On Saturday, November 25, 2023, the House of Experiments played host to their annual Researchers’ Day. This is a dynamic event held in Slovenia, whose mission is to introduce the wonders of research and science to young minds, and to inspire potential future scientists, researchers and changemakers to embrace scientific and technical studies, while also shedding light on the incredible work researchers are currently doing to the wider public.
Joining them was our fantastic Step Change team member, Minja Krstić from the University of Primorka, who took the stage to share the work we are doing to empower citizens and allow them to play a role in protecting the environment and monitoring wild species in Slovenia, as well as talking about why these habitats and ecosystems are so important for all of us.
Through the Step Change project, the University of Primorska has worked with local hunting groups to develop a smartphone application that allows anyone enjoying the outdoors in Slovenia to record the wildlife they witness and contribute to wildlife research. The wild fauna seen by citizens is then compared to data collected by traditional conservation methods, such as camera trapping, to determine how closely these measurements match. By working hand in hand with researchers and the community, we have been able to validate just how useful these citizen science methods can be in contributing to our understanding of wild species populations and distribution.
The SRNA app can be downloaded here!
It was a thrilling experience to see so many young people so engaged and curious about the work we are doing, and of science and research as a whole!
We would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and supported this fantastic endeavour, and who helped educate and inspire the next generation of researchers.
Learn more about our Step Change journey, and how we have developed this research in the infographic below or click here to visit our CSI page!
