EPS Citizen Science Competition 2024: Get ready to join the European Physical Society (EPS) in a thrilling scientific journey! Starting from 1st – 29th February, engage in the GWitchHunters project on Zooniverse. This competition offers you the unique opportunity to impact Gravitational Wave Astronomy by improving the Virgo Gravitational Wave detector detector capabilities and win one of three exclusive travel grants. These grants are your golden ticket to explore the cutting-edge facilities of EGO-Virgo, European Gravitational Observatory, located in Pisa, Italy. Get ready to contribute to science that shapes our understanding of the Universe!
How to join?
- Register on Zooniverse: Sign in Zooniverse and complete this form.
- Engage in Challenges: Visit the GWitchHunters Project page and study its contents. You can find supporting materials here. You are invited to do as many classifications as possible in the following level: Level 3 – Watch out the sensors. Please note that only the total number of classifications within the competition’s period will be taken into account. Classification quality will be taken into account, therefore, please classify carefully!
Winner Selection: The 20 highest-performing participants will be shortlisted for the travel grants to EGO-Virgo. Those shortlisted are required to provide a letter of motivation presenting your rationale for joining the competition and wanting to visit EGO-Virgo. Selection of winners will be based on a combination of classification achievements (70%) and the quality of the motivation letter (30%). Award recipients will have the chance to share their experiences via a video or written interview, which will be featured on the Surrounded by Science project’s social media platforms.
Key Dates: Classification count valid only until 29th February 23:59 CET. The winners of the three travel grants to visit CERN and EGO-Virgo will be announced in early March on the Surrounded by Science website. Stay tunned.
Additional Opportunities: Engage in further science related activities via the Science Chaser app brought to you by Surrounded by Science.
Funding & Support: Grants funded by the Surrounded by Science EU project and the competition supported by Ellinogermaniki Agogi and the GwitchHunters project team
Eligibility: The participants have to be 18+ years old, based in an EU member state or in an associated state or a third country to Horizon Europe and to be registered in the Zooniverse platform fulfilling the above-mentioned conditions are eligible to participate in the challenge. The full list of eligible countries can be accessed at the following link:
Join this competition and leave your mark in the realm of Gravitational Wave Astronomy!