Centre for Public Engagement blog

Engagers' Digest 9/12/09

2009-12-09T11:16:00.017Z

Welcome to another Engagers' Digest, the last before Christmas.

We're approaching the target of 100 Public Engagement Stories - short case studies about public engagement that help celebrate the University's Centenary. Check out the latest stories:

Call for proposals - Science Communication Conference. Deadline 21 December 2009
The Science Communication Conference will be held on 24 and 25 May 2010, at Kings Place London. The British Science Association are asking for proposals for sessions on the theme of 'Audiences for engagement', and non-science contributions are welcomed. More details here or contact Alice Taylor-Gee.

Hold your event at the Science Museum's Dana Centre - Feb-March 2010
The Dana Centre are looking to work with external organisations and individuals who share their aim of engaging audiences aged 16 years+ in contemporary science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. They will provide the Dana Centre venue free of charge, a duty manager for the night and technical support in order to help deliver the event. The theme for their mid February - March 2010 season will be titled: BRE4TH
http://www.danacentre.org.uk/aboutus/holdyourownevent

STFC Science in Society Fellowships. Closing date 2 March 2010
Fellows act as champions or ambassadors for STFC's science, technology, engineering and mathematics ('STEM') work to schools, the media or public audiences. Find out more here.

STFC also run a bursary scheme for media and communications training, and offer funding for public engagement through their Science in Society schemes. Various deadlines.

Science and Society Consultation - Science for All
Contribute to the Government's Science and Society Consultation, via the Science for All working group's site.

Beyond the Lecture Hall
A selection of papers published as an electronic book from last year's 'Beyond the lecture hall: universities and community engagement from the middle ages to the present day'

Best wishes, have a Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2010.

Philippa

Engagers Digest 26/11/09

2009-11-25T09:38:00.007Z

Hello Engagers, and welcome to another Digest:

STEMNET Ambassadors are recruiting, and are particularly looking for postgrads or postdocs in the life sciences to help support STEM education in schools. Becoming a STEM Ambassador is easy and involves a free training session and CRB check through the organisers, and a minimum commitment of only one school visit per year. Our local STEMPOINT is run by Graphic Science - check their website or contact Claire Dimond for more information.

Discover 2010 (previously Science Alive!), our hands-on festival showcasing research at Bristol - sciences, arts and humanities, social sciences - will take place in The Mall Galleries from 11-13 March 2010, with other associated events. Contact Dane Comerford: dane.comerford@bristol.ac.uk to talk about ideas or possible contributions.

BBSRC Public Engagement Awards Deadline 15 January 2010
£5k awards for BBSRC-funded researchers to undertake public engagement activity.

The Royal Society - Partnership Grants (UK)
The Royal Society's Partnership Grants Scheme will re-open for applications in spring 2010. Under its Partnership Grants Scheme, the Royal Society provides grants of up to £3,000 to support teachers, scientists and engineers help develop science projects that make the teaching of science more interesting within primary and secondary schools. Any UK primary or secondary school teacher or practising scientist/engineer can apply as long as the students involved in the project are between 5 and 18.

The Art of Science is a competition where research images become pieces of art. The competition winners will be on display in the At-Bristol Cafe from 7 December 2009 to 18 January 2010. The Cafe is open from 10am each day. For further information about the competition contact Becky Jones, or see the website.

Synthetic Biology: Hope and Hype

2009-11-12T12:25:00.012Z

Synthetic biology is an emerging area of scientific research at the interface between biology, chemistry and engineering. The research promises cheaper, faster routes to drugs, biofuels and new materials for medical applications.

However, synthetic biology also provokes controversy because it aims to 'engineer biology'. Join ethicists and biologists from the University of Bristol for a lively evening discussion

7 pm, 26 November, At-Bristol, Anchor Road, Harbourside BS1 5DB.

Free event, but booking required.

Contact At-Bristol booking line; tel: 0845 345 1235 or +44 (0)117 915 5000.

Engaging stakeholders

2009-11-10T10:41:00.012Z

At the Communicate 09 conference - Valuing the Invaluable (21-22 October) - how to engage stakeholders was explored in one of the many workshops of the conference.

