Wellcome Trust – Think: Public Engagement with Research

Loves documentaries? Sheffield Doc Festival opportunity for postdocs…

Posted by gillecdton May 4, 2017in Biomedical Sciences, Upcoming opportunities

Doc/Fest Researchers – Applications Open!

Do you love documentary film, interactive, immersive, and virtual reality projects?

Are you a postdoctoral scientist?

Sheffield Doc/Fest is offering five researchers the opportunity to attend this year’s Festival 9 – 14 June 2017. Participants will have the opportunity to network with filmmakers and broadcast commissioners, and see some of the world’s finest documentary films being made today.

Researchers are invited to network and attend daily talks in the Doc/Fest Exchange, our dedicated public space curated by Dr Erinma Ochu, and developed with Wellcome.

– Travel, accreditation, and accommodation are covered.

– Daily networking breakfasts in The Doc/Fest Exchange

– Applicants must have a PhD in biomedical sciences.

To apply – contact delegations@sidf.co.uk with a short bio and reasons why you would like to attend Doc/Fest.

The deadline for applications is 23 May 2017.

More info here.

Live Public Engagement Q&A with Wellcome Trust (Jan 24 & 27)

Posted by gillecdton January 18, 2017in Upcoming opportunities

Wellcome Trust have recently launched their new Public Engagement Fund which opened for applications on 9th January, 2017.

Their Public Engagement team are ready to answer your burning questions about their new funding scheme and Wellcome’s refreshed approach to supporting public engagement.

Featuring: Imran Khan and Farrah Nazir (tbc)

If you can’t make the live stream, email questions to pegrants@wellcome.ac.uk and they’ll answer anything that’s not already on the website.

Tuesday, January 24 at 6 PM – 6:30 PM

Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1109516855836775/

Another event will also take place on Friday 27 January, 11:00 – 11:30
https://www.facebook.com/events/155813068239236/

The stream will be archived so you can watch it later

The funding is for anyone with a great idea for engaging the public in conversations about health-related science and research.

More information can be found here: https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/public-engagement-fund

DOC/FEST RESEARCHER PROGRAMME – CALLING BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS

Posted by gillecdton May 17, 2016in Biomedical Sciences, INTERNSHIPS / PLACEMENTS, Training Event, Upcoming opportunities

DOC/FEST RESEARCHER PROGRAMME – CALLING BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS

Do you love documentary? Are you a postdoctoral scientist? Sheffield Doc/Fest is offering five researchers the opportunity to attend this year’s Festival.

Network with filmmakers and broadcast commissioners, and see some of the world’s finest documentary films being made today. Travel, accreditation, and accommodation are covered. Applicants must have a PhD in biomedical sciences.

Wellcome Trust are also supporting a series of talks at the festival which researchers might enjoy: http://bit.ly/1XnMcxG

Please contact marketing@sidf.co.uk with a short bio and reasons why you would like to attend Doc/Fest.

WT Engaging Science Conference 2016: Take home messages

Posted by gillecdton May 5, 2016in Collaboration, good practice, Raising Awareness

PERC recently attended the Wellcome Trust’s Engaging Science conference help on April 20th, 2016 at Wellcome Collection. The event brought together researchers, public engagement and scicomm workers, creatives and more to discuss how science can be made more engaging for those who do it, for the public and for seldom heard audiences. Key topics included top tips for collaboration, improving diversity and dealing with ethical issues.

The take home messages of each of the sessions were captured live by cartoon artists, so take a look at the photos below! Many thanks to Wellcome for the invite to attend such an interesting and inspiring day.

Free Workshop: Fun Palaces & Wellcome host event for you to find out more

Posted by gillecdton April 11, 2016April 11, 2016in networking events, Upcoming opportunities

Culture belongs to us all! Find out how anyone, anywhere can make a Fun Palace, where everyone is an artist and everyone a scientist. Change the world with radical fun.

A Fun Palace is a free, local event using arts and science to celebrate each unique community and the skills and interests of those who live there.

FUN PALACES AND BIRMINGHAM REP

Invite you to a free workshop to find out how anyone, anywhere can make a Fun Palace.

Last year there were 142 Fun Palaces across the country with 2079 people involved in making them and over 50,000 people participating. People gathered to make and share arts, sciences, learning, games and have FUN – this workshop is your chance to find out how to get involved. You don’t need to be an expert in anything to make a Fun Palace – you just need to want to make something happen (however tiny) with and for the people that live around you.

“Loved meeting so many other creatives within our area and realising that we can do whatever we want – the world’s our oyster!!”

