Training and Development
Staff and students are at the heart of our public engagement effort. We are committed to fostering a campus community that is confident and skilled in championing innovative and thought-provoking public engagement. Our suite of public engagement training includes transferable skills open to all across campus, as well as modules tailored for specific groups such as early career researchers or PhD / pre-doc students. Many of our courses link to follow-through engagement opportunities enabling new skills to be put into practice.
Upcoming courses are listed below. All take place in the Discovery Zone, Sulston Building unless otherwise stated. For further details, visit the booking links.
Engaging with the Public on Animal Research
Tuesday 5th March 2019, 9:30-13:30 (lunch included)
This workshop is for staff whose research involves the use of animals and who want to increase their confidence in talking about their research with the public.
It is important to engage people with scientific research but this can be difficult when your research involves the use of animals. It is hard to know what people will think, what sorts of things they might have heard and how to answer awkward questions that may be raised. This workshop will help you to develop the skills to confidently engage people with research using animals. It will prepare you for dealing with tricky questions and handling individuals with alternative views on animals in research.
The course will be run by Bella Williams from Understanding Animal Research, an organisation that explains why animals are used in medical and scientific research. They aim to achieve a broad understanding of the humane use of animals in medical, veterinary, scientific and environmental research in the UK.
Capacity: 15 places
Performance in Public Engagement
Thursday 7th March 2019, 9:30-13:30 (lunch included)
This half-day course will explore ways of creating and telling good stories in science. The workshop will explore how to develop narrative and effectively share stories through effective performance skills.
The workshop will be led by biologist, writer, science communicator, comedian and TV presenter, Simon Watt. Simon runs “Ready Steady Science”, a science communication company committed to making information interesting and takes science based performances into schools, museums, theatres and festivals. He is currently an artist in residence at the National Maritime Museum.
He runs the “Ugly Animal Preservation Society” which is a comedy night with a conservation twist, and is the co-creator and host of the comedy science panel show podcast, Level Up Human.
Capacity: 25 places
Become a STEM Ambassador
Tuesday 12th March 2019, 10:30-13:00 (lunch included)
Join our growing network of STEM Ambassadors, who share their experience of working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths with a variety of audiences, from schools to community groups. This session will introduce you to the STEM Ambassador programme and how you can get involved with public engagement activities. As part of the induction, you will also receive a free Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, allowing you to work with schools and vulnerable adults.
Capacity: 30 places
Find out more about STEM Ambassadors
Getting Out and About with Genomics
Wednesday 20th March 2019, 12:30-20:30 (lunch included)
Thursday 21 March 2019, 9:30-13:30 (breakfast and lunch included)
This lunchtime-to-lunchtime course is an intensive training and engagement experience which will upskill participants in public engagement, science communication and evaluation skills. By the end of the course, participants will have taken part in a real public activity in central Cambridge as part of the Cambridge Science Festival and will have met experts from various partner organisations that could faciliate future public engagement opportunities.
The course is led by Dr Steve Scott of the Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement team and Dr Jen Scott from the University of Aberdeen.
An important part of this course is taking part in an evening public event from 19:00-20:30 on 20th March 2019.
Capacity: 20 places
Public Engagement Masterclass
In addition to our courses for campus staff and students, we also deliver an annual Public Engagement Masterclass in partnership with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA). This intensive and immersive 3-day residential course is open to newly independent and mid-career researchers across the UK on a competitive application basis. The next Public Engagement Masterclass will run from 8th to 10th July 2019.