2c: Microbiology
Public engagement
What is it and why should we bother?
Tansy Hammarton
Public Engagement Coordinator
Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology
Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation
Public engagement
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Science communication
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Outreach
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informing
discussing
interesting
enthusing
reaching audiences who have no/little exposure to
science
inspiring the next generation
Who are the public?
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a diverse bunch
Your audience
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Who are they?
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What do they already know?
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Previous study, life experience, curiosity
How can you inspire them?
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Children or adults? Previous education? Budding
scientists or just a passing interest?
Method of presentation. Making science come alive.
Any barriers? How can you remove them?
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Fear and/or low expectations/self-confidence
Language
Practical issues – low income, no transport, childcare
Formats for engaging
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Public lectures
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Can reach a large number at once, but not always
Largely unknown audience
Marketing, timing & venue very important
Public displays or exhibits
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Science fairs, museums, open days
Reach a large audience, children + parents
Lots of opportunities for informal chat
Need folk to man the station throughout
Science Fairs
Discussion-based formats
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Cafe Scientifique
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First Monday of the month, Victorian Bar, Tron
Theatre
Discussion-based formats
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The Ragged University
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free learning for all
range of subjects
links to free educational resources on website
Discussion-based formats
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Great way to interact informally with the public
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Audience may be an unknown quantity
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Need to know your stuff – specifically & generally
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questions could be about almost anything!
Important to get the level & language right
Working with schools
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Workshops at the University
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easier to get lots of staff involved
pupils are inspired by visiting university facilities
easier to get equipment on site and fewer health
& safety restrictions
require lots of organisation
mostly local schools
Working with schools
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School visits
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Talks, labs, science clubs
Working with schools
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Host pupils for lab visits, work experience,
summer projects etc
Working with schools
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Highly rewarding
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Can be frustrating too
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Be prepared for major changes at short notice
‘never work with children or animals’
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Logistics are complicated
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Added restrictions when working with children
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Need to be a disclosure checked, STEMNET
ambassador to go out to schools
Via the media
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Press releases
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Need to be timely & in a suitable format
Need to be around to deal with what happens
afterwards
Not all stories will interest the media
Videos/films
Pod-casts
Twitter
Comics/booklets/leaflets/t-shirts
Or any other way you can think of!
So why bother?
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It’s a lot of fun!
Highly rewarding
Good publicity for you
and your research
So why bother?
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Important for the public to understand what we
scientists get up to
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Tax payers fund some of our research (MRC, NIHR)
Public response can affect research policy
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Bovine TB & badger culling
Animal testing
Ignorance is not bliss!
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MMR vaccine link with autism
So why bother?
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Funding agencies require it
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All Wellcome Trust funded work must be published in
open access journals
Grant reports ask about outreach activities
Some fellowships require you to carry out outreach
work
Many schemes available for funding public
engagement
University of Glasgow
Glasgow 2020 – a global vision
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3. Extend knowledge exchange
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We want to become well known for our excellent
knowledge transfer development. In areas where we
haven’t identified commercially significant
development opportunities, we’ll simply share
knowledge with businesses and organisations who can
benefit from it. We’ll work with charities, voluntary
and social enterprise groups, using our knowledge and
experience to help them strengthen communities,
transform public services and support social
enterprises.
The Concordat
to support the career development of researchers
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Researchers should develop their ability to
transfer and exploit knowledge where appropriate
and facilitate its use in policy making and the
commercialisation of research for the benefit of their
employing organisation, as well as the wider society
and economy as a whole.
Researchers should recognise their responsibility to
conduct and disseminate research results in an
honest and ethical manner and to contribute to the
wider body of knowledge.
Researcher development framework
Any questions?
Exercise 1 – explaining your research
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Find someone you don’t know
You have 2 mins to explain your research to them
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what it is & why it’s important
avoid jargon
the ‘listener’ can ask questions
1 min for feedback at end
Swap over
Repeat twice more
Exercise 2 – planning an event
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The event:
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Primary schools parasitology/microbiology workshops
as part of National Science & Engineering Week in
March 2012
Venue: Boyd Orr L6 biotechnology lab
Pupils: 125 P6/P7 (age 9-11) from 5 classes in 3 schools
(ie 2 schools have 2 classes attending)
No. of workshops: 5 sessions over 3 days, each lasting
1.5 hours
The activities
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Pre-workshop visit to schools 1-2 weeks before
event
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Talk about parasites, bacteria & viruses & disease
Activities/games – measuring length of tape worm,
multiplying as a bacterial colony, swabbing
classroom/themselves and inoculating agar plates
Round robin of 5 workstations (12 mins each, plus 3
mins changeover)
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Bacteria, viruses & yeast
Worms
Malaria
Trypanosomes & Leishmania
Jelly cells
Bacteria/viruses/yeast
Worms
Malaria
Trypanosomes & Leishmania
Jelly cells
In groups, consider the following:
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What needs to be organised and when?
What safety issues might there be and how can
you minimise them?
What could go wrong?
Organisation
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Book lab & liaise with technicians
Book equipment/resources/order or buy
reagents
Publicise to schools & book in classes – ensure
timing suitable
Liaise with schools re nature of workshop, preworkshop visits & directions
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try to amalgamate classes for visits
Arrange ambassadors to go into schools & sort
equipment needed for school visits
Organisation continued
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Set up workshop (get help) & check everything
works
Arrange people to man the stations (don’t have
to be STEM ambassadors)
Find a coordinator (greeting & timing)
Check if it is ok to take photos
Replace reagents & reset in between workshops
Clear up & return equipment
Send email to thank helpers & follow up with
schools if appropriate
Health & safety
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Lab environment
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No running/eating/drinking
No touching of some things
Wash hands regularly
Check nothing can be knocked off bench
Jelly needs to be in tutorial room, separate from
lab
Child protection
First aid
Fire
What can go wrong?
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Anything and everything!
No schools sign up
Booked in schools get wrong time/date, need
to change slot, cancel at last minute, get lost
& turn up late, not enough teachers to bring
pupils
Pre-workshop visit: teachers want to shorten
slot as you arrive, heating breaks down so
can’t use hall for school talk, pupils need to
see school nurse at same time, no idea how to
use IT facilities.....
What can go wrong continued
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Helpers are ill or let you down at short notice
Helpers don’t keep to time
Lab or equipment is double booked
Equipment breaks down/someone forgets to
prep reagents
Reagents run out faster than expected
Pupils become unwell during session
UoG staff member left alone with pupils
Ultimately, just go with the flow!
Exercise 3: an experiment I did yesterday
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In groups, decide on an experiment to describe
How would you explain this in under 5 mins to the
following audiences?
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Your grandmother (has a general interest in science)
Your 8 year old nephew (inquisitive about everything)
Your 20-something hairdresser/barber (no science
background)
You must explain why you did the experiment, how
you did it and what it told you.
Think about language, analogies & props/sketches
Exercise 4: using household items
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In groups, think about what household items you
could use to make/demonstrate the following:
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Fake poo
Fake blood
Fake agar plates
The specificity of an antibody:antigen interaction
Diffusion
DNA and PCR
Mocking up experiments
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Why not just use the real thing?
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Safety considerations & legislation
Costs
Time available
Resources available
Need to make it as accurate & realistic as
possible
Analogies can also be a useful way to introduce
concepts & techniques