The workshop was facilitated by Paul Thomas from Trimedia, international PR company specialising in Corporate Social Responsibility. It opened with a reminder of the importance of engaging stakeholders in a meaningful way, particularly key in this age of media scrutiny and web 2.0 which encourages information to flow faster, reach more people and supports interaction.

The workshop looked at how to engage stakeholders effectively and provided a circular step-by-step programme

Step 1. Set your objectives
Step 2. Identify issues (find focus)
Step 3. Identify the stakeholders (map/rank them, identifying the priority groups)
Step 4. Find out what they think about the issue in question (benchmark/audit)
Step 5. Create your engagement strategy based on this information, (e.g. round table, workshop etc.) ensuring that it's appropriate to their understanding of the issue.

There was, however, no mention of evaluation nor of how it feeds into the stakeholder engagement process. But the workshop did provide some general tips for a successful engagement programme, which are:

Make sure that you are clear about your objectives and desired outcomes
Have a clear agenda in place
Tailor your strategy to each type of organisation you engage with
Know your allies - look for further opportunities to work together (establish issue of common interest, establish joint position - there is strength in numbers)
Engage critics - be honest; recognise that your organisation can do better; promote a better understanding between you and them; build a common agenda around issues of common concern.

The workshop concluded with a few take-home messages for a strong stakeholder programme.

1. Understand the reputation landscape in which your organisation operates.
2. Be proactive; anticipate issues/respond before a crisis.
3. Try to avoid conflicts that can harm the organisation.
4. Equip the business to respond to future problems today.

But also you need to factor in the time it takes not only to manage such a programme but also to manage the longer term relationships with stakeholders that, it is hoped, would emerge from a successful stakeholder engagement process.

[Notes on the sessions at the Communicate 09 conference should be available on the website shortly).

Engagers Digest 12 November

2009-11-12T09:24:00.009Z

Welcome to another Engagers Digest - apologies for the disruption in our normal routine while Barry Parsons and I completed our handover. There's plenty to tell you about, so I'll keep it brief, but please do contact me if I can help at all!

If you're an Engagers Rep (please contact me if you're not sure), we'll be having one of our twice yearly meetings on Monday 23 November, 3:30-5pm in the Wills Building Reception Room. RSVP to Philippa: philippa.bayley@bristol.ac.uk

That same day we'll also have a community engagement workshop with Bill Peterman (visiting Professor from the USA) and Tom Sperlinger (Dept of English). Open to all those who are interested in developing links with community groups, the training will run from 1-3pm on Monday 23 November in the Wills Building Reception Room. RSVP to Philippa.

Discover 2010 (previously Science Alive!), our hands-on festival showcasing research at Bristol, will take place in The Mall Galleries from 11-13 March 2010. Contact Dane Comerford: dane.comerford@bristol.ac.uk to talk about ideas or possible contributions.

New round for STEM Directories now open. Deadline 15 November 2009
If you haven't already done so, you can register online for the STEM Directories, an online guide to enrichment activities for schools.

Engaging Science grants workshop: Wednesday 18 November 2009
Wellcome Trust, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Free workshop of the Wellcome Trust's Engaging Science grants programme.

ESRC Knowledge Exchange Small Grants Scheme. Deadline 3 December 2009
A £2-£10k pilot scheme that provides funding for social science PhD students, researchers and knowledge transfer professionals to undertake a wide range of knowledge exchange and impact generating activity.

BBSRC Public Engagement Awards. Deadline 15 January 2010
£5k awards for BBSRC-funded researchers to undertake public engagement activity.

And last but by no means least - ChemlabS are celebrating National Chemistry Week with events on the Chemistry of Food - more information here.