2015 workshop participant

Are you intrigued to find out more, interested to meet other people who might want to get involved; got some ideas you would like to share, some questions about how it works? Then come along to this conversation event and see what you think. You can find out more on our website: funpalaces.co.uk/ Or watch this video to find out what happened at Fun Palaces 2015: http://bit.do/FP2015

Any questions? Prefer to book by phone? Need help with access or travel costs? Get in touch. E-mail kirsty@funpalaces.co.uk or ring 0208 692 4446 ext. 203 and leave a message

Date and Time: 10^th May, 5 – 7:30pm (children welcome)

Where: Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, B1 2EP

Free, but please book your place here as space is limited: http://fpbirmingham2016.eventbrite.co.uk

Fun Palace Workshop Brum 2

Interested in collecting Big Data from 9-11yr olds with BBC’s ‘My World’ (Deadline for proposals: Feb 15th)

Posted by gillecdton February 8, 2016February 8, 2016in Upcoming opportunities

BBC Learning is planning a major campaign for 2016/2017 aimed at engaging Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 9-11) with investigative science. This exciting and innovative campaign will revolve around the theme of ‘My World’, with key partners including the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society. Schools will take part in a series of investigations over the course of an academic year – each focused on the 5 key curriculum areas for year 5 which are; Forces, Animals including Humans, Living Things & Habitats, Properties & Change of Materials and, Earth & Space.

BBC would like to hear from researchers with an interest in simple but large-scale data collection from potentially huge numbers of the 9-11 age-group and their daily lives. For example, would you be interested in exploring the sleep patterns of 10 year olds? Could the daily recording of weather conditions in every school in the UK give you data that might otherwise be inaccessible? If your project fits, BBC will work with you to devise the investigations through ‘My World.’ Data will be publicly available, however scientists can ensure data is relevant to their own interests for their further analyses and publications. If you are interested in getting involved please send a brief (300 words maximum) outline of your research project and how it might fit with the BBC Learning Science campaign to: my.world@bbc.co.uk

Closing Date is Monday February 15^th, 2016

For more detailed info get in touch directly my.world@bbc.co.uk or contact the University of Birmingham’s PER Officer, Caroline Gillett c.d.t.gillett@bham.ac.uk so she can email you the briefing sheet.

Wellcome Trust – Engagement Fellowships

Posted by Judith Woodon November 11, 2015in Biomedical Sciences, Biosciences, Funding

Deadline – 12th February 2016

The Wellcome Trust invites applications for its engagement fellowships. These aim to support and develop upcoming stars in public engagement with science.

Applicants should be based in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, and have at least three years’ experience engaging the public with science. They may be professional science communicators, research scientists, medical historians, clinicians or professionals working in the arts.

Wellcome Trust International engagement awards

Posted by Judith Woodon November 1, 2015September 15, 2015in International

Deadline – 19th February 2016

The Wellcome Trust invites expressions of interest for its international engagement awards. These support innovative public or community engagement projects that explore biomedical research or health in Africa and Asia.

Article: Scientists’ public engagement work should be generously funded

Posted by gillecdton October 29, 2014October 29, 2014in Funding, Raising Awareness

Clare Matterson, director of medical humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust has written a short piece for the Guardian on public engagement. Extracts below. To read this article in full go HERE.

Scientists’ public engagement work should be generously funded

Public engagement as a practice is nothing new. In the UK, it dates back to Michael Faraday’s public lectures at the Royal Institution (which proved so popular that hansom cabs blocked Albemarle Street, where the RI is located, leading to the creation of one of the first ever one-way streets). In the past two decades public engagement has moved away from just telling people how wonderful science is to exploring the social and ethical implications of scientific research and, importantly, listening to them. Nowadays, there are countless science festivals, public debates, science-art collaborations and “citizen science” projects.

Public engagement is a profession in its own right now, too. There are probably thousands of people in the UK who see their main line of work as “engaging the public”. But what about scientists themselves – do they (or should they) leave it to the professionals? Too often, public engagement is viewed as a “bolt-on” to a scientist’s work. Even Dame Nancy Rothwell – an eminent neuroscientist who has done far more than her fair share of public talks and events (and encouraged other scientists to) – has referred to science communication as her “hobby”.

Wellcome Trust’s Arts Awards – now open for application!

Posted by gillecdton July 14, 2014in Awards and Prizes, Funding

Arts Awards support the creation of new artistic work that critically engages artists and audiences with biomedical science. We strives to work with all art forms and the diverse community we support includes artists, scientists, curators, writers, academics, producers, directors and education officers.

We believe that artists have a distinct approach to understanding and communicating ideas that can illuminate and challenge perceptions within society. We are convinced therefore that the arts have an invaluable role to play in engaging the public with biomedical science. Arts Awards encourage creative collaborations between art and science.The Wellcome Trust believes that this exchange generates powerful, personal and visceral art and inspires interdisciplinary research and practice that brings benefits to artists and scientists alike.

For full details & how to apply visit the Wellcome Trust pages HERE.