Four projects receive the Public Engagement Seed Fund

The aim of this project is to involve visitors to Avifauna Bird Park in ongoing research on the social life and cooperative skills of Rüppell's vultures. Through an interactive touch screen next to the aviary, visitors will receive information about the research and can contribute to it. In this way, the project team hopes to foster understanding of the species and the importance of vultures to our ecosystems. Jorg Massen: ''We hope this will lead to support for the conservation of this critically endangered species.''

Jelle Zandveld: ''In the Botanical Gardens, moths are captured using a specially designed moth trap. During the day, visitors to the gardens can check the trap themselves to identify the different moth species captured. This helps to determine if species composition differs among the Botanical Gardens' various micro-habitats. Since a specific time interval is measured each night, the data produced by visitors over time will contribute to our knowledge of whether different moth species fly at different times during the night.''

Lying is part of how we communicate. But how we recognize lies is based more on myths than facts. Ronald Poppe: ''In this project, we involve the public in debunking these myths. With a previously developed app, we invite users to identify liars using short video clips, or to try to deceive other app users. We will regularly link our findings to topics such as lying at work, to children and in politics. We will also give participants personal insights and watch their perspectives on lying and research change.''

Biobanks need governance to ensure the responsible collection, storage and use of biological material from their donors. Until now, donors have not been involved in the management of biobanks at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU). Marieke Hollestelle: ''This public participation project aims to fill this gap and strengthen the governance of biobanks at UMC Utrecht by familiarizing the public with the biobank life cycle, and involving the public in discussions about the informed consent process and return of research results.''