Kind regards,

Philippa

Vicious into Virtuous Circles: Social Engineering for a Sustainable City

2009-11-11T15:18:00.000Z

Vicious into Virtuous Circles: Social Engineering for a Sustainable City

Roger Levett, Co-Founder of Levett-Therivel Sustainability Consultants

Thursday 12th November Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queen's Building, 6:00-7:00pm

Cities like Bristol could dramatically reduce their carbon footprint and improve their quality of life if we intervened systemically to turn behavioural vicious circles into virtuous ones. This talk will explain how, and why. Roger Levett is a leading thinker and adviser on sustainable communities, and policies and services for low carbon living. He has advised the European Commission, Whitehall departments, the Environment Agency, regional development agencies, CABE, WWF, CPRE and numerous local authorities. He is currently leading sustainability appraisals of several of London Mayor Boris Johnson's strategies and preparing a guide on footprint reduction for the South East of England. His publications include A Better Choice of Choice (Fabian society), Towards the Ecopolis (Demos/Comedia) and Deconstructing Barker (CPRE). His most cherished vocational qualification is his Bristol BSc in politics and philosophy.

What's on - events at the University of Bristol

2009-09-11T09:13:00.008+01:00

What's on is a monthly guide to events for the public, many of which are free, at the University of Bristol. From lectures, conferences and other discussion events, to exhibitions, lifelong learning courses, music and dramatic performance, there's lots going on. The What's on guide goes out across Bristol in hard copy and you may come across it in your local doctor's surgery, school or library, or you may even get your own copy. We also send it out as a PDF by email.

We'd really like to find out what you think about the publication, and how we can improve the content and circulation. Have your say by completing our online survey.

The University of Bristol also has an online events calendar where you can also find out about the range of exciting activities going on. Look forward to hearing from you.

Engagers digest

2009-10-21T10:15:00.008+01:00

Dear all,

This will be my last Engagers digest, as I'm off upstairs to the Campaigns and Alumni Relations office. Philippa will be back as your Academic Liaison Officer from next Monday. Thanks to everyone for making my time at the CPE thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm sure I'll see plenty of you in future.

Best wishes,
Barry

EPSRC Senior Media Fellowships and Partnerships for Public Engagement. Deadlines 11 November and 10 December 2009.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has calls open for its Partnerships for Public Engagement (deadline 11 November 2009)and Senior Media Fellowships (deadline 10 December 2009).

Public engagement studentship at the Darwin Centre. Deadline 30 December 2009
King's College London and the Natural History Museum are sponsoring a collaborative PhD studentship at the new Darwin Centre on an aspect of public engagement with science.

Science communication masterclass at UWE. 22-26 February 2010
Register for UWE's Science Communication Unit's next science communication masterclass by 21 December 2009. The week-long course costs £650 (£500 concessions) and takes place at Explore-At-Bristol.

Image: Rajiv Ashrafi

The Incredible Human Journey - Twilight Talk

2009-10-28T10:07:00.009Z

The Incredible Human Journey - Who are we and where do we come from?

23 November 2009, 6pm - 7.30pm

Venue: Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, BS8 1RJ

Dr Alice Roberts tracks the ancient migrations that took our ancestors to the corners of Earth; through stones, bones and genes, the story of our incredible human journey unfolds.

For bookings contact Margery Lever, tel: +44 (0)117 331 8313, email: margery.lever@bristol.ac.uk

web: bristol.ac.uk/cms/cpe/outreach/talks.html

Born too early? Two-way talk

2009-10-28T09:55:00.004Z

Born too early? Pre-term birth and hormones in the womb - a scientist's view.

15 December 2009, 6pm - 7.30pm

Venue Bristol Folk House, 40a Park Street, BS1 5JG

Pre-term birth is a traumatic occurrence and the costs to both society and the NHS are high. Presenting research funded by the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Jennie Douthwaite opens up the doors to the laboratory and provides an insight into the research on this important issue. Come along for the chance to hear a lab scientist's take on the study of hormones involved in pre-term labour.

For bookings, contact Margery Lever, tel: +44 (0)117 331 8313, email: margery.lever@bristol.ac.uk

web: bristol.ac.uk/cms/cpe/outreach/talks.html

Who's watching you? Two-way talk, 28 October

2009-10-16T08:54:00.003+01:00

The Centre for Public Engagement is organising a talk about social networking. Andrew Charlesworth from the School of Law will tell you all about the darker side of this, where personal information posted online can be accessed not only by friends and family, but also by employers, the authorities and others beyond personal control. Do you really want your boss to get such a personal lowdown on you? It's time for a rethink! Come along to the discussion to find out more.

