PER Day, our thought-provoking and inspiring annual conference of Public Engagement with Research (PER), now in it’s 5th year took place on 5th April 2019. The event provided a fantastic opportunity to reflect on half a decade of amazing activity and for attendees to generate new contacts, spark ideas and hone their skills.
Although PER Day is primarily aimed at University of Birmingham researchers and covers a range of experience levels, for the 2019 event we also welcome interested external guests at the subsidised price of £20.

PROGRAMME
09:30 – Registration
10:00 – Welcome, where are we now and what are the big issues for PER in 2019? With Prof Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement with Science (University of Birmingham) and Tom Saunders (Head of Public Engagement Strategy and Policy, UKRI)
10:30 – What can I do and how? Update on new and exciting resources, support and opportunities from the UoB PER Team
10:45 – Break time – check out our walls for inspiration, PER classifieds and to make your PER pledge
11:15 – Plenary: The Trials and Triumphs of Innovation – #ThePastIsNow and Einstein’s Garden in conversation With Rachael Minott (Horniman Museum, previously BMAG) and Ellen Dowell (Imperial College London)
12:30 – Lunch and networking
13:15 – PER Skills 1 – choice of 3 workshops:
- Standing Up For Research – why should I do it and how do I start? With Dr Leah Fitzsimmons (Ask For Evidence ambassador)
- That’s Not Really Funny – Comedy for Engagement with Jon Wood (BrightClub) and Dr Martin Khechara (University of Wolverhampton)
- Lapworth Lates – the story of a novel collaborative PER project with Dr Caroline Gillett (PER Team) and theatre company LYNNEBEC
14:30 – Break time
14:45 – PER Skills 2 – choice of 3 workshops:
- Putting the Evidence into Everyday – How to tackle misinformation and create public dialogue through Wikipedia with Dr Jess Wade (Imperial College London)
- How was it for you? Confessions of Secret Shoppers and how they evaluate with Dr Lucinda Spokes (Cambridge Science Festival)
- Public Engagement Activism: Where research engagement, identity and opinion collide with Dr Alfredo Carpineti (The Astroholic, Pride in STEM)
16:00 – Summing up and Award Presentations – Including the presentation of the Alice Roberts PGR Award for Excellence in PER and the first ever winner of the Light of Understanding Award
16:30– Networking and discussion time – Make new PER friends and chat to speakers and guests
17:30 – Event ends / adjourn to BrumSciComm for the afterparty!!
If you’d like to find out more about how PER Day 2019 went head over to Twitter to follow the activities through our hashtag, #UoBPERDay2019 or download the slides from the morning session below.
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