Discovering Australian Biodiversity through Citizen Science With SATL

Discover how everyday nature observations become powerful biodiversity data supporting research across Australia.

Science at the Local is back for 2026! Join us for an engaging talk on how citizen science is helping transform our understanding of Australia’s biodiversity. Dr Thomas Mesaglio explores how platforms like iNaturalist enable everyday people to record plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms in their local environments. These shared observations form a powerful dataset that scientists use to map species distributions, track environmental change, and support conservation efforts. Discover how public participation is playing a vital role in scientific research and caring for the natural world.

About Thomas:

Thomas Mesaglio is a botanist, naturalist and science communicator based at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He recently completed a PhD in biodiversity informatics, where he explored how professional herbarium records and observations made by the public can be combined to better understand and protect Australia’s plant life.

Thomas is a strong advocate for getting people outdoors and involved in science. He has organised, led and participated in many BioBlitzes and biodiversity surveys, including the City Nature Challenge, Great Southern BioBlitz, Big Bushfire BioBlitzes and a Desert Discovery expedition. These events help turn curiosity about nature into valuable scientific knowledge.

He is also deeply involved in citizen science through his role as a site administrator and curator for the global platform iNaturalist. With nearly fifty-two thousand observations to his name, and contributions that extend well beyond his work with the Australasia Fishes project, Thomas demonstrates the powerful role everyday people can play in documenting and understanding the natural world.

Extend your experience by borrowing one of our Citizen Science kits from the library collection and start gathering your own data to contribute to real life projects.

When: Wednesday | 18 March | 6:15pm-7:30pm 
Where: Penrith City Library 
Who: Adults/Families 
How: Free – Booking essential

 
Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided. 
 
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment for all. If you require any accommodations to attend this event, please contact 02 47327891.