The event is free, but booking is required, contact Margery Lever; tel: +44 (0)117 331 8313 or email: margery.lever@bristol.ac.uk

bristol.ac.uk/cms/cpe/outreach/talks.html

Engagers digest

2009-10-15T09:31:00.004+01:00

Welcome to another Engagers digest, featuring opportunities for funding, placements and a PhD studentship.

Read the latest Public Engagement Stories
Think global, buy local
Reflecting on engagement
Sharing volunteering expertise
Volunteering as a school governor
Free Cube

RCUK National Science and Engineering Week Awards. Deadline 2 November 2009
Just a reminder that the deadline for applications to put on an activity during National Science and Engineering Week (12-21 March 2010) is in a couple of weeks. If you'd like help with putting an application together, please contact Barry Parsons.

ESRC Third Sector Placement. Deadline 10 November 2009
ESRC are inviting applications for social science researchers to undertake a 1-3 month placement with a third sector organisation. Placements are expected to start in January-February 2010 and be part-funded by the third sector organisation. For more details see the call for applications.

New round for STEM Directories now open. Deadline 11 November 2009
If you haven't already done so, you can register online for the STEM Directories, an online guide to enrichment activities for schools.

PhD studentship in science communication. Deadline 12 November 2009
The University of the West of England is offering a PhD studentship in an aspect of science communication, to start in January 2010. Visit their website for more information and application details.

Is England's Past for Everyone?

2009-10-05T10:00:00.005+01:00

Last Friday I visited a conference called Is England's Past for Everyone? Learning and Outreach in the Historic Environment. The conference was organised by England's Past for Everyone, a Lottery-funded local history project run by the Victoria County History.

The theme of the conference was how to involve communities in their local history, through publishing, online resources, volunteering and working with schools. The keynote address was delivered by Baroness Andrews, the new head of English Heritage, who spoke about projects to engage local communities with their industrial and natural heritage, and endorsed the conference's theme that "history belongs to local people".

Other speakers discussed the challenges and opportunities posed to local history publishing by new media; and developing online resources including English Heritage's ViewFinder online image library.

The highlight for me was a guided walk around central Bristol led by Andy Foyle, author of the Pevsner guide to Bristol, learning both about its architectural heritage and some local victims of the Blitz. It was a poignant reminder that history is inseparable from people's lives.

Image: Crown Copyright NMR

Public engagement at the Synthetic Components Network Meeting

2009-09-28T11:42:00.005+01:00

Philippa from CPE presented at the first annual Synthetic Components Network meeting - 23 and 24 September in Oxford. The Network's membership is diverse - from biochemists and mathematical modelers to ethicists and engagement practitioners. All are interested in the emerging field of synthetic biology - the science, the ethical, legal and social issues, and how to create a meaningful dialogue with the public about the field. Find out more about the Synthetic Components Network here - http://www.bris.ac.uk/scn/
An upcoming event for the Network is a synthetic biology discussion with Professor Dek Woolfson and Dr Ainsley Newson at Explore-At-Bristol, 7pm, 26 November 2009. More details to follow...

Scn Meeting Sept 09

View more presentations from University of Bristol Centre for Public Engagement.

Engagers digest

2009-10-01T09:52:00.006+01:00

Welcome to another Engagers digest, this one featuring opportunities for student volunteering, arts collaborations, influencing the future of public engagement and running an event at the prestigious Dana Centre, amongst other things.

vinspired students Pilot Fund. Deadline 14 October 2009
The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and v, the young people's volunteering charity, have launched a pilot fund to explore innovative student volunteering. Grants are available up to £10,000 and the closing date is 14 October. Visit the NCCPE's website for more information.

Festival of Nature Director. Deadline 24 October 2009
The Bristol Natural History Consortium is seeking to appoint a Director for the Festival of Nature, Bristol's celebration of the natural world. Check their website for more information.

