Interact  2019

An Engagement Symposium for the Physical and Life Sciences

When: 4 September 2019, 10:00- 17:00 hrs

Where: University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2HE

Are you a physical or life  scientist or do you engage with STFC or use STFC facilities and doing outreach, public engagement and science communication? If so then the Interact symposium is for you! This is a one day opportunity for you to share your experiences, gain new skills, learn new ways to engage with your audiences, gain practical experience and see what else is out there that can help you develop and deliver high quality engagement.

Interact 2019 Programme

Interact 2019 Session Abstracts

What it’s all about

This event which spans the Physical and life 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, explore the barriers to engagement and discuss how the engagement landscape is changing. But above all, it will be a chance to share your experiences with like minded people in a fun and friendly environment.

The STFC, IOP, SEPnet, RSC, RAS, Ogden Trust and UCLAN  are partnering together to develop an inspiring, challenging and refreshing programme on the following key themes:

• Evaluation and impact and REF 2021: How to do effective evaluation and demonstrate impact, sharing case studies, what worked for REF and what didn’t. Looking forward to REF 2021
• Reaching under-served audiences: Working with the right  partners, raising  your skills and working with STEM influencers to reach low science capital audiences
• Schools outreach: How to work with young audiences  and inspire them
• Sharing best and worst practice in a safe space : Understanding your audience, reflective practice and what constitutes high-quality public engagement

The detailed content of the day will be co-created and you will be able to vote on proposals by fellow delegates, so get your thinking caps on!

UCLAN is a fantastic location with state of the art facilities, including a fully functioning laboratory for experimental demonstrations and activities, and a completely kitted out performing arts facility including a dance stage.

Who can attend

The symposium is open to all STEM Science researchers including engineering and facility users. Attending can also contribute to your continuing professional development.

Costs

The event is free and open to all. 

We are also pleased to offer travel and subsistence bursaries of up to £100 for PhD, postdoctoral researchers, fellows and those within 10 years of their first academic appointment to attend.  All you have to do is send an email with a short paragraph justifying your case with “Why do I want to go to Interact 2019?” to Nicky.Bladen-Hovell@stfc.ukri.org.

Applications will be treated on a first come first served basis and the final closing date is 5pm July 31 2019.

How do I register

This event is free to attend but you will need to register in advance. If you would like to be able to vote on the contents of the programme then please register on our Eventbrite page:

Register with Eventbrite

I’m more experienced. Can I share my work with others?

If you would like to consider running a session or workshop then please complete the registration form in addition to registering your attendance by Tuesday 30^th April . If you also wish to demonstrate your outreach activities there will also be a large exhibition space for you to demonstrate your outreach activities in the marketplace .

We look forward to seeing you there!

Contacts

Nicky Bladen Hovell
STFCPublicEngagement@stfc.ac.uk

Interact 2019 documents

Code of Conduct (64 KB) Equality Impact Assessment (52 KB) UCLan hotel and travel info (88 KB)

Equality, Diversity and Impact Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure equality and fairness for all who attend Interact. By reading and agreeing to these terms and conditions there will be no discrimination on grounds of colour, ethnic or national origin, race, gender , sex, disability, age , sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, marital status or family circumstances. We will not tolerate any form of unlawful or unfair discrimination.

To see what happened at Interact 2017, please view the full article on the South East Physics Network website.

Interact 2017: Evaluation Report

Interact 2017: Evaluation Report

Interact 2017 took place at the University of Birmingham, and was attended by over 150 delegates. This evaluation report, prepared by the organising committee, provides delegate feedback and gives an overview of the processes involved in organising the event.

Download PDF (2196 KB)

If you missed the day and would like to get a feel check out the video below from the Institute of Physics which features SEPnet’s Director of Outreach and Public Engagement, Dr Dominic Galliano.

 

Birmingham symposium spreads best practice in science outreach
(Credit: IoP)