The Great Exhibition Road Festival full programme is now available!
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The Great Exhibition Road Festival a free annual celebration of science and the arts happening in South Kensington on 18 - 19 June, and the full programme is now available!
Join a family-friendly workshop to make a bee-friendly seedball, create your own mini earthquake, extract a strawberry’s DNA, or build your own musical instrument.
Discover incredible ideas shaping our futures at fascinating trailblazing talks exploring everything from how gaming and augmented reality could change the future of sports to the search for ancient life on Mars. And there's so much more!
Take a look at what else is happening at the Festival and favourite all the events you'd like to attend, making it easy to plan your weekend.
There are hands-on workshops, fascinating talks, performances and installations from iconic museums, research and culture organisations, including Imperial College London, the Royal Albert Hall, Science Museum, V&A, Natural History Museum and many more.
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Be part of something great: volunteer at the Great Exhibition Road Festival!
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Open to all staff and students, you can volunteer for Imperial’s Great Exhibition Road Festival on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June 2022!
A huge event with free creative hands-on workshops, talks, performances and installations from the College and South Kensington's iconic museums, the festival is a fantastic annual celebration of science and the arts. This year, we're celebrating London's trailblazers: innovators, scientists, artists and designers, as well as the everyday heroes who inspire us all.
There are hundreds of volunteer roles available ranging from early bird set-up to helping visitors plan their day, greeting visitors, and guiding tour groups to labs.
Put yourself forward to gain experience, develop your skills, meet new people, and have fun!
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Discover how to access funding for your next engagement project
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Join us in-person on Tuesday 28 June 14:00-16:00 for our next Engagement Masterclass - Engagement, Funding and Impact.
If you have attended our core masterclasses or have some experience in public engagement and would like to know more about the funding and impact of public engagement, then this masterclass is for you.
Key areas covered:
- Discuss why research funders think engagement is important and how engaging the wider public can be a pathway to many potential impacts and applications of research
- Use examples to identify funding criteria around public engagement with research
- Consider how engagement might lead to societal impacts for your own research area
- Develop plans for effective public engagement that could lead to research impact, and discover how to evidence the difference made through engagement activities
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Best practice in participatory research explored at Engagement Day 2022
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Engagement Day 2022 returned to South Kensington in April, with 103 members of staff and students exploring their understanding of participatory research, which can be defined as public participation in research, with public participants contributing at any stage of the research lifecycle (e.g., co-production, peer research, co-creation, citizen science).
The conference aimed to inspire staff and PhD students to gain a deeper understanding of this important aspect of engagement and consider how involving the public can have a positive impact on their research and on our collective futures. It was an opportunity to network, discuss ideas, and share questions and challenges.
Catch-up on Engagement Day presentations
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Engagement Academy participants celebrated as they complete training course
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Imperial’s Engagement Academy 2021/22 participants have given their final presentations as the course for this academic year comes to an end.
A partnership between Imperial's Science Communication Unit and Public Engagement team, the aim of the academy is to develop a community of staff for whom societal engagement is an integral, supported and valued part of their professional identity and practice. This enables Imperial to grow and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with society.
As part of the Engagement Academy, participants attended seven engagement sessions over the course of seven months. This included a mix of seminars, practical workshops, visits and group discussions.
Using the knowledge learned from the academy, participants developed their own engagement projects, including interactive maps exploring the healthcare geography of North West London, a coding curriculum for children aged 8+, a computing showcase, and more.
Applications for the 2022/23 Engagement Academy will open in Autumn 2022.
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Engagement classes available for PhD candidates
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We currently have two engagement classes for PhD candidates run through the Graduate School.
Introduction to Engaging the Public, Monday 27 June, 10:30-12:00
This interactive session will help you to explore ways to engage the public with your research and identify potential benefits of engagement for both you and your audience. Together we will discuss your motivations for engagement and reflect on the wider context of public engagement for research impact.
By exploring a range of case studies across Imperial we will consider what makes public engagement high quality and signpost opportunities to get involved with Imperial programmes.
Book now
Planning & Evaluating Engagement, Monday 27 June, 14:00-16:00
This lively workshop will help you to plan your public engagement activities, assess your success, and reveal the areas that may need fine-tuning. The session will be an opportunity to identify and refine your aims for public engagement activities and understand what success looks like for your project.
Together we will discuss what you might focus on in your evaluation and explore a range of creative and effective methods and approaches to gather feedback. You will discover the value of evaluation, and how evaluation can be enjoyable for you and your public participants.
Book now
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Enrolment now available for second year undergraduate Horizons module
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This lively and interactive module will explore public engagement and why it's important. It might include an activity at a festival, talk or performance, schools workshop or discussion with patient groups amongst many others!
In this module, students will discover how to deliver enjoyable and meaningful engagement activities for themselves and a diverse range of audiences.
Students will have an opportunity to practice their communication and teamwork skills, whilst also developing valuable evaluation skills to help them evidence if the activities are successful.
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- Apply principles of public engagement good practice to plan the delivery and evaluation of an activity exploring Imperial research.
- Demonstrate understanding of public audience needs and interests to clearly communicate Imperial research through delivery of a public engagement activity.
- Develop collaborative working skills through pair and group work
- Compile evaluation of public engagement activity and recommend improvements for future delivery.
- Recognise potential impacts of public engagement within higher education.
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Volunteers needed for an art installation at the Great Exhibition Road Festival
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We are looking for volunteers to help with an art installation as part of the Adult Zone at the Great Exhibition Road Festival on 18-19 June. The installation, created by Vinita Khanna, explores plastic pollution in the oceans through an interactive experience for the public.