AHRC collaborative and partnership working workshop. 5 November 2009
The AHRC will host a workshop on collaborative and partnership working with commercial partners and the cultural and heritage sectors at Paintworks in Bristol from 11 am to 5 pm on 5 November.

National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement Open House. 25 November 2009
The NCCPE is holding an Open House at its offices in the Watershed, Bristol, from 11 am to 4 pm. There will be presentations from Paul Younger (Newcastle University), Gerry Kelleher (MMU) and Kathy Sykes (University of Bristol), and case studies from the Beacons for Public Engagement. To register your interest, e-mail NCCPE Enquiries. For more news and events from the NCCPE, visit their news page.

Run an event at the Dana Centre
The Science Museum's Dana Centre in London is giving people the opportunity to run an event for ages 16+ about science, technology, medicine, design or enterprise, with a free venue and technical support.

NCCPE draft framework for public engagement
Have your say on the NCCPE's draft framework for public engagement, which aims to describe what public engagement is, how and why universities do it, and how its impact can be measured. You can read the document and comment on their website, or through an online survey.

Impact! World
EPSRC has launched Impact! World, a new website featuring films and case studies showing the ways that EPSRC-funded research is helping build the world around us.

National Science and Engineering Week/ESRC Festival of Social Science
Finally, a reminder that applications for funding of up to £2,000 to run an event for National Science and Engineering Week or the ESRC Festival of Social Science (both 12-21 March 2009) close on 2 November and 9 October respectively.

Engagers digest

2009-09-16T11:06:00.006+01:00

This week's digest in (hopefully) easy-to-use web form. Feedback on content or format is gratefully received via the comments link below.

Is England's Past for Everyone? Conference, 2-3 October 2009
You can register online for a conference in Bristol entitled Is England's Past for Everyone? Learning and outreach in the historic environment, which may interest historians, archaeologists and others involved in heritage or historical outreach.

What, where and who? STEM activity in the UK. Survey, closes 2 October 2009
If you're involved in STEM enrichment activity for schools, fill out this online survey to inform future strategy.

Why dialogue works. Conference, 7 October 2009
Sciencewise-ERC host an event exploring best practice in public engagement from 9.45 am to 4 pm at Westminster Hall in London. Register online or e-mail Georgina Webb.

Essay competitions. Various deadlines
Essay competitions can be a great way of encouraging students to practice communicating with different audiences; and they might even win something! Here are a few links to various prizes in different disciplines; please publicise them to your students, and tell us about any you know about:

Bar Council Law Reform Essay Competition (law, deadline 6 October 2009)
Darwin Correspondence Project essay prize (science and religion; deadline 31 October 2009)
Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest (free market economics; deadline 3 May 2010)

Living Knowledge Conference beats on...

2009-08-28T18:56:00.005+01:00

The six parallel sessions on Friday afternoon opened discussion in areas from striking a balance between the needs of participants and avoiding exploitation of participants to planning for demographic change, encouraging various models of knowledge exchange and evaluating the process and the outcomes of community engagement in science, technology and innovation. Take a breath!

The abstracts and links related to the Parallel Sessions are located on the Living Knowledge webpage.

I’ll give you a taste of the sessions with the help of Paul McGill, from the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland. Thanks Paul. Off to the conference buffet and ceilidh now – for more discussion and engagement of course!

…but here are those summaries:

Session 1.1. Community-based research: finding a balance between non-government organisation-student-higher education institution needs
Chairs: Gerard Straver and Ils De Bal

Meeting the academic criteria does not mean civil society organisations will be happy with it. Tension between scientific and academic needs on the one hand and civil society organisations on the other.

One centre engaged 900 volunteers and employed 80 of them. Where does the money come from? This is a problem. Can you ask beneficiaries for payment for some or all of the work? Should there by criteria for deciding how much an organisation should pay.

Community research is win-win but to what extent do the different experiences influence the approach to research (e.g. by intermediary bodies like Science Shops)?

Impact of research on policy-making and on university curricula: sometimes it has tremendous policy impact and in other cases little or none.

No agreement on paying students for their research: in some cases they get academic credits, in others they are paid.

