As part of the Aurora 2030 Work Package 10, the Aurora Science and Society team announces a cycle of workshops, training events, and open seminars designed to foster awareness, skills, and discussion on the practical implementation of Open Science and Citizen Science across Aurora universities.
Running from November 2025 to May 2026, the series blends structured learning, hands-on training, and thematic debates. It is conceived as a coherent path to empower doctoral and master students, early-career researchers, and academic staff with the knowledge, competencies, and ethical awareness needed to integrate Open and Citizen Science practices in research and teaching.
This session investigates the essential role of Open Science within higher education. Led by expert librarians, the seminar explores library-led strategies for weaving Citizen Science into university curricula to enhance research integrity and public participation. By drawing on their extensive backgrounds in research and academic library environments, our speakers will illustrate how librarians serve as fundamental drivers of institutional progress.
1st Open Seminar
Open Data, Open Access in Teaching, and Citizen Science in Higher Education
Date: 20 February 2026 (10:00–12:00 CET)
Mode: Online
CORE TOPICS COVERED
- Open Data and Open Access in Teaching: Learn how to utilize open-access publications and shared data sets to enrich educational materials and classroom experiences.
- Citizen Science in Higher Education: Explore the theoretical and practical foundations of engaging students and the public in scientific research.
- Libraries as Open Science Hubs: Discover how academic libraries serve as essential drivers for institutional dissemination, bridging the gap between open knowledge and the public through specialized support and infrastructure.
SPEAKERS
Radomir Sztwiertnia is an information specialist, head of the Research Support Office at the Palacký University Library, where he plays a key role in advancing open science across the university. Drawing on his academic background in political science and European studies from the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University, as well as his experience in teaching and social science research, he supports the academic community in navigating the evolving landscape of open access publishing, research data management and grant requirements related to open science. He leads courses and training sessions, contributes to the development of new services and methodological materials, and actively collaborates within thematic working groups and expert communities—both within the university and nationally—such as the Association of University Libraries and the Czech EOSC (European Open Science Cloud) initiative.
Anja Petersen is a librarian at the University Library of Southern Denmark and a core member of the SDU Citizen Science Knowledge Center. With a background in Library and Information Science, Culture and Communication, and Digital Communication, her work focuses on bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the public. She currently serves on the main board of the Danish Academic, Research and Education Libraries (DFFU). Her expertise lies in the integration of Citizen Science into library programming, collaborating extensively with public libraries and promoting global initiatives such as SciStarter.
Chair: Donato Sitaro (UNINA)
🔗 Secure your spot:
Register through the following link:
https://forms.office.com/e/5jE1J2PhKp?origin=lprLink
Flyer:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y31lSjg7v1xGpLPpWEzIlYBuc8aLCEvp/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nmL9rk_gtXnlqh3QZ07oA1W9YvIEE4jp/view?usp=drive_link