Details:
Name: Martine J. Barons
Job Title: Research Fellow
Staff No:1271303
Department/Centre/Unit/Faculty: Statistics
Departmental Administrator (name): Paula Matthews
Purpose / Objective of the Research Staff Network:
To provide an opportunity for public engagement practitioners to meet and share good practice and engagement opportunities.
We define Public engagement practitioners (PEP) as those who engage in activities with unselected members of the public purely so those members of the public can enjoy and understand an academic subject or research outputs. Examples include performing at festivals, giving talks at
Cafe Scientifique held in the community, running stalls of activities.
There are a large number of individuals from across Warwick academic departments who engage in this way, in their own time and often at their own expense, but there is currently no forum in which to meet and share good practice and engagement opportunities, and no specific training opportunities.
Details of the Skills/ Development Activity(ies) (Max 500 words):
There will be four lunchtime meetings in the year, probably outside undergraduate term-time to accommodate those who are involved with teaching. They will be held at various locations to provide easy access for those located at different parts of the campus, with the only requirement that the room be accessible without the need for card access.
The practitioners will take it in turns to showcase their performances / talks / activities and lead into a discussion of good practice, including addressing questions such as ‘How do I draw and keep a crowd at a festival?’ and ‘When I talk to all-comers about a technical subject, how do I make it accessible without dumbing down to the point of inaccuracy?’. Practitioners will share engagement opportunities and training opportunities. Training needs will be assessed and if courses are not
Sandy Sparks, LDC Research Active Staff Network Funding August 2013

currently available, recommendations made to the LDC and the new Public Engagement network;
PEP training needs may overlap with those doing recruitment and PR, e.g. media training, public speaking, etc. Wherever appropriate, funding bids for specialist equipment and training will be made e.g. Maths busking, Physics busking, jumping maze.
PEP will also become a point of contact for those wishing to start this type of engagement, pointing them to relevant training and engagement opportunities. Individual PEP may wish to offer mentoring, and this network will be a place where potential mentors can be identified.
Date of your activity/event(s), if known:
First meeting provisionally 11 th December 2013, remainder tba.
If you have a website, please give the URL: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/statistics/staff/academicresearch/barons/publicenagementpractitioners/ (To be improved)
Please state which events will be open to other University of Warwick research staff:
Training events which are of wider application will be made available to the public engagement network and other staff as appropriate.
Is this a new network or existing network? New
Scope/ Evaluation / Impact of activity(ies) proposed
(Please give us an estimate of the numbers of staff who will be involved and an indication of how you will measure the impact of the activity/activities. If you intend to follow up the activity by disseminating information, or using the outcomes to support other staff development activities, please also let us know this)
It is expected that there will be an average of 30 members of staff per meeting. Impact will be measured as PEP report improvement in their skills and access a wider range of engagement opportunities as appropriate. Training courses accessed will be monitored.
How do you plan to let research staff know about your events/meetings?
There are 12 members of staff actively engaged in public engagement of this type who will be invited to the first meeting, along with any other contacts they have. Further advertising will be made in the
LDC newsletter, public engagement network departmental email distribution lists and personal contacts.
How do you plan to share the learning / best practice with other University of Warwick Research
Staff Networks?
We plan to write up the main points from each meeting and post them on the website and link to this through the LDC. Any available training opportunities will be shared as detailed above
Sandy Sparks, LDC Research Active Staff Network Funding August 2013

What is the benefit of your activity/activities to:

The University
A network of PEP will be formed and skills improved; these and their training opportunities may become a resource for university activities such as widening participation, recruitments, etc. The PEP come from a wide variety of disciplines, so cross disciplinary communication and understanding will be enhanced.

Your department/organisation
Mathematical sciences has a particularly difficult time engaging the public, so skills enhancement and training opportunities will be invaluable.

Research agenda
Funding councils often require an assessment of impact and this network will identify many of those engaged in working directly with the public for their enjoyment and understanding of research outputs.
Total amount of funding requested:
£1,000
Breakdown of funding requested (approximate):
£ Packed lunches £7.50 × 30 × 4 =£ 900
£ Tea & Coffee £1.00 × 30 × 4 =£ 120
£
*Signature of Applicant: …………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………...
Head of Department’s signature:
Head of Department: Professor David Firth
(please print)
**Signed: ……………………………………………….…………….… Date: ……………………………...
Sandy Sparks, LDC Research Active Staff Network Funding August 2013

Please send your completed form either in hard copy or electronically to Sandy Sparks
( Sandy.Sparks@warwick.ac.uk
) in the Learning and Development Centre, University House.
If you have any queries, please contact Sandy to discuss (either via email at the above address or on extn 74121).
*You can either sign a hardcopy, scan in your signature or email the application which will be taken as your signature.
**Your HOD can either sign a hardcopy, scan in their signature or send an email to Sandy Sparks stating they support your application.
Approved by: ……………………………………………………..……..….
(for LDC use)
Amount approved: £………………………………………….……………
Date: …………………………….
Sandy Sparks, LDC Research Active Staff Network Funding August 2013

Report:
Funding awards are conditional upon a report being produced after the event or activity which reflects on the value and impact of the activity in order to share best practice. We ask you to do this by completing Part B of this form within 2 weeks of the event or by 31 July 2014 for a series of events . (Please note that funding may be retracted where reports are not produced).
Please tell us:
 How you felt the event/activity went:
 How many research staff were involved in a) the organisational process:
and b) presenting at the event itself:
 How it has contributed to the Department/ University/ Research Agenda:
 What has been learnt:
 What would be done differently next time:
 Impact/results/benefits:
 Budget ( provide breakdown of amounts spent ):
£
£
£
*Signature of Applicant: ……………………………………………………… Date: ……………………………………….
Please send your completed report either in hard copy or electronically to Sandy Sparks
( Sandy.Sparks@warwick.ac.uk
) in the Learning and Development Centre, University House.
*You can either sign a hardcopy, scan in your signature or email the report which will be taken as your signature.
Report received (date): ………………………………..
(for LDC use)
Amount spent: £ ……………………………………
Sandy Sparks, LDC Research Active Staff Network Funding August 2013