Session 2.1. Encouraging models of knowledge exchange: planning for demographic change
Chair: Paul McGill

What does it mean for users (such as older people) to be involved in research: It’s not enough to interview them or get them to fill in questionnaires. We need to ask the extent to which they want to be engaged and take account of practical issues.

Why do older people drop out of research projects (people who are poor or in bad health more likely to leave)? We can tackle some of the causes and minimise drop-out rates and can boost participation through social networking sites and by pointing to positive impact of previous community research projects.

Local versus global? There was discussion of the extent to which a local research project, e.g. a survey, may or may not be representative of the wider population. Does that matter?

Issue of paying community researchers: some research centres pay and others do not.

Session 3.1. Climate change: science and civil society
Chair: John Barry

Meeting the challenges of climate change requires a partnership of the university, municipal authorities and community. The issues must be brought out to the people. Science shops have a role to play in this.

We need to search for new funding mechanisms to apply new ideas in food, transportation and housing.

Breaking down the barriers between the university and community requires more effective communication.

Session 4.1. Avoiding exploitation: good practice in engagement and knowledge exchange
Chairs: Bill Peterman and Kim Treasure

Setting an agreed vision of the research from the start is central to breaking down silos and building confidence and trust among stakeholders. Various disciplines having shared responsibility, with co-directed research. An aim is to improve quality of life and ‘wellness’. Working from a grass-roots level, in response to concerns expressed by community partners, with genuine participation; best to focus on solutions rather than problems alone.

All stakeholders should be involved from the very beginning of the project. It is not about community members dropping in and out to do specific jobs.

What if the results reflect unfavourably on the community or are not what they want? How can you help them to see the bigger picture in a positive way rather than focusing on smaller negative points?

Working with universities to value community based research just as much as laboratory research.

Session 5.1. Sustaining community-based research practice through arts and cultural forms
Chairs: Khan Rahi, Heather Floyd and Caragh O’Donnell

How can the community feel ownership of research? It must be involved from the beginning in formulating the questions and community expertise must be recognised – there is often disrespect for community knowledge.

There is a role for the community in disseminating research; example given of good practice in a working class area in Belfast, but this may be threatened by lack of resources.

Quilting – making a large blanket in groups – is one of many means of giving a voice: it can transcend a lot of layers and can release stories during the process.

Session 6.1. How do we evaluate both the processes and the outcomes of community engagement in science, technology and innovation?
Chair: Norbert Steinhaus

Standards for evaluating science shops and community based research: who sets them? Where do they come from? For example if there are no mission statements defining the Science Shop, how are evaluation criteria to be defined?

A template for quality improvement was presented and triggered some disagreement about the relevance and possible constraining effects of structured evaluation; also raising questions about the limits of self-evaluation.

Overall there was great interest in the possibility of developing a shared evaluation framework and instruments. Some discussion on relation between such evaluations and kinds of assessment applied at disciplinary level in higher education.

Living Knowledge Conference, Belfast

2009-08-28T14:48:00.005+01:00

In the morning plenary on Friday, Robin Webster, Chief Executive of Age Action Ireland, spoke about the rights, duties and responsibilities of all people [growing old]. He reflected on the nature of partnerships comprised of the advantaged and disadvantaged, and whether the motivations of public alliances were biased because of natural (individual, organisational and institutional) self-selection. He provided warning that power balances in partnerships were inevitable and that diversity represented a major challenge, but also of course, an ideal opportunity to readdress those inequalities.

Professor Monica McWilliams, Chief Commissioner for Human Rights in Northern Ireland, who was chairing the session, provided summary for the short presentations provided by Mr Webster, who was joined by Dr Rajesr Tandon of the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, Murielle Gagnon from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Professor Gerry McCormac, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and External Relations at Queen’s University Belfast.

Professor McWilliams suggested that public and community-based research had huge potential and obligation to have serious impact on policy, legislation and regulatory frameworks. She echoed Robin’s comments by finishing the session with the advocacy notion: is this partnership what we [the public] really want? Why not ask us and check.

