CITIZEN SCIENCE IN RADIOACTIVITY MEASUREMENT: EMPOWERING EUROPEANS FOR BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

This one-day workshop will delve into European initiatives focused on citizen-led radioactivity measurements, highlighting existing projects and discussing the challenges they face. The event aims to foster collaboration and explore future opportunities to strengthen the European dimension of citizen science in radiation monitoring. Key objectives include ensuring the sustainability of citizen initiatives and integrating citizen data into decision-making processes, with a particular focus on widening participation in Eastern Europe.

In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, citizen measurements of ambient radioactivity emerged as a powerful tool to reassure people about their living conditions and to empower them in radiation protection principles. This allowed people living in contaminated countries to make informed choices in daily life. Since then, several initiatives were developed to propose to citizen participating into such projects on radioactivity measurements. Some of these projects are also strongly involved in educational and awareness raising actions, especially in the vicinity of nuclear installations.

This one-day workshop proposes an overview of currently existing projects in Europe about radioactivity measurements by citizen, their structure and their current objectives. An exhibition of some materials is planned. This workshop will also discuss existing gaps and difficulties, and potential future projects, especially in the evolving context in Eastern Europe.

REGISTRATION

AGENDA

09:00 - Welcome coffee and registration

09:30 - Opening address
Geraldine Pina,
Commissioner of the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR)

Keynote
Domenico Rossetti Di Valdalbero,
Deputy Head of Unit for Euratom Research (fusion and fission) at the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD)

10 :00 - Radioactivity Monitoring: Overview of Initiatives Including Citizens
Social Impact of Citizen Measurements in Post-Accidental Situations – Perspective of the SHARE Platform
Dr. Yevgeniya Tomkiv, President of the SHARE Platform (Norway)

Ibercivis and the OpenRed Project
Nacho Sáez, Project Technician, and Daniel Lisbona, Head of Communication and Project Manager, Ibercivis (Spain)

The CITISTRA Initiative
Marie Davidkova, Deputy Director for Research and Development at the National Radiation Protection Institute, SURO, (Czech Rep.)

The OpenRadiation Project
Dr. Jean Marc Bertho – Project Coordinator, OpenRadiation (France)

The TDRM Network, Tihange-Doel Radiation Monitoring
Peter Kammerling – Project Coordinator, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - German Affiliate, FIfF (Germany)

11:50 - Panel discussion

12:30 - Lunch Break and Networking

13:30 - Hands-On Radioactivity Measurement and Educational Tools
Discover educational tools and learn how to use radioactivity sensors to contribute to citizen radioactivity monitoring.
Christine Lajouanine (Planète Sciences), Maria Davidkova (CITISTRA), Nacho Sáez (Ibercivis)

14 :15 - Citizen Radioactivity Measurement: Addressing Challenges
Ensuring Sustainability of Citizen Initiatives
Facilitator: Dr Yevgeniya Tomkiv (President of the SHARE Platform)

Participants:
Malcolm de Butler, General Delegate, Nuclear Transparency Watch (NTW)
Christine Lajouanine, Member of Planète Sciences
Marie Davidkova, Deputy Director for Research and Development at the National Radiation Protection Institute (SURO)
Meritxell Martell, RadoNorm Citizen Science Incubator co-leader, Director of Merience.
Dorte Riemenschneider, Managing Director of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA)

15:00 - Integrating Citizen Data into Decision-Making Processes
Facilitator: Jan Hendrik Kruse (PIANOFORTE Representative)

Participants:
Azby Brown, Safecast lead researcher and representative
Peter Kammerling, Project Coordinator, TDRM network
Daniel Lisbona, Head of Communication and Project Manager, Ibercivis
Teemu Siiskonen, Deputy Director of the Environmental Radiation Surveillance Department at the Finnish Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (STUK)
Cornelia Bischoff, Member of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS)
Geraldine Pina, Commissioner of the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR)

15:45 - Wrap-up
Jean-Marc Bertho, Project Coordinator, Openradiation

16:00 - Closing Remarks
Dorte Riemenschneider
Managing Director of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA)

16:15 - Goodbye Coffee

SPEAKERS

Jean-Marc Bertho
Jean-Marc Bertho is the project lead for OpenRadiation, a citizen science initiative aimed at measuring radioactivity through community involvement. Additionally, he serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal Radioprotection. With a background in immunology and radiation protection, Jean-Marc has made significant contributions to the field, working on various projects related to radiobiology and radiation dosimetry. He was previously a researcher at the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), specializing in the health effects of internal contamination in post-accidental situations. He is now at the French Nuclear safety and radioprotection authority (ASNR) with the objective of advancing radiation protection and public awareness.

