C&C (The School of Computing and Communication) and KMi arranged a research festival designed to celebrate the research and innovations in these two units with the STEM Faculty, here at The Open University. The event showcased a taster of their latest research highlights and innovations. This face-to-face event provided a platform for networking and knowledge…
In his inaugural lecture on February 13, 2024, Prof. Advaith Siddharthan, addressed the consequences of contemporary culture’s detachment from nature. He proposed the use of citizen science methodologies as a means to address this issue. Prof Siddharthan also advocated for incorporating outdoor field studies into science education to actively involve students in practical scientific experiences. Additionally,…
The OU’s Citizen Science and AI Research group had a stand at the Parks Trust Love Nature event on the 4th of July. The group sported a fantastic number of activities throughout the day: Rachel Redford, Citizen Science Project Officer, engaged with children and adults alike about the fascinating world of moth eco-systems; Nirwan Sharma, Research Associate,…
KMi is delighted to announce that we have received an Athena Swan Silver Award following our recent submission to Advance HE. The Athena Swan Self-Assessment (SAT) Team had membership drawn from our academic, professional services and doctoral students. Prof Advaith Siddharthan, who led SAT’s submission over the past year, said: “Our most compelling narratives were…
Many congratulations to Charlotte Hamilton who has been elected Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Co-Chair for KMi. Charlotte is a Senior Research Manager in our Professional Services Team and a member of the Athena Swan Self Assessment Team. She will serve for a term of 2 years and work with Jane Whild to set up an EDI Board…
Our latest paper from BeeWatch Planting for Pollinators citizen science data has just been published in Nature Scientific Reports. Widespread concern over declines in pollinating insects has led to numerous recommendations of which “pollinator-friendly” plants to grow and help turn urban environments into valuable habitat for such important wildlife. We used data gathered through our…
As the COVID-19 pandemic puts the focus on literacy and numeracy in home-schooling, KMi researchers have developed technologies to also help families learn about the natural environment. The Human-Computer Collaborative Learning in Citizen Science (X-Polli:Nation) project, which received £507,000 from the Engineering and Physical Research Council has responded to the pandemic by creating a new collection of interactive…
At the 25th Anniversary KMi Festival we invited staff from across the OU campus to come and find out how our latest knowledge and media technologies are impacting education, science, and cities. The Festival attendees included Lady Kitty Chisholm, one of the three founders of KMi, the STEM Executive Dean, Nick Braithwaite, and the new…
We are delighted to announce new research funding from the EPSRC to explore the potential for collaborative learning between humans and AI within the framework of environmental citizen science. A new collaboration between KMi (Siddharthan and Rüger) and STEM Deanery / EEES (Ansine), in partnership with Imperial College London, University of Aberdeen, Learning Through Landscapes and St Alban’s Primary School,…
Our latest Blogging birds paper has just been published in the Communications of the ACM. Blogging birds is a novel artificial intelligence program that generates creative texts to communicate telemetric data derived from satellite tags fitted to red kites — a medium-size bird of prey — as part of a species reintroduction program in the…
