Mozzies in your backyard: Friends or Foe?: Four projects engaging citizens through surveillance and education

This National Science Week funded project showcases citizen science projects occurring in Australia that working to combat the nuisance and public health risks presented by exotic Aedes mosquitoes. These mosquitoes, such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, transmit diseases like dengue, Zika and Chikungunya viruses and can pose a physical nuisance to residents. The Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is even commonly referred to as the “barbeque killer.” We must save our beloved barbeques and keep these mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit out of Australia! The showcase event demonstrates four different approaches to science engagement from mosquito and citizen science researchers across Australia: Zika Mozzie Seeker (Metro South Health), STEM Champion Mozzie Hunters (QIMR-Berghofer), the Mozzie Augmented Reality Toolkit project (QUT Design Lab) and the Mozzie Monitors Project (University of South Australia). Each of these projects is unique and all share the common aim of encouraging residents to participate in the control and surveillance of exotic mosquitoes – invaders already here in urban Australian areas! The showcase comprises a website with information about mosquitoes and the four participating project partners, as well as bespoke infographics explaining the dangers of mosquitoes for disease in Australia, prevention mechanisms to stop breeding, and instructions for data collection in a citizen science partner project. The showcase was presented during National Science week during COVID-19 from 15 August 2020 and remains accessible online at https://mozziescience.wordpress.com/ Project leaders extend a big thank you to the Australian Government and National Science Week for making this website possible and helping increase citizen science participation in our battle against these troublesome and dangerous mosquitoes