Cornelia Bischoff
Cornelia Bischoff is member of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in Germany, in the field of radiological emergency protection. With a degree in environmental science, she was project manager in a private company specialized in radiation protection. She joined BfS to work on the development and training of the Integrated Measurement and Information System for Monitoring Radioactivity in the Environment (IMIS), where she consistently implements an open-source software development strategy with crowsourced data and citizen involvement (KOMPASS project). She has been supporting Pavlo Tkachenko from the Ukrainian NGO SaveEcoBot. This support includes organizing lectures and workshops, as well as arranging tests of measuring devices from Ukraine at the Federal Office for Radiation Protection's test facility.

Azby Brown
Azby Brown is a native of New Orleans who has lived in Japan since 1985. He is a widely published authority on Japanese architecture, design, and environment. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, he has been a core member of Safecast, a global volunteer-based citizen-science organization devoted to developing new technology platforms for crowdsourced environmental monitoring that promote open-source and open-data principles. He is Safecast’s lead researcher, closely involved with assisting affected communities and analyzing and reporting the issues they face. In addition, he is involved in the group’s day-to-day operations, including education and outreach, and represents Safecast at international academic conferences and expert meetings.

Malcolm de Butler
General Delegate of Nuclear Transparency (NTW) since 2021, Malcolm de Butler coordinates the activities of NTW, a European network dedicated to transparency and public participation in nuclear activities, comprising organisations, elected representatives and experts. He also supports the development of SITEX, a network dedicated to radioactive waste management, whose members include technical expertise organisations, regulators and civil society organisations, including NTW.
He holds a degree in economics from the University of Essex (UK) and a master's degree in finance and strategy from ISG (France). He also studied philosophy for two years between 2016 and 2018 before becoming involved in the Climate Movement between 2019 and 2021 through various associations.

Marie Davidkova
Marie Davídková is a member of the Executive Board of Pianoforte Partnership and a representative of the Pianoforte CITISTRA research project. She works as Deputy Director for Research and Development at the National Radiation Protection Institute of the Czech Republic. Her professional focus is radiobiology and radiation dosimetry. She provides experience from a number of research projects focused on issues related to the involvement of citizens and especially the young generation in radiation monitoring.

Jan-Hendrik Kruse
Jan-Hendrik Kruse is a Project Manager at the French Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (ASNR). He previously worked at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) as a radiological protection specialist, coordinating international policies and best practices on various topics such as post-accident recovery, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in nuclear and radiological emergency situations, and optimisation of decision-making through stakeholder involvement. His experience also includes policy work in the European Parliament on EU financial frameworks and economic resilience. He holds a master’s in international security from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s in geosciences from the University of Hamburg.

Christine Lajouanine
Christine Lajouanine is a professional at Planète Sciences, an organization that promotes scientific and technical activities for young people. She has extensive experience in educational projects and community engagement, playing a key role in developing initiatives that inspire youth in science and technology. Her responsibilities include coordinating events, securing funding, and building partnerships to enhance the impact of Planète Sciences' programs. Christine's dedication to education and her organizational skills have been crucial in achieving the organization's mission to make science accessible and engaging for all.

Daniel Lisbona
Daniel Lisbona is Head of Communication and Project Manager at the Ibercivis Foundation. With a background in Psychology and a Master’s in Human Resources Management, he has extensive experience working with foundations and non-profits on communication strategy and collaborative social innovation. At Ibercivis, he leads communication efforts for citizen science projects, focusing on participant engagement and the co-design of services and initiatives related to open science and public involvement. Daniel currently contributes to several European projects, including COESO, which fosters citizen science in the social sciences and humanities; SOCIO-BEE, which engages citizens in air quality monitoring; Green-Gage, which builds citizens' communities that address air quality monitoring and sustainable mobility and PLAN-B, aimed at addressing light and noise pollution in European ecosystems.

