The Buzz Club: Citizen Science Virtual Symposium

Gardening is a popular pastime, but not one that we do alone. Whether hidden beneath the soil, buzzing in the borders or singing on the fence, thousands of wild animals share our spaces. They provide vital support to our own horticultural successes - yet we know very little about most of them!

The Buzz Club intends to change that. It is a citizen science club, run by scientists at the University of Sussex. Citizen Science is a way of conducting research in collaboration with the general public. The Buzz Club creates experiments that help us understand the wildlife we share our gardens with, and what we can do to conserve it. Volunteers all over the UK help the Buzz Club to answer these important questions.

‘The Buzz Club: Citizen Science Virtual Symposium’ will showcase the successes and lessons learnt by the Buzz Club, using their large portfolio of citizen science projects as case studies. We’ll delve into examples that have formed part of PhD studies and how various studies are linked or have fed into one another.

Speaker Programme

This event will be hosted by Professor Dave Goulson and feature presentations from the Buzz Club team that focus on the origins, engagement, scientific outputs and lessons learned of this citizen science programme.

1. Introduction to the Buzz Club with Prof Dave Goulson
2. When Is Citizen Science A Useful Approach? with Dr Beth Nicholls
3. Spreading the Word Using Citizen Science: Hoverfly Lagoons Project Case Study with Dr Ellen Rotheray
4. Bee-hind the Bees and Heatwaves Project: Lessons Learnt from PhD Research with the Buzz Club with Yanet Sepulveda
5. Keeping the Spark Alive: Volunteer Retention in Citizen Science with Dr Linda Birkin
6. Panel Discussion with Prof Dave Goulson

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and relevant links following the event via a password-protected website.

Ticket Fees

This event is unfunded and we rely on ticket fees to cover the costs of running the event. However, we did not want cost to be a barrier to attendance so we are letting you decide what you can afford to pay to attend.

1. Professional Ticket - Ticket price is £25. Ticket option for those attending in a professional capacity as part of their work or for their career professional development.

2. Non-professional Ticket - Pay what you can afford (minimum fee of £1, recommended donation £10). Ticket option for non-professionals such as volunteer biological recorders, conservation volunteers and citizen scientists.

Introduction to the Buzz Club

Prof Dave Goulson will explain why insects are important, and describe the many threats they face in the modern world. He will explain how gardens and gardeners can help in providing a home for thousands of species, and the role that Buzz Club is playing in trying to inform how best to encourage insect life in gardens through conducting nationwide “citizen science” experiments.

Dave Goulson is a Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex (UK). He has published more than 350 scientific articles on the ecology of insects. He is the author of Bumblebees (OUP 2010), and of several bestselling popular books including A Sting in the Tale (2013), A Buzz in the Meadow ( 2014), The Garden Jungle (2019) and Silent Earth (2021), collectively translated in 20 languages. Goulson founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2006, a charity that has grown to 12,000 members.

When Is Citizen Science A Useful Approach?

Using examples from the Buzz Club and beyond, this presentation will outline some of the key things to consider before embarking on a citizen science project, such as budget, motivations of participants and the potential for engagement and behaviour change.

Dr Beth Nicholls is a senior research fellow at the University of Sussex. She has led citizen science projects on monitoring solitary bee populations and urban food production and provided advice to the National Trust and Buglife on incorporating citizen science into their community outreach and conservation programmes.

Spreading the Word Using Citizen Science: Hoverfly Lagoons Project Case Study

The Hoverfly Lagoons project was invented in 2016, to develop an easy, cheap wildlife gardening technique. Since then the idea of creating a Lagoon for hoverflies has captured the imagination of people around the globe. This presentation will describe the reach and application of this citizen science project, as a method for raising awareness and engaging with people.

Dr Ellen Rotheray is a senior lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, primarily interested in needs-led research and evidence-based practice with a focus on insect conservation management. Ellie has led the Hoverfly Lagoons project since 2016, and also the Buzz Club’s Buzzing Balconies project in 2018. Ellie is an advisor on the Pine Hoverfly Biodiversity Action Plan steering group and a member of the IUCN Hoverfly Specialist Group.

Bee-hind the Bees and Heatwaves Project: Lessons Learnt from PhD Research with the Buzz Club

The Buzz Club’s Bees and Heatwaves project is part of a PhD study aimed at using citizen science to investigate how bees respond to heatwave events. This presentation explores the project's objectives, discussing the advantages, challenges, and future prospects of working alongside citizens to support pollinators in a warming world.

Yanet Sepulveda is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Sussex. Her research is focused on investigating the impact of climate change, particularly heatwaves, on crucial pollinators such as bumblebees.

Keeping the Spark Alive: Volunteer Retention in Citizen Science

Citizen science relies on the data returned by volunteers – thus, such projects need to maximise the chances of that happening. Clear communication, transparency about methods and objectives, and fostering a sense of ownership and community are all extremely important to keeping volunteers engaged, and invested in the success of a project. Dr Linda Birkin will delve into her experience of striking this balance, from her PhD ‘Bees & Beans’ and into the Buzz Club’s current roster of projects.

Dr Linda Birkin is a Citizen Science Specialist, with a particular interest in urban entomology and outreach. After completing her PhD at the University of Sussex, Linda has been working for the Buzz Club since 2019

Citizen Science Panel Discussion

A panel discussion will be hosted by Prof Dave Gouson, considering audience questions and topics such as:

• New and upcoming technologies that can be utilised in citizen science;
• Challenges that future citizen science project managers may face;
• Citizen science versus the use of field researchers;
• What's next for the Buzz Club.

Event Partners

This event is delivered by the Biological Recording Company and the Buzz Club.