Vinita is looking for volunteers to help manage the crowd and talk to people about plastic pollution during the weekend.
Please get in touch with Mimmi Martensson if this is of interest to you.
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The Grantham Institute's podcast series Tipping Points returns
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After a short break, the Grantham Institute’s podcast series Tipping Points returns with an episode that delves into the meat and dairy industry, and the future of food.
Alexis Gauthier, a multi-award-winning French chef and successful London restaurateur who turned vegan in 2016, and Dr Alice Brough, a former livestock vet who has become a climate, animal and human rights activist, discuss veganism, why taste is so important to make people change their diets, the meat and dairy industry, and the risks of industrial animal farming.
Tipping Points, presented by Imperial postgraduate student Peter Knapp, shares the personal stories of those who are concerned about the climate and life on Earth. In previous episodes, Peter has spoken to scientists, journalists, Olympians, doctors, a police officer, pilot, priest and more.
View the back catalogue here.
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Registration now open for Interact 2022: An Engagement Symposium for the Physical Sciences
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As part of UKRI, the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and partners are pleased to announce that registration for this landmark symposium is now open.
This face-to-face event takes place on Wednesday 14th September 2022 at Cardiff City Hall in partnership with Cardiff University.
This event, which spans the physical sciences, offers something for everyone with an interest in improving their public engagement capabilities. It will provide a fantastic opportunity to learn new ways to engage with your audience, a chance to share your experiences and good practice, explore funding routes for engagement, explore activities in the STEM marketplace and discuss how the engagement landscape has changed, especially considering the pandemic. Above all, it will be a chance to share your experiences with like-minded people in a fun and friendly environment.
The event is free and open to all. Travel and subsistence bursaries available for PhD, postdoctoral researchers, fellows and those within 10 years of their first academic appointment.
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Summer Science Exhibition 2023 call for proposals is now open
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Apply now to showcase your research at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition next summer.
The Royal Society is looking for researchers to take part in their flagship event celebrating the cutting-edge of UK science.
Taking place in July 2023, the Exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to engage a variety of audiences with your research, including members of the public, school groups, policy makers and potential funders and fellows of the Royal Society. Each year, they welcome thousands of visitors through their doors and reach many more through national coverage on TV or in the media.
It’s a great opportunity to raise the profile of UK research and gain valuable experience communicating with diverse audience groups. The Royal Society also helps applicants every step of the way, from guidance on submitting a proposal to preparing and coordinating an exhibit.
Find out how to apply or read the case studies from previous exhibitors to find out about their experiences first-hand. The deadline for proposals is 12 September 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact exhibition@royalsociety.org. If you would like help developing your proposal, please email the Societal Engagement team as we can offer support and advice.
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Apply now for the Ogden Trust and STFC's Outreach and Public Engagement leadership programme
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The Ogden Trust and STFC have partnered up again to offer an Outreach and Public Engagement leadership programme - offered specifically as a CPD opportunity to develop a more strategic approach to your engagement work.
The programme has been developed for academic/teaching staff with an interest in taking a more strategic approach to outreach and public engagement. This may include those championing outreach and public engagement within their research group, those with a leadership component at a department level or in an STFC facility, or those taking more formal responsibilities for leading and developing outreach and public engagement.
The programme is for research and teaching staff in physics departments or groups and STFC-funded research groups. Users of STFC-funded facilities and staff within those facilities with responsibility for outreach and public engagement are also eligible.
The programme will run between the 15 September 2022 to July 2023. The deadline for applications is 17:00, 24 June. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in early July.
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Funding for public engagement
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Thinking of applying for funding to bring your engagement idea to life?
Be sure to read our funding guide - part of the Engagement Toolkit.
Imperial Societal Engagement Seed Fund
Funding: £500 to £2,500
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Funding: up to £2M
Deadline: 28 September
Find out more
British Pharmacological Society Engagement grants
Funding: up to £1500
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
British Society for Plant Pathology
Funding: £2000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
British Society of Immunology - Communicating Immunology Grants
Funding: up to £1000 (At least one named applicant on the grant must have been a member of the BSI for at least one year. Members can apply for one Communicating Immunology grant per year)
Deadline: 1 July - 4 deadlines per year.
Find out more
Economic and Social Research Council - New Investigator Grant
Funding: £100,000 - £300,000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Economic and Social Research Council - Research Grant
Funding: £350,000 - £1M
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
EPSRC - Holmes Hind Memorial Fund
Funding: up to £1500
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Esmée Fairbairn
Funding: £7000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Foyle Foundation
Funding: up to £75,000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Heritage Fund
Funding: from £3000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
James Weir Foundation
Funding: up to £25,000
Deadline: 31 August
Find out more
Microbiology Society - Education and Outreach Grant
Funding: £1000
Deadline: 2 October
Find out more
National Lottery Grants for Heritage
Funding: £3,000 to £10,000
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research PE Awards
Funding: up to £1500
Deadline: Rolling
Find out more
Royal Society of Chemistry
Funding: up to £10,000
Deadline: 8 June (deadline each month)
Find out more
Society for Applied Microbiology - Outreach and engagement grant
Funding: up to £4,000 (additional funding of £500 is available for audiences that are underserved or that typically we fail to reach, or support for mobility issues and special educational needs)
Deadline: Rolling - claims must be made at least 6 weeks prior to the start of the proposed project.
Find out more
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