The QUT Allergy Research Group is proud to announce that they are a successful recipient of a 2020 Queensland Citizen Science Grant! These grants are offered to increase community participation in citizen science projects and for scientists and citizen scientists to work in partnership to increase scientific knowledge.

The QUT Allergy Group, in collaboration with the QLD Herbarium and QUT Centre of Environment, have initiated the development of the AusPollen Grass Gazers citizen science project. This project will encourage citizen scientists to describe and monitor allergenic pollen producing grass species, occurrence and flowering patterns around the Brisbane area, to help validate QUT’s daily grass pollen counting and forecasting.

Nearly 20% of Australians are estimated to suffer from hayfever which can adversely impact their health and quality of life and it poses a risk of triggering asthma attacks. Pollen is one of the major allergens to cause hayfever with grass being the most common allergenic pollen producer in Australia.

For more information about this project, please see here.