Research for Everyone

Last Sunday, the LBV University Group and the Ecology Department organised Citizen Science Day. The aim was to bring scientific research to life and show how everyone can get involved. The event was opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Dr Anja Schlömerkämper, Vice-President for Sustainability and Equal Opportunities, and Dr Sandra Vorlová, Deputy Mayor of the City of Würzburg. The Vice-President then took part in the birdwatching excursion at Hubland, alongside Prof. Dr Paul Pauli, President of the University of Würzburg, and around 25 other participants. They marvelled at the biodiversity on campus and observed, among others, blue tits, great spotted woodpeckers, starlings and garden tree creepers at the nesting site. They also learnt that one of the largest citizen science projects on birds was taking place that very weekend – the Garden Bird Count. 

At the same time, Dr Esme Ashe-Jeppson gave a talk in which she demonstrated how former private collections can yield new insights into animal species and their evolution. Afterwards, the Ecology Department guided participants through the campus garden, a prime example of a sustainable and species-friendly garden. In addition, PhD student Christian Zehner gave a talk on various public portals through which nature observations can be reported and explained how distribution maps for a wide variety of species can be created using such data collected by the general public.

Following the tour of the campus garden, the event continued there with two exciting workshops. In the first, the Ecology Department demonstrated the essentials of composting and how food waste can promote biodiversity when composted correctly. And in the second, children and adults alike got their hands dirty for biodiversity: they made seed bombs from mud and seeds. In doing so, they created a beautiful and sustainable souvenir for their own garden or balcony.

Those who didn’t fancy getting their hands dirty could also try their hand at art and learn the practical skills involved in drawing butterflies scientifically. And for those who felt the urge to head outdoors again, there was the chance to explore the university’s biodiversity trail with the LBV university group and the Lebendiger Campus initiative, learn how to create microhabitats at home using simple materials, and look for insects at the same time. All in all, the day was a resounding success.