OPAL Community Environment Report

The Open Air Laboratories network, or OPAL, as it quickly became known, was launched in 2007 following a successful application to the Big Lottery Fund It was the first time that Big Lottery funding on this scale had been awarded to academic institutions. The University of Central Lancashire led by Dr Mark Toogood was responsible for understanding public engagement with OPAL. The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL)network is a nationwide partnership comprising of ten universities and five organisations with grants awarded totalling £14.4 million. • Over half a million people have participated in the OPAL programme. OPAL activities are carried out by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, including 10,000 people in ‘hard to reach’ communities. • OPAL opens people’s eyes to the natural world. Nearly half (44%) of OPAL survey participants said that this was the first time that they had carried out a nature survey. 90% of participants have learnt something new. • OPAL has the ability to change people’s behaviour. Almost half (43%) of respondents said OPAL had changed the way they thought about the environment and more than a third (37%) said they will change their behaviour towards it. • In addition to raising environmental awareness, OPAL also improves personal well-being by motivating people to spend time outdoors doing something positive, while connecting with people and nature

To have your citizen science cake and eat it? Delivering research and outreach through Open Air Laboratories (OPAL)

Background: The vast array of citizen science projects which have blossomed over the last decade span a spectrum of objectives from research to outreach. While some focus primarily on the collection of rigorous scientific data and others are positioned towards the public engagement end of the gradient, the majority of initiatives attempt to balance the two. Although meeting multiple aims can be seen as a ‘win–win’ situation, it can also yield significant challenges as allocating resources to one element means that they may be diverted away from the other. Here we analyse one such programme which set out to find an effective equilibrium between these arguably polarised goals. Through the lens of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) programme we explore the inherent trade-offs encountered under four indicators derived from an independent citizen science evaluation framework. Assimilating experience from the OPAL network we investigate practical approaches taken to tackle arising tensions. Results: Working backwards from project delivery to design, we found the following elements to be important: ensuring outputs are fit for purpose, developing strong internal and external collaborations, building a sufficiently diverse partnership and considering target audiences. We combine these ‘operational indicators’ with four pre-existing ‘outcome indicators’ to create a model which can be used to shape the planning and delivery of a citizen science project. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that whether the proverb in the title rings true will largely depend on the identification of challenges along the way and the ability to address these conflicts throughout the citizen science projec

Activity and high-order effective connectivity alterations in Sanfilippo C patient-specific neuronal networks

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has been successfully used to recapitulate phenotypic traits of several human diseases in vitro. Patient-specific iPSC-based disease models are also expected to reveal early functional phenotypes, although this remains to be proved. Here, we generated iPSC lines from two patients with Sanfilippo type C syndrome, a lysosomal storage disorder with inheritable progressive neurodegeneration. Mature neurons obtained from patient-specific iPSC lines recapitulated the main known phenotypes of the disease, not present in genetically corrected patient-specific iPSC-derived cultures. Moreover, neuronal networks organized in vitro from mature patient-derived neurons showed early defects in neuronal activity, network-wide degradation, and altered effective connectivity. Our findings establish the importance of iPSC-based technology to identify early functional phenotypes, which can in turn shed light on the pathological mechanisms occurring in Sanfilippo syndrome. This technology also has the potential to provide valuable readouts to screen compounds, which can prevent the onset of neurodegeneration

Dos años de experiencia de trabajo con el entorno colaborativo BSCW

El Departament de Projectes d’Enginyeria (DPE) de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), en su sección de Terrassa, imparte docencia de segundo ciclo en la Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyers Industrials de Terrassa (ETSEIT) y, desde hace dos años, viene utilizando las posibilidades de trabajo colaborativo que ofrece el entorno soportado vía WEB denominado BSCW (Basic Support for Cooperative Work).Postprint (published version

Aberrant epigenome in iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons from Parkinson's disease patients

