DATE FOR YOUR DIARY- FACILITY USERS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM- 29TH MAY 2012

Are you interested in promoting your research to a wider audience? If so then you are invited to a free Public Engagement Symposium on the 29th May 2012 hosted at Diamond Light Source and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories. It is aimed at all light source, neutron and muon users (e.g. Diamond, ESRF, CLF, ISIS and ILL) interested in developing public engagement activities that highlight their research to wider audiences.

We wish to harness the enthusiasm, commitment and talents of our users in order to highlight to the wider public the crucial role that our world class facilities play in advancing scientific knowledge for the wider benefit of society.

The Symposium is being run in partnership by the STFC and Wellcome Trust in association with all of the UK Research Councils, Diamond, ILL , CLF and ESRF.

Who can attend?

The symposium is open to any researcher, and especially early career people e.g; (PhD students, PDRA’s), who interact with STFC facilities and laboratories, use data or are involved in areas such as high performance computing.

The STFC and the Wellcome Trust will be offering bursaries of up to £100 for early career researchers. Registration details will follow in the next announcement.

Keynote speaker and workshops

We are pleased to announce that Dr Daniel Glaser will be giving the keynote address at the symposium. Dan is Head of Special Projects in public engagement at the Wellcome Trust. He comes from a neuroscience background, was the first ‘Scientist in Residence’ at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), has presented a television series for the BBC and co-chairs Café Scientifique at the Photographers’ Gallery.

Workshops at the symposium will cover topics including science writing and working with press teams, public speaking and presenting, social media tips and advice on presenting to schools and a range of adult audiences.

There will also be networking, so that delegates can meet potential collaborators and colleagues from funding bodies and facilities to discuss ideas on public engagement.
Further information and registration details will be released in the early 2012.

We hope to see you there,

Neville Hollingworth, Laura Holland and Jo Lewis (the organising committee)