Meritxell Martell
Meritxell Martell is the founder and director of Merience, a consultancy focused on environmental risk governance. She represents the RadoNorm Citizen Science Incubator, who was awarded a Honorary mention by the European Union Prize for Citizen Science in 2024. She has over 20 years of experience as an international consultant working for different international organisations and on several European projects issues related to risk communication and stakeholder engagement in ionising radiation. Dr. Martell received her PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norwich, United Kingdom). She was the former secretary of the SHARE platform on Social Sciences and Humanities in Ionizing Radiation Research. In addition, she is the executive director of the Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF Europe).

Géraldine Pina
Géraldine Pina is a Commissioner at the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR), where she contributes significantly to the safety and security of nuclear installations. With a background as a university assistant professor, a nuclear medicine physician at the Lyon Est Faculty of Medicine, and an electrical engineer (INSA Lyon, 1995), she brings a wealth of expertise to her position. Additionally, Géraldine is an engaged citizen and an army reserve physician specializing in NRBC hazard management. Her dedication to public safety and environmental health makes her a key figure in the field of nuclear safety and radiation protection.

Dorte Riemenschneider
Dorte Riemenschneider is the Managing Director of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA). She has been leading the organization since 2018, focusing on mainstreaming citizen science as a research approach and advocating for its potential in research. Dorte holds a Master of Science by Research and has a background in urban research, sustainability, democracy, and community engagement. Before joining ECSA, she worked for several international non-profit organizations as a board member and chairperson. Dorte has been involved in coordinating significant projects, including the Horizon Europe funded project European Citizen Science, which offered high-quality training, tools, and resources for citizen science to a wide audience. She is passionate about empowering citizens to actively participate in scientific research and is involved in numerous initiatives to promote citizen engagement in science, ensuring inclusive and participatory research practices.

Domenico Rossetti di Valdalbero
Domenico Rossetti di Valdalbero is the Deputy Head of Unit for Euratom Research (fusion and fission) at the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Directorate Clean Planet. Before, as Deputy Head of Unit he was renewing the Research Fund for Coal and Steel in the Industrial Technologies Directorate. In the Commission, he has been also working in Foresight, ‘Inclusive Societies’ and Energy strategy. Holding a PhD in Economics from Paris Dauphine University, Domenico is the author of more than 100 articles and 4 books including ‘La réussite de l’Europe – Union, énergie et technologie’ and ‘The Power of Science’.

Nacho Sáez
Nacho Sáez works as a project technician at the Ibercivis Foundation. An electronics engineer with a master's degree in power electronics, he has developed his professional career in various sectors, designing electrical and electronic products. He worked as a researcher for several years in the Renewable Energy Integration Research Group at the University of Zaragoza. At the Ibercivis Foundation, he provides technical support, particularly to the Openred project for the creation of a national network for measuring ambient gamma radiation.

Teemu Siiskonen
Teemu Siiskonen is a radiation safety expert with over 20 years of experience at the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), where he currently serves as Deputy Director of the Environmental Radiation Surveillance Department. He holds a PhD in nuclear physics from the University of Jyväskylä and has worked at CERN and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Since 2022, he has been a Professor of Practice at the University of Helsinki, focusing on radiation dosimetry and interaction mechanisms. His expertise includes medical use of radiation, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness.

Yevgeniya Tomkiv
Yevgeniya Tomkiv is the president of the SHARE Platform, a dynamic organization dedicated to promoting social science and humanities research on ionising radiation. With years of experience in risk communication and community engagement research, Yevgeniya has been instrumental in developing initiatives that empower citizens to participate in scientific research and data collection. SHARE Platform has fostered collaborations across Europe, focusing among other on radiation monitoring and environmental health and is a key player in bridging the gap between scientific research and community action.