DrosEU – The Consortium

The European Drosophila Population Genomics Consortium, DrosEU, was created in 2013 with the aim of facilitating the exchange and integration of genomic information from Drosophila melanogaster populations in Europe and is co-led by Spain and Switzerland, through Dr. González (IBE CSIC-UPF in Barcelona) and Dr. Thomas Flatt (University of Lausanne).

Today, up to 61 laboratories in 29 countries from both Europe and abroad have joined forces to collect and generate genomic data from natural populations of species from the genus Drosophila. The DrosEU consortium represents a unique communication and interaction network for the participating laboratories seeking to address key scientific questions for the future of adaptation genomics research. The consortium member laboratories can be consulted at:

Dra. Banu Sebnem Önder
Researcher (Hacettepe University, Turkey)
The #MelanogasterCTF citizen science project introduces the genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster used in scientific research to the community. Thanks to this project, the level of the scientific knowledge of the community may well be enhanced so that they could be an active contributor to scientific research. This project also supports, in short terms, the opportunity to offer a comprehensive source of a wide range of sample sizes for research with inevitable economic benefits.

 

Dra. Cristina Vieira
Researcher (University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Francia)

The place of science in society will have to be more and more important, since our survival on this planet depends on it. Citizen science projects are fundamental for an inclusive science in which citizens are a true partner. The #MelanogasterCF initiative is exemplary with a variety of exchanges between researchers and schoolchildren.

Dr. Fabian Staubach
Researcher (University of Freiburg, Germany)

Evidence based thinking, decision making, and actions have never been more important. #MelanogasterCTF is a great way to share the scientific process with a wider public, and thus the process of how evidence is produced and
refined.

Dra. Iryna Kozeteretska
Researcher (University of Kiev, Ukraine)
Citizen science Is an important tool that is beneficial for both researchers and the general public. It contributes to raising public awareness about concrete subjects and science in general. It is one of the efficient instruments to communicate with stakeholders.

 

Dra. Jessica Abbott
Researcher (Lund University, Sweden)

I already sometimes get secondary school students coming to do small projects in my lab. They always find it an interesting experience and usually learn a lot. I think it’s great to be able to extend this sort of experience to more people. Sometimes it’s more important to get large amounts of data, or observations that are very spread out in time and space, rather than extremely detailed and complex observations. In these cases it can be much more efficient to get help collecting data through citizen science. In the best case it’s a win-win situation: the researcher gets the data she needs, and the participating citizens hopefully have some fun while collecting the data.

Dr. Lino Ometto
Researcher (University of Pavia, Italy)

Science is the art of wisdom. Citizens engaged in scientific activities can learn the beauty of discovering and of expanding our knowledge. Even flies teach us about life: tiny as they are, they breathe, eat, sleep and love, and their wonders can be enjoyed by scientists and citizens alike. We can all join our eyes and enthusiasm in a collective effort to proudly add a tassel to wisdom.

Dr. Nico Posnien
Researcher (University Georg-August, Göttingen, Germany) 

The citizen science project “Melanogaster: Catch the Fly!” is an excellent initiative to increase the awareness of scientific approaches in the general public. Especially, in times of regular news on ecological disasters, such a project can help to experience the potential consequences of our behavior on nature with scientifically validated data. The strongest aspect of the project is the early exposure to young high school students who are trained to think out of the box early on. The project is a clear win-win situation for everyone involved: School teachers and students get first-hand insights into a large scientific project and the thorough training and dedicated participation of the teachers and students ensures that the obtained data is useful for the scientists. It would be great to see this project established in all European countries and beyond.

Dra. Sonia Casillas
Researcher (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain)

Melanogaster: Catch the Fly! is a wonderful win-win rapport between citizens and scientists. The key to its success is that in MCTF citizens become an essential part for the attainment of the DrosEU scientific research. While taking part in a real scientific project, citizens contribute to expedite and classify fly samples from inaccessible locations to scientists, thus accelerating and economizing science.