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2024-05-17

This is the start of the notes for the SciComm AGORA project.

On 08.05.2024, we had the first meeting with all stake-holders (Disha, Emmanuel, Pierr-Marie, Manuela) came up with bits of ideas for the SciComm AGORA project(s), as discussed below:

a) Focus on botanical garden exhibition. Target group still not clear.

b) A video of researchers explaining what they do may not be enough for the big grant (200000 CHF). If we plan to make a video, we need to somehowinclude interaction with the public in the video.

c) Idea-2 (data literacy) can be followed-up, but with several modifications.

d) Main objective of the AGORA project: Transfer knowledge on chemo-diversity to the general people.

e) In the context of data literacy idea, we should build a data visualization platform in collaboration with people from 'ikonaut', present our idea to them and brainstorm how we can make the visualization of our knowledge graph better for the general visitors of the botanical garden. This platform can be hosted on individual tablets in the botanical garden, so that people can use it to gain information about the plants within the botanical garden.

f) On the lines of data visualization, we can also build an app for mobiles in parallel, which people can use for deriving information on chemo-diversity in botanical gardens and beyond. We can create different levels in this app for kids and adults.

g) There might be other applications which may focus on the concept of chemo-diversity. We should keep in mind that we don't re-invent the wheel. This is important for the novelty part of the AGORA grant.

A second meeting on 17.05.2024 followed, with some concrete ideas, focal point being 'For AGORA, it is essential that audience can interact with scientists'.

The basic premise of the project is 'stimulate interest amongst people for filling the chemo/bio-diversity gaps in the social network of metabolites'. Develop something where both target group as well as DBGI/EMI benefits. Develop something which is not similar to what others have done before in AGORA.

#OpenQue (Private)(s) What do we at DBGI/EMI have to offer? What does the target group want?

Some discussion point listed below:

a) Target group should not be limited to children or schools. We should focus on anyone interested in bio/chemo-diversity, or spark interest amongst people.

b) Tools/apps/ideas that could be used to interact with the target groups:

  1. iNaturalist platform where users document their observations. Collaborate with them for a citizen science project, where people can take pictures of plants in their backyards, forests, basically anywhere they can find biodiversity and ask for collection kits to be used for analyzing metabolomes of their samples. Something like 'What's in my backyard?' project (https://www.anecdata.org/projects/view/754)

  2. Involve people in sample preparation. Physical toolkits or just instructions about how to prep samples? A simple sample-prep by ethanol and water could be useful, but contamination and sending specific solvents are some roadblocks.

So, standard kits have to be provided. Local pharmacies/university collection points can be created where people can pick-up their colleciton kits and bring them back once they are done with collection their samples.

How about 'drop-of-blood-on-paper' approach? It doesn't require freeze-drying. No conclusions reached on this one.

#TODO (Private) Prepare a robust kit which could be used by people to collect a wide-variety of samples.

c) Rewards for the people? People always want something in return after getting involved in a citizen science project or visiting an exhibition. Give them ideas: e.g.: compare the metabolome of the tomato in their garden to the one they find in a grocery shop. An incentive to appear in EINSTEIN TV-show (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_(Wissensmagazin)) or some other show?

#OpenQue (Private) How inclusive do we want to be with this project? We will start with this AGORA project involving people mainly from Switzerland, but in the context of EMI (EARTH metaboloe initiative), our focus should be on a broader audience.

#OpenQue (Private) Is it enough they can track what is happening to their samples once they have sent them for analysis? What else?

d) Provide an app/game/tool for exploring their surroundings. Something like a data visualization platform.

#TODO (Private) Write a proposal for that to be circulated amongst interns, bachelors students, or organizations who might be interested in making such a data visulaization platform. Something like MicrobeATLAS (https://microbeatlas.org/).

#TODO (Private) Manuela knows some people and she will help us contact them.

e) Take advantage of the local knowledge. Ask people in Switzerland to spot and identify an organism (plant, arthropods, fungi, etc.) in their surroundings using iNaturalist. If they can't or if it is a rare organism, then they contact us, tell us the location and we send them kits for metabolome sample preparation.

f) In the context of rare organism idea, cover the tree-of-life (TOL) (also to be used in the data visualization platform) The deeper one goes in the TOL, the more complicated is the task.

g) Biodiversity collapse, Through this project we can prevent this collapse and improve/enrich our knowledge of metabolites.

#TODO (Private) recap:

  1. Prepare a robust kit which could be used by people to collect a wide-variety of samples.
  2. Write a proposal for that to be circulated amongst interns, bachelors students, or organizations who might be interested in making such a data visulaization platform. Something like MicrobeATLAS (https://microbeatlas.org/).
  3. Manuela knows some people active in building data viz platforms and she will help us contact them.

#OpenQue (Private) recap:

  1. What do we at DBGI/EMI have to offer? What does the target group want?
  2. Is it enough that the target group can track what is happening to their samples once they have sent them for analysis? What else can be done?
  3. How inclusive do we want to be with this project? We will start with this AGORA project involving people mainly from Switzerland, because of limited resources. However, in the context of EMI (EARTH metabolome initiative), focus on a broader audience is crucial.