The epigenomic landscape of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown. We performed a genomewide DNA methylation and a transcriptome studies in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived dopaminergic neurons (DAn) generated by cell reprogramming of somatic skin cells from patients with monogenic LRRK2-associated PD (L2PD) or sporadic PD (sPD), and healthy subjects. We observed extensive DNA methylation changes in PD DAn, and of RNA expression, which were common in L2PD and sPD. No significant methylation differences were present in parental skin cells, undifferentiated iPSCs nor iPSC-derived neural cultures not-enriched-in-DAn. These findings suggest the presence of molecular defects in PD somatic cells which manifest only upon differentiation into the DAn cells targeted in PD. The methylation profile from PD DAn, but not from controls, resembled that of neural cultures not-enriched-in-DAn indicating a failure to fully acquire the epigenetic identity own to healthy DAn in PD. The PD-associated hypermethylation was prominent in gene regulatory regions such as enhancers and was related to the RNA and/or protein downregulation of a network of transcription factors relevant to PD (FOXA1, NR3C1, HNF4A, and FOSL2). Using a patient-specific iPSC-based DAn model, our study provides the first evidence that epigenetic deregulation is associated with monogenic and sporadic PD

El método del póster como herramienta de docencia en asignaturas de proyectos

In this paper, advantages of using poster as a learning tool when teaching engineering are described. Posters have been used for almost ten years in ETSEIAT (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa) and this experience has to be considered as highly positive. En esta comunicación se describen las ventajas de empleo del póster como herramienta de aprendizaje en el desarrollo de las asignaturas de ingeniería. En la ETSEIAT (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa) se viene utilizando desde hace casi 10 años y la experiencia debe calificarse como altamente positiva

Tendencia a la semi-presencialidad y propuesta de tutorización por videoconferencias

La clase expositiva remonta al siglo XII como eje básico del modelo de aprendizaje superior. Los papeles y funciones repartidos eran muy simples: el maestro transmitía sus conocimientos-sabiduría al discípulo-estudiante, y así ha sido a lo largo de los últimos nueve siglos. Dicho planteamiento ha podido funcionar de forma efectiva mientras que el acceso a los estudios superiores era limitado, pero con el acceso creciente y masivo no funciona. Uno de los factores que provocan este fracaso es la ratio alumnos-profesor que ha venido incrementándose de forma espectacular. En este marco aparece la semi-presencialidad, que nos ayudará a optimizar los recursos para un número mayor de estudiantes, y las nuevas tecnologías (Internet entre otros), que nos facilitarán la difusión de material didáctico y posibilitan nuevas interacciones entre docentes y alumnos. Por ello y para resolver una necesidad planteada por el alumno, de tener la presencia del profesor para la resolución de dudas (tutorías), en este trabajo exponemos la solución propuesta por el Departamento de Proyectos de la UPC en la Escuela de Terrassa, que consiste en poder hacer videoconferencias con el profesor, para la resolución de las dudas

Surveying the citizen science landscape: an exploration of the design, delivery and impact of citizen science through the lens of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) programme

This paper provides a short introduction to the topic of citizen science (CS) identifying the shift from the knowledge deficit model to more inclusive, participatory science. It acknowledges the benefits of new technology and the opportunities it brings for mass participation and data manipulation. It focuses on the increase in interest in CS in recent years and draws on experience gained from the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) programme launched in England in 2007.The drivers and objectives for OPAL are presented together with background information on the partnership, methods and scales. The approaches used by researchers ranged from direct public participation in mass data collection through field surveys to research with minimal public engagement. The supporting services focused on education, particularly to support participants new to science, a media strategy and data services.Examples from OPAL are used to illustrate the different approaches to the design and delivery of CS that have emerged over recent years and the breadth of opportunities for public participation the current landscape provides. Qualitative and quantitative data from OPAL are used as evidence of the impact of CS.While OPAL was conceived ahead of the more recent formalisation of approaches to the design, delivery and analysis of CS projects and their impact, it nevertheless provides a range of examples against which to assess the various benefits and challenges emerging in this fast developing field

El método del póster como herramienta de docencia en asignaturas de proyectos

In this paper, advantages of using poster as a learning tool when teaching engineering are described. Posters have been used for almost ten years in ETSEIAT (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa) and this experience has to be considered as highly positive. En esta comunicación se describen las ventajas de empleo del póster como herramienta de aprendizaje en el desarrollo de las asignaturas de ingeniería. En la ETSEIAT (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Industrial y Aeronáutica de Terrassa) se viene utilizando desde hace casi 10 años y la experiencia debe calificarse como altamente positiva