MOTIVATION FOR THE PROJECT
Information regarding grass species distribution records is documented
by herbarium sightings collated by the Atlas of Living Australia (Atlas
of Living Australia 2020), but this does not include phenological data
on flowering behavior at a local level in Australia, which is still not
well documented. Addressing this knowledge gap is valuable because grass
has been recognized as a clinically important outdoor pollen producer
globally (Garcia-Mozo et al. 2017) and the most common allergenic pollen
source in Australia (Davies et al. 2014). Grass pollen has been shown to
be a major trigger for Allergic rhinitis (AR), a disease that impacts
over 500 million people worldwide, and as many as 19.3% of Australians
(Bousquet et al. 2008; AIHW 2019). Symptoms of AR such as itchy eyes and
a runny nose can affect the health and quality of everyday life (Rimmer
& Davies 2015) as well as impose a considerable socio-economic impact
(Colás et al. 2017). AR is also a known risk factor for progression to
comorbid conditions such as sinusitis, sleep apnea and asthma (Guerra et
al. 2002; Davies 2014; Bousquet et al. 2019).
One method to assist AR sufferers and clinicians with public
environmental health strategies to manage allergen exposure and symptom
reduction, is the establishment of pollen monitoring networks to provide
local current pollen information (Medek et al. 2020). Currently there
are 14 out of a total of 25 pollen monitoring sites of the AusPollen
Aerobiology Collaboration Network (Davies et al. 2016) across Australia
that publicly report daily grass pollen concentrations during the pollen
season (NEII 2020). Research teams at these sites collect daily or
weekly air samples using a volumetric Hirst-type pollen and spore trap.
Impacted pollen and spores are then mounted on a slide and manually
counted by trained personnel by light microscopy by standardized
protocols (Beggs et al. 2018). This daily pollen information is then
disseminated directly to the community through online and mobile phone
platforms. The process of pollen monitoring is labour intensive, costly
and time-consuming, and moreover the reported concentrations reflect
yesterday’s rather than today’s conditions (Thibaudon, Caillaud &
Besancenot 2013; Banchi, Pallavincini & Mugggia 2019). A further
problem with reporting airborne pollen concentrations for a large area
such as Brisbane is that spatial variation is predicted to be high, but
the representation of pollen monitored at one or a few sites over a
wider geographical area remains poorly understood (Katelaris et al.
2004). Airborne grass pollen is monitored and reported daily in Brisbane
by QUT ARG for only a single location in Rocklea, during the grass
pollen season (November to mid-April). The group also monitors pollen
levels to the west of Brisbane at a grazing farm near Mutdapilly, and
there appears to be distinct timing of the grass pollen season observed
between these locations. The Brisbane area has a sub-tropical climate
but incorporates a range of diverse micro-climates based on urban
development including bayside, riverside, urban, peri-urban and
semi-rural areas. Historically in Australia or elsewhere worldwide, the
sub-tropical grass pollen season (Green et al. 2004) has not been as
well studied as the temperate regions. Consequently, an improved
understanding of grass diversity, distribution and flowering behavior
around Brisbane would be of great use in development of locally relevant
pollen forecast and alert systems.
The lack of data available on grass diversity and flowering activity
provided internal motivation for the QUT ARG to undertake this project.
The external context of the COVID-19 situation required the CSHS to
adopt online learning formats for the delivery of secondary science
curriculum. Whilst there were both internal and external drivers that
motivated the QUT ARG and CSHS to proceed with this project, there were
also shared purposes that underpinned this collaboration (Fig. 1).
Within the current circumstances, both QUT ARG and CSHS recognised an
opportunity to develop and implement an online citizen science project
and provide a platform to keep students engaged during the COVID-19
isolation period. Moreover, the use of technology underscores the
potential to increase the engagement and motivation of learners and
allows catering to different learning styles (Jones & McLean 2012).
For CSHS, this project provided the opportunity for their students to
remain engaged in learning and feel a sense of connection with each
other while at home during lockdown. Even though they did not share the
same physical space, they still functioned as a class via use of online
learning platforms. All the students were potentially able to add data
to a shared online database and view each other’s entries online. The
activities allowed students to re-affirm and extend knowledge of plant
biology topics previously taught. The students were exposed to
‘real-world’ scientific research, authenticating learning and
encouraging development of reflective and critical thinking skills.
The COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the QUT ARG members having to work
from home, requiring them to re-direct their research efforts while they
were unable to undertake laboratory work. Engaging in this project also
required the researchers to regularly connect and collaborate via online
tools. This project provided opportunity to test and refine tools for a
proposed citizen science research project on grass distribution
including testbeds for data collection methods and analysis. The data
collected from this project could serve the group’s research goals,
including the generation of better grass pollen forecasts. Undertaking
and reflecting on the project allowed the research group to improve the
research and engagement tools prior to larger scale application.
The aim of the collaborative ’Grass Gazers’ project was to provide
learning materials and an online tool for students to undertake
practical science activities safely around their homes. Moreover, this
project would enable CSHS and QUT ARG to establish a new collaboration
involving elements in both secondary and tertiary education sectors.