Learning through workshops Learning through workshops

During our time at UAB, we had the privilege of participating in several workshops and activities that broadened our understanding of citizen science One such workshop was on the BiciZen project, a citizen science platform that aims to promote low-carbon mobility and provide valuable insights on urban mobility through crowd-sourced information from cyclists It is basically a collaboration between several universities situated in different countries across Europe such as Spain, Portugal, Finland, and the Netherlands

The project is being developed by a team of urban planners, geographers, engineers, and computer scientists and is expected to be released in October-November of this year It aims to launch an app which would serve as a platform for cyclists to share their personal experiences as well as knowledge about various aspects such as infrastructure, safety, maintenance features, parking, incidents (harassment), and also theft via reports, photos, data results and so on The goal is to capture the voice of the cycling community, make sure that their needs are met in an attempt to improve/develop the cycling environment for all users

This particular project follows the CBL methodology since the cyclists will be the ones providing data (data collection), during the investigation phase, which will then be analysed using statistical and geographical tools by preferably third party members (outsourcing), whether students or even specialised firms

During the workshop session, we also had the opportunity to share our personal insights about the following topic along with possible suggestions to encourage cyclists to actually use the app since it could prove to be challenging task to make them be willing to do so

Thus, the workshop was a fascinating learning experience, as we got to know more about the process of developing a citizen science platform and the challenges faced by the team

As explained in their presentation, the co-creation process was intense and required collaboration among team members, local authorities, and cycling organizations.

We also got to learn about the intercultural experiences of our group members during our stay in Barcelona. We were all amazed by the rich Spanish culture, which is reflected in the architecture, food, and language of the city. The opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and learn from each other was truly invaluable.

Overall, this trip to UAB has been a remarkable experience and has given us a deeper understanding of citizen science and how it can be used to address real-world challenges

In one of our workshops, we had a discussing of The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The topic is really important and extremely relevant, especially with all of the news where we see companies sell your personal data

Imagine you are a citizen scientist collecting data on a rare and valuable species in the wild You carefully document the species' habitat, behavior, and unique characteristics. Similarly, when organizations collect your personal data, the GDPR ensures that they handle it with the same level of care and responsibility

Since a lot of us, including myself, don’t read the policy terms, we don’t know what we are agreeing on We are letting companies gain access to all our personal information, without doubting it To put it into perspective: If a stranger came up to me and asked me about all my personal information, I wouldn’t give him the information But if an app I just downloaded asked me to accept the privacy terms or give them any additional information, I would not mind giving it You see where we are going?

In other words – this workshop really was an eye opener We gained insights of how important it is to actually protect yourself online, otherwise our information is sold to third-parties. There are companies out there that have information about our whole life without us knowing

During our excursion tour in the autonomy University in Barcelona, we were introduced to the 3D-Labs, part of 4 other labs/workshops on campus. We got to perceive different 3D printers, in addition to a brief description of their mechanism and the material used. What caught our attention is the fact that they tend to recycle the leftover plastic and make new filaments out of it for sustainability reasons which we found to be quite beneficial for the environment as less plastic is being consumed. However, certain irregularities may appear as a result of mixed plastics being placed together, which could prove to be a problem. We were then introduced to the other manufacturing machines, and told that such machines are handled by three different levels of technicians, starting from beginners (lvl 1) all the way to experts who could actually fix the machines if they were to fail at anytime (lvl3).

The following workshop involved us reading an article by the well known writer George Steiner (called the idea of europe) which helped widen our horizons especially when it came to dealing with multiple cultures and understanding the different perspectives that could arise from such a thing by an example as simple as coffee or tea drinking in different countries/regions. We also analysed his views on his perception of Europe and discussed whether certain statements made by him in that article were true or not.

By Kanan, Karim, Carl, Marcel & Abrar - ICCS 2023