Engagers’ Digest 29/4/2014

In this edition:

University of Bristol engagement

1. Schools public engagement training – planning and sharing best practice: 8 May

2. Next round of EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account public engagement awards: deadline 30 May

3. Paid evaluation work at Bristol Festival of Nature: 14-15 June

4. #UoBEngage – follow engagement opportunities on Twitter

Funding and awards

5. Seven x £50 travel bursaries for PhD workshops on public engagement/ impact: deadline 2 May

6. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Bristol and Bath design research project: deadline 22 May

7. Science Learning+ grants: deadline for phase one, 10 July

Events and training

8. Pint of Science, Bristol: 19 -21 May

9. Biochemical Society – science communication training day: 11 June 2014

10. Increasing the impact of health research ­­through policy engagement: 30 June 2014

News and opportunities

11. Festival of Nature – naturalists wanted

12. Find out what your brain looks like when you listen to songs – participate in the 5Hz project

13. Online community engagement – from tools to strategy

14. At-Bristol science centre – volunteers needed with a passion for science communication

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ALSPAC - Lynne Molloy

ALSPAC, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, otherwise known as 'Children of the 90s', is a longitudinal birth cohort study which follows the health of a number of families since 1991/2. The project has led to the development of a massive data set, providing a unique resource for scientists and social scientists alike.

Project participants are involved through clinical assessments, but also through filling in questionnaires, and the project is typified by a long history of communication with the study group. For example, regular newsletters are sent out sharing research findings in an accessible way. There is also a schools liaison officer who talks about the research in schools and, over the years, various parties and socials have been organised.

Some members of the cohort sit on the ethics committee and focus groups are a regular feature of the research. A really exciting development is the Teenage Advisory Panel -- TAP -- which was set up in 2006. There are 30 members, there is a dedicated participation worker supporting them, and TAP meets with the ALSPAC staff on a monthly basis, looking at how to make the project more interesting to the participants (e.g. developing incentive schemes, setting up a Facebook page, Twitter channel etc.) Participants are encouraged to get involved in the research process itself - applying for small grants to support this, something that the project will encourage in the future. They have also been involved in making project materials accessible and are now having an impact on the direction of the research. This is not only hugely beneficial to the project, but it has also given the public a voice in the research.

Read more about the project and how it moves beyond research in our online collection of Public Engagement Stories.

Karen Harvey, Healthy Lifestyles Manager

Karen Harvey, Healthy Lifestyles Manager in the University's Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health, presents the Festival of School Sports and how, through getting involved in this event, staff and students can develop engagement skills which can be taken back into departments. The Festival of School Sports, a three-day event, involves schools across Bristol and encourages sporting activity among young people, particularly those who don't usually get involved. 1300 students participated in the latest event in March 2009, enjoying a wide range of sports including more unusual activities like Ultimate Frisbee. The Centre has an ongoing commitment to improving the well-being and health of young people across Bristol to 2012 and beyond, which is demonstrated in its commitment to events of this kind.

Read about the first ever Festival of School Sport in 2008.