette Plenderleith is the chair of the inaugural New South Wales chapter of the Australian Citizen Science Association.  She is a conservation biologist and biodiversity education specialist with expertise in communication and community engagement.  Since this episode was recorded, the decision was made not to try and compete with the Australian federal election and the ACSA-NSW launch...

Fred Nunn is a hero of the oceans. Working with a team of volunteers these ocean heroes engage in technically challenging dives in the waters surrounding the UK to save wildlife and remove lost fishing gear. The removal of these dangerous marine debris - that litter the ocean - help to keep marine wildlife safe from unnecessary harm. More Information https://www.ghostfishing.co.uk/ https://www.you...

Anna Noon is a passionate and dedicated advocate for social, environmental, and climate justice. She is renowned for supporting vulnerable community members and leading impactful projects that boost the resilience and regenerative capacity of the Lake Macquarie community. Anna is a founder of the sustainability not-for-profit The Groundswell Collective and recognised in 2024 as the Lake Macquarie...

Australia just got a new funnel web spider and it's a big one. Kane Christensen spent years noticing that the funnel webs coming in from the Newcastle area were unusually large. Eventually, a microscope and a deep knowledge of spider anatomy confirmed it: this was an entirely new species. In January 2025, it was formally named Atrax christenseni — the Newcastle Funnel Web Spider — in his honour. I...

Dr Tim Cadman has become one of Australia’s most determined forest defenders. His focus? Saving the region’s native ecosystems from industrial logging and exposing the quiet disappearance of koala habitats—particularly in areas no one expected. Despite the Mid-North Coast’s reputation as a pristine haven, it is, in Tim’s words, “a battlefield.” Logging continues with alarming speed, carving into b...

Kevin Bonham is an expert in Australian land snails, especially Tasmanian and Victorian snails. He is skilled at identifying Tasmanian orchids, millipedes, centipedes and some beetle groups and Bristletails, as well as marine cowries from anywhere. Kevin is experienced in ordinal sorting of invertebrates and in Tasmanian mammal photo IDs. He is also a curator of iNaturalist and an honorary curator...

From a young age, birds captivated Paul McDonald. Growing up on the South Coast of New South Wales, he was surrounded by their presence, and that early fascination never faded. Studying at the University of Wollongong gave Paul his first serious opportunity in the field—carrying gear for avian physiologists. That simple task gradually evolved into a lifelong career. Their vocalisations intrigue Pa...

Professor Lin Schwarzkopf is an expert on acoustic signalling, communication within various vertebrate species. Using ecoacoustics - a powerful tool for monitoring species biodiversity within a region - Lin researches how individuals of a particular species, immersed in a cacophony of sound, communicate with each other. More Information https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06396-0 http://ver...

Kate Dutton-Regester is a researcher who studies the Australian Echidna. She lectures about these fascinating animals at the School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland. Her areas of expertise include the impact of changing climate on animal welfare, cat sterilisation programs and reproductive strategies of the short beaked echidna. More Information https://wildlife.org.au/our-work/cons...