There was enough time for a few questions before morning coffee, one of which was answered by:

It doesn’t mater how complex the research findings are, the most important thing is to communicate to all audiences with open and accessible language in terms the reader cares about. Who just wants to read the executive summary of a lengthy report and not really be able to, or have the energy to, read the rest?

When the comments from the floor moved on to question the identities community and co-creation of knowledge, they prompted the comment from Dr Rajesr Tandon:

Who is any partnership made up of? We’re heading towards a knowledge economy, what about the knowledge society? We’re not working in a social vacuum and the economy is merely a subset of the whole society.

Engagers Digest

2009-09-08T14:45:00.009+01:00

Welcome to another Engagers digest, which features opportunities for lawyers, scientists and engineers, and a request for help.

Latest Public Engagement Stories:
Back to the Stone Age: volunteer archaeologists explore our distant past at Avebury and Stonehenge
The Fragmented Orchestra: a giant artwork creates the music of the brain
Our Web of Life: taking giant Jenga into a central Bristol shopping centre

What's On survey
We'd like your help to improve the University's monthly What's On guide. We would be grateful if you could take a few moments to complete our online survey.

Reinventing the civic university. Debate, 1 October 2009
On 1 October NESTA will host a debate with Professor John Goddard, Professor Kathy Sykes and Professor Steve West on the role of universities in regional economic growth. You can register now for the event, which takes place from 4 to 5.30 pm at Novotel Bristol.

The Law Society Charity. Funding opportunity, deadline 2 November
The next deadline for applications to the Law Society Charity, whose aims include educating the public in legal matters, is 2 November 2009.

Ingenious. Funding opportunity, deadline 19 November 2009
Ingenious funds creative public engagement with engineering projects to the tune of £3,000-30,000. See the Royal Academy of Engineering's website for more information.

BBSRC Introduction to the Media. Training opportunity, various dates
BBSRC-funded researchers can take advantage of a free one-day course on media relations. The next courses take place on 29 September, 4 November and 18 November in London. More information is available on the BBSRC's website.

National Science and Engineering Week information sessions. Various dates
If you'd like to find out more about getting involved with National Science and Engineering Week, you can attend one of the information sessions run by the British Science Association; see their website for full details.

Science Communication Conference outcomes
It's now possible to view reports and presentations from the British Science Association's Science Communication Conference 2009, several of which were given by Bristol colleagues.

Sciencelive
You can sign up for Sciencelive, a free online directory of science presenters maintained by the British Science Association.

Science Communication Conference

2009-08-26T10:41:00.003+01:00

We've just seen the reports and presentations from the British Science Association's Science Communication Conference, which are now available online.

The University of Bristol was very well represented, with presentations from our very own Gillian Squirrell, Kathy Sykes and Dudley Shallcross, as well as Paul Manners and Sophie Duncan from the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement and Savita Custead at the Bristol Natural History Consortium. All in all, an impressive Bristol turnout.

Engagers Digest

2009-08-24T10:46:00.013+01:00

The Engagers Digest is a regular e-mail listing of public engagement opportunities, which we send to interested staff and students at the University of Bristol. We're going to start posting it on the blog so people can refer to it easily; here's last week's edition:

Answer questions for Bang Goes the Theory. It's based on an online forum, so is a great way to engage with the public in a supportive environment where you can also get constructive feedback about communication.
The British Science Festival takes place at the University of Surrey on 5-10 September 2009.
The British Interactive Group's Little Event takes place on 7 September at Thinktank in Birmingham.
The inaugural meeting of the Physics Communicators Group takes place from 10.30 to 4.30 on 9 September at the Institute of Physics in London.
The first ever Festival of Innovation takes place at the Science Museum near Swindon. To get involved, contact Cheryl Hewer
Communicate 2009, the conference for environmental and conservation communicators, takes place in Bristol on 21-22 October 2009.
Some forthcoming deadlines for public engagement grant schemes:

ESRC Festival of Social Science activity sponsorship (up to £2,000): 9 October 2009
Wellcome Trust Society Awards (over £30,000) and Broadcast Development Awards (up to £10,000): 9 October 2009
Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Awards in the History of Medicine (over £30,000): preliminary application 20 October 2009
Wellcome Trust Arts Awards and People Awards (up to £30,000): 23 October 2009
National Science and Engineering Week Awards (up to £2,000): 2 November 2009

