4–8 Nov 2019
Adelaide Convention Centre
Australia/Adelaide timezone

Public Engagement - More than just fun

5 Nov 2019, 12:15
15m
Riverbank R1 (Adelaide Convention Centre)

Riverbank R1

Adelaide Convention Centre

Oral Track 8 – Collaboration, Education, Training and Outreach Track 8 – Collaboration, Education, Training and Outreach

Speaker

Mr Greg Corbett (STFC)

Description

Public Engagement (PE) with science should be more than “fun” for the staff involved. PE should be a strategic aim of any publically funded science organisation to ensure the public develops an understanding and appreciation of their work, its benefits to everyday life and to ensure the next generation is enthused to take up STEM careers. Most scientific organisations do have aims to do this, but very few have significant budgets to deliver this. In a landscape of ever tightening budgets, how can we develop a sustainable culture of PE within these organisations?

UKRI/STFC’s Scientific Computing Department present how we have worked to embed a culture of PE with the department by developing our early career staff members; highlighting the impact PE makes at the departmental and project level; and linking PE to our competency framework.

We will also discuss how our departmental work interacts with and complements STFC’s organisational-wide PE effort, such as making use of a shared evaluation framework that allows us to evaluate our public engagement activities against their goals and make strategic decisions about the programmes future direction.

Consider for promotion Yes

Primary authors

Mr Greg Corbett (STFC) Ian Collier (Science and Technology Facilities Council STFC (GB)) Dr Sophy Palmer (STFC)

Presentation materials