“Citizen Science: Why Does It Matter? What Does It Transform?” was the theme of the latest debate in the Transformative Science Tuesday· series at the Catalan Institute of Studies. This sixth session was held in a hybrid format.

Following the presentation, Jordina Belmonte, a researcher at the Catalan Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), took the floor. According to this expert, the participatory science model, beyond providing scientific data, offers great service to society because it is educational and can inform people with respiratory allergies.

“We try to get citizens involved, to inform us with what they have at hand at the street level. And when we have everything, it needs to become an application,” she commented. Belmonte expressed satisfaction with having developed an app, though she clarified that there is still much more to be done. She also emphasized the importance of focusing on schools because “students use the app, which is the way to learn.”

Josep Perelló, Professor of Physics at the University of Barcelona and creator of OpenSystems, highlighted how teachers, together with students, can contribute significantly to research. He addressed citizen science from various perspectives, such as urban planning, air and temperature quality control, and mental health. Regarding the latter, he spoke about a chatbot as a tool to share experiences of people with mental health issues in order to strengthen support networks. “Studies of human behavior are typically conducted within universities, but we are interested in doing it where people are, on the streets,” he explained.

The last expert to speak was Carme Llasat, Chair of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Barcelona and director of GAMA (Group for the Analysis of Adverse Meteorological Situations), one of the first to be part of the Barcelona Citizen Science Office. She began by highlighting the three key components that any citizen science project should have: impacting the individual knowledge of the participants, scientific knowledge, and influencing habits and skills.

Llasat also emphasized empowering citizens to know how to act in the face of risks and mitigate them, especially regarding climate change. “In scientific projects, we need information from people, but for it to be considered citizen science, they must be aware that they are part of these observations,” she clarified.

The event concluded with an open debate with the audience. The discussion reinforced the idea that citizen science is key to involving society in scientific research, as it not only provides data but also educates, empowers, and transforms people’s habits. Furthermore, it can contribute to addressing challenges in all areas.