Engaging communities in Citizen Science

How can citizen science (CS) be engaging? What does engagement
entail? Who needs to be engaged? What are the challenges and
opportunities of engagement in CS? After two years of lockdown and
isolation, these were some of the questions debated by engaged
researchers, students, and practitioners at the ‘Engaging Citizen Science
Conference 2022’, (CitSci2022), held April 25th–26th at Aarhus University,
Denmark. The conference aimed to showcase and share knowledge,
ideas, and innovations on engaging citizens in scientific processes to
secure the field of citizen science to thrive and expand. Nearly 250
participants, mainly from Europe, participated in an extensive programme
with various session formats that provided an interactive and inspirational
space for presenting and negotiating experiences, challenges, and
enthusiasm for CS. This review presents highlights from the event and
some reflections from the reviewer, including thoughts on what
engagement means, and concluding with focus points that practitioners,
researchers, and students may consider when engaging citizens in science
and organizing similar events in future.