CYANO: from the classroom to the reservoirs and their basins

Abstract

Community participation in open and collaborative scientific projects involves citizen science.  The community living nearby a reservoir is the main affected one by the presence of cyanobacteria blooms, and is usually interested in collaborating with research tasks, incorporating their knowledge, tools and resources. This study describes a university outreach initiative, which links the community with the School of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of the National University of Córdoba (FCEFyN), the Special Rescue Group of Calamuchita (GERS) and the Provincial Administration of Water Resources (APRHi). The initiative allows bringing the University closer to the community within the framework of one of its fundamental pillars, which is university outreach. This outreach project can be called co-creative because citizens participate in all stages of the scientific process. The community has successfully defined the problem, collected and analyzed data, monitored the phenomenon of cyanobacterial blooms and thought of solutions to be implemented. Undergraduate and graduate students were able to delve into the subject of eutrophication and the impact of cyanobacterial blooms and they could develop soft skills such as empathy, assertive communication, active listening and teamwork.