The University of Zaragoza has set up up to eight laboratories devoted to Citizen Science:

FabLab, Digital Prototyping, WetLab, Robotics, Audio, Visualization, Computing,

Sensorizing, Video with a total budget of half a million euros. In these laboratories the

Citizen Science community along with the Scientific Community is able to develop their

own scientific projects.

All these laboratories are set up in the Etopia building: Center of Arts and Technology,

occupying and area of 1000 m^2.

One has to have in mind that only three things

are needed to do scientific research,

knowledge, time and resources. It seems clear

that nowadays this knowledge is getting out of the

traditional track and citizens are having more and

more free time. So we must ensure that these

needed resources are available for citizens.

Open Art – Fablab and Prototyping

Bringing knowledge and technology between

the scientific community and citizens is

essential to take advantage of the maximum

potential that these citizens can offer to Science.

Having them as mere observers or circumstantial

actors without initiative do not allow us to obtain all

the possible outcome. There are several aspects

why physical mix between citizens and

professional researchers is well worth.

Audio Lab

Firstly, for citizens, work together with professional

scientists allow them to understand and practice

the scientific method, secondly, the citizen science

community has access to some resources

traditionally reserved to professional researchers,

thirdly it allows the scientist to use the resources

citizen science offers for their own research and

last but not least, understand and improve the

Citizen Science process.