Research Councils UK (RCUK)
work in partnership with two festivals a year to deliver engaging debates for
‘grown-ups’. As part of the RCUK festivals strategy, we work with
one science and one art festival a year and provide our researchers for debates
that are relevant to the general public. Through working closely with the
festival organisers, we focus on delivering debates on our cross-Council themes
which have been established to help solve many of the big research challenges
over the next 10 to 20 years.
These debates are pitched
at a level which provides the audience with the opportunity to learn about key
research areas whilst being able to share their views and ask relevant
questions.
RCUK are currently working
with Bath Literature Festival (26th Feb - 6th
March) and York Festival of Science and Technology (11th -20th
March).
At Bath Literature Festival
we are working in partnership to deliver the following debates:
Digital Footprints – Tuesday 1 March, 8-9pm, Guildhall Bath
Who rules the world? – Sunday 6 March, 1-2pm, Guildhall Bath
Gaming, Social Networking, and Interaction – Sunday 6 March,
6:15-7:15pm Guildhall Bath
At York Festival we have a
series of hands-on activities throughout the festival as well as the headline
debate highlighted below:
Energy for our future:
Have your say
Friday 18th March. 7:30pm-9pm University of York
How will we power our homes
in the future? To tackle climate change, the UK needs to reduce our carbon
footprint. Alongside reducing our demand for energy, it is likely we will need
a mix of different low carbon technologies such as nuclear, wind, biofuels and
carbon capture and storage. But what are the pros and cons of each of these and
where should the emphasis be? This debate brings some of the UK's leading
academics working at the cutting edge of energy research to talk about the
possibilities for our future energy provision with you.
Cheryl
Cheryl
Hewer
Policy
Officer - Public Engagement with Research
Research
Councils UK
Direct
Tel: 01793 413076
Web:
www.rcuk.ac.uk/per
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Simmons
Sent: 25 January 2011 17:49
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Science for Kids, Arts for Grownups? (Was Public
Attitudes Survey Blog Post)
Interesting, but this certainly isn’t the approach of the
Newcastle Festival, it’s very heavily cultural with a strong overlap with
arts (e.g Helen Storey this year) and not really about recruiting scientists,
its more about science and technology as a lifestyle, not a career path
(especially our Maker Faire), and tends not to do big lectures by serious names
for the chattering classes either, nor the ‘if it’s adult it has to
be scary’ approach (see this year’s Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
extravaganza)
IAN
Ian Simmons
Science Communication Director
Centre for Life
Management Suite
Times Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4EP
Tel: +44191 2438250
Fax: +44191 2438201
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From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Ellam
Sent: 25 January 2011 11:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PSCI-COM] Science for Kids, Arts for Grownups? (Was Public
Attitudes Survey Blog Post)
Dear All
On 22 Jan 2011, at 07:59, Frank Burnet wrote: (edited)
Science Festivals, which are now
increasing in number sharply around the world, do tend to project a strong
impression that they are fun outings for kids and their families designed
principally to recruit more scientists rather than opportunity for adults to
engage with science and scientists, and the same has been said of Science
Centres. Given that these are two of the major ways in which the image of
science is projected to citizens, including the gatekeepers of the cultural
domain, It is not I think surprising that the cultural dimensions of science
/engineering are overshadowed by its image as being principally interested in
promoting itself to a specific audience for a particular purpose.
Does this not also feed the unfortunate
misperception that science is something for kids, that sensible people 'grow
out of'?
And doesn't a lot of the 'grownup' science
engagement we see talk about scary things such as Climate Change, GM Crops and
so on? So science may be perceived as being either infantile or
frightening, and not something sensible people want to let into their lives.
Yet there are lots of non threatening and
'adult' approaches we could take to engaging gronwups with science. One
possibility may be to focus on the history of science, and particularly the way
that scientific and technical ideas have influenced 'general' history.
People like history, and are generally comfortable with it, but much
presentation of history lacks technical or scientific insight where this is
relevant.
Maybe this is another way to bridge the
cultural gap, if it exists, and to get some money from the Arts crowd. too?
Hope this helps
Richard Ellam
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