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So, she rang the guy responsible for the thing and he muttered placatory noises. Anyone familiar with the innermost workings of the Research Councils will know how much attention to pay to this. The key bit seems to be that "the plan is to integrate public engagement activities within other parts of the council’s business". That is a pretty good way of allowing the activity to get swamped. Maybe EPSRC thinks that the point has got through to all researchers and that it can safely leave them to get on with it without any outside assistance. MK -----Original Message----- From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of alice bell Sent: 11 August 2010 17:13 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] EPSRC ends public engagement scheme Anna Lewcock's take on this: http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?p=4133 Alice ------ On 11 August 2010 15:41, Chris Stokes <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Formal pressure on researchers to do public engagement is already well ensconced in the REF. The 'Draft "common menu" of impact indicators' included with the guidance on submissions for the REF impact pilot exercise is a table listing discrete 'types of impact' and, for each type, 'possible indicators'. One of the types HEFCE have defined is 'Cultural enrichment, including improved public engagement with science and research'. And the possible indicators it lists for this type are: > > - Increased levels of public engagement with science and research (for example, as measured through surveys) > - Changes to public attitudes to science (for example, as measured through surveys) > - Enriched appreciation of heritage or culture (for example, as measured through surveys) > - Audience/participation levels at public dissemination or engagement activities (exhibitions, broadcasts and so on) > - Positive reviews or participant feedback on public dissemination or engagement activities > > David Willetts has, of course, told HEFCE to take another year to come up with an impact-evaluation that's robust and postponed the REF by a year as a consequence. Some of those who've opposed the impact part of the REF are cheered by this. I'm not holding my breath for a volte-face from HEFCE on impact, though. Still, I can't see you average manufacturing engineer building public engagement of the kinds mentioned above into his/her next big research proposal without some resort to help from outside his/her department. If I were a PE specialist, I'd be beginning to think of ways to insinuate myself in the right quarters. > > Chris > > ________________________________ > > From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Francis Sedgemore > Sent: 11 August 2010 16:04 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] EPSRC ends public engagement scheme > > > -- Alice R Bell http://doctoralicebell.blogspot.com ********************************************************************** 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens] 2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens] 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: leave psci-com -- [include hyphens] 4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html 5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.ac.uk 6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens] 2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens] 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: leave psci-com -- [include hyphens] 4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html 5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.ac.uk 6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] **********************************************************************