Outreach and Engagement

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Outreach and Engagement

• Dr Elizabeth Cunningham
• Particle and Nuclear Physics Outreach Officer
• Elizabeth.Cunningham_at_stfc.ac.uk

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Outline

• STFC Public Engagement (PE)
• PE Support for Researchers
• Nuclear Physics Outreach
• In Development

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Public Engagement Team

• Inspire and Involve!
• Linking STFC science and
• technology with young people
• Stimulate and respond to
• public interest in research
• Encourage and support
• researchers outreach projects

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STFC National Laboratories

• Three sites
• Daresbury Laboratory
• Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
• Royal Observatory Edinburgh
• Activities
• Work experience, apprenticeships, Talking
  Science lecture series, public access days,
  school visits, careers days, masterclasses,
  teacher visits and CPD.
• External events Stargazing LIVE, Engineering
  Education Scheme, Young Rewired State, local
  science festivals, Dark Sky Discovery
  and
  the Big Bang.

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Strategic Plan
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Support for Researchers
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Funding

• STFC, Small Awards. Funds for small, local or
  'pilot' projects promoting STFC science and
  technology. Awards range from 500 to 10,000.
• Closing dates April and October.
• STFC, Large Awards. Funds for projects which are
  expected to have a significant regional or
  national impact. Awards range from 10,000 to
  100,000.
• Closing date November 2014.

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CERN_at_school

• Uses pixel detector chips from the Medipix
  Collaboration at CERN
• Engage students and teachers with real research
  equipment and data
• To develop research based learning as part of
  students experience of physics

Bringing CERN into the classroom
http//cernatschool.web.cern.ch
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Radiation Around You

• Research programme developed by high school
  students
• Schools gather measurements of
  background radiation levels in their
  local area
• Try to identify spatial and temporal
  trends.
• Measurements collated into a dataset available to
  all

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Fellowships

• Aimed at those with significant research
  experience who have demonstrated a track record
  in outreach or communications work
• The Fellowships purchase a proportion of a
  researchers time to enable them to concentrate
  more on public engagement activities which will
  have a significant national or regional impact

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Training Support

• Bursaries for Royal Society
• media and communications
• workshops
• Support for British Science
• Association media fellowships
• Royal Society Summer
• Exhibition Grants.

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Working with the Media

• Press releases
• Media briefings
• Publicity
• Engaging with politicians
• Training

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Knowledge Exchange Workshop

• Nuclear Physics Technology Showcase Event
• To develop links between
• UK nuclear physicists and
• industry
• Topics raised need to
• maintain and improve
• nuclear databases
• Follow up workshop on nuclear data at the
  National Physical Laboratory

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Nuclear Physics Outreach
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Monthly Newsletter
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Masterclasses

• Started at University
• of Liverpool, expanded
• to University of Surrey
• One day events for high
• school students
• Lectures
• Radiation Lab
• Careers workshops
• Ice cream!

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Teach the Teachers

• Started by David Jenkins
• when he was a public
• engagement fellow
• One days events for high
• school physics teachers
• Lectures
• Make and take workshop
• Facility tours

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Website
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Free Resources
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Currently in Development

• Nuclear Physics resource
• Broadsheet detailing activities
• and applications of UK nuclear
• physics
• Nuclear physics teaching resources
• Curriculum linked classroom activities and
  teacher notes

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Summary

• STFC seeks to inspire and involve the wider
  public in STFC-supported research through a wide
  range of PE activities and funding schemes.
• There is an opportunity to develop and expand
  programmes of PE activity and resources for
  nuclear physics.
• Nuclear physicists do amazing things, we want to
  tell as many people as we can about them.

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Any Questions?
elizabeth.cunningham_at_stfc.ac.uk
www.stfc.ac.uk/NuclearPhysicsForYou