Royal Society Partnership Grants (£250-3,000): 6 November 2009
BBSRC Public Engagement Awards (up to £5,000): 15 January 2010

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

2009-08-21T16:08:00.006+01:00

The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition is a major London-based event that illustrates the cutting-edge of UK science and technology. It is an opportunity for the public, directly and through the national media, to find out more about the UK's science and meet the minds behind it. There were 26 exhibits accepted from all over the UK, including two submissions from the University of Bristol. Visitors to the exhibition included members of the Royal Family, business and academic pioneers, MPs and Civil Servants, schools groups and the general public.

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

View more presentations from cpebristol.

Steven Hill, Research Council UK Strategy Unit

2009-06-30T14:21:00.005+01:00

Dr Steven Hill from Research Councils UK presents perspectives on public engagement as part of the conference plenary, looking specifically at the impact agenda and the role of public engagement.

Excellence, impact and engagement

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Some main points below.

According to RCUK, impact means 'demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy'.

Researchers are expected to:

disseminate their findings widely
engage with users of research/public
ensure exploitation of research findings
equip their students with engagement skills

Engagement matters because:

research is responsive to societal needs
benefits of research are shared through talking to the public about it
it maximises the impact of research - leading to the development of an accessible responsive research base. The public can see the difference that research makes which might inspire the researchers of tomorrow.

The RCUK wants to find out what people think about science and research, and to reach them by engaging them in contemporary research. It also aims to encourage young researchers to engage with the public using different tools to keep people informed.

An example of investment supporting researchers public engagement includes the Beacons for public engagement - an initiative charged with culture change within higher education institutions. RCUK also supports a number of schemes that help researchers engage directly with the public (e.g. NSEW awards, centrally-managed scheme).

Other ways in which RCUK promotes public engagement include:

supporting the placement of researchers in schools, sowing the seeds of contemporary science in classrooms
helping early career researchers to communicate their work widely - see the Vitae programme website for further information
running poster competitions for early career researchers - emphasising impact of their research on society.

Dr Hill also described a forthcoming publication looking at the benefits of public engagement from the perspectives of the researchers. Their conclusions to date are that these benefits can best be described through a narrative/case study approach (do you agree?).

Shhh...

2009-08-17T16:29:00.004+01:00

Doors Open Day's coming up soon, and we're taking bookings for tours of the amazing new Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information; apparently it's the quietest building in the world...

Engaged teaching and learning

2009-07-06T09:52:00.001+01:00

Notes from the Engage 2009 session on "Engaged Teaching and Learning".

Characteristics of engaged learning

It’s an attitude/mindset - can't be taught > has to be learned experientially
Service learning > rendering a service to a community group
Informal settings for learning

Examples

Engaged teaching > Physiology and Pharmacology final year students (became teachers)
Engaged learning > BA in English Literature and Community Engagement > participation

Why is it important?

Experience: "Translating the value of education into the rest of their lives"
Increases through engaged teaching > affects other people's lives
Deeper understanding of your own subject
"One of the best ways to learn a subject is to teach it"

Potential at University of Bristol

Undergraduates are currently involved in outreach
Formalise as part of their courses > Dissertation?
Harnessing what you're already doing
Engaged teaching as a vehicle for skills development > subject-specific

Benefits

Give courses a unique dimension, something distinctive
Experiential way to gain transferable skills > employability
Understanding the value of your work, education and subject > works with vocational and non-vocational courses > broader view
"Translating the value of education into the rest of their lives"
Can harness to what you're already doing
Employee/student satisfaction
Students reflecting on their educational experiences

Pitfalls/risks

Going to lose didactic teaching time
How are people (i.e. future employers) going to know that this has been part of your course?
Resource implications
Unclear drivers
Lack of student interest/acceptance
Quality assurance
What does success look like and how do you measure it?
"Failure" can have far-reaching consequences – for students and for the communities engaged
Research is valued over teaching, never mind "engaged teaching"