Data research at science festivals: engaging the public

21/07/201721/07/2017 / ESRC / 1 Comment

Dr Silvia Lanati is Communications, Public Engagement and Events Manager for the Administrative Data Research Centre for England, part of the ESRC-funded ADRN, at the University of Southampton.

In this piece she gives some tips on using creativity to engage the public at science festivals.

Data science is a cornerstone of social science research. It can help us to see how communities develop with time and understand their changing needs, and the research contributes to the evidence that policymakers use to benefit society.

However, data science is not an easy topic to engage the public with at large science festivals. Being surrounded by engineers, chemists and biologists, competition can be really tough. Continue reading →

Engaging with policymakers – some tips to help you on your journey…

17/03/201722/03/2017 / ESRC / 4 Comments

Rob Davies is Public Affairs Manager for CLOSER, the UK longitudinal studies consortium funded by the ESRC and Medical Research Council (MRC).

His role is to raise awareness of longitudinal studies among policymakers and parliamentarians and help ensure longitudinal evidence influences policy development.

Based on his two decades of experience in communications, public affairs and stakeholder management, Rob shares some practical advice and tips for engaging with policymakers. Continue reading →

The death of Jane Doe: A Goldsmiths murder investigation

03/03/2016 / ESRC / Leave a comment

Rebecca Wheeler is a PhD student at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research looks at improving memory recall in cognitive interviews.

Rebecca and colleagues at Goldsmiths Forensic Psychology Unit (FPU) held a public engagement event with a difference…

The death of Jane Doe: A Goldsmiths murder investigation

On 29 January 2016 a young woman named Jane Doe was found dead in Deptford Town Hall Chambers at Goldsmiths, University of London. While friends left touching tributes outside the room in which Jane’s body was discovered by security guard John Locke, a team of trainee investigators settled in for an evening of sleuthing. The recruits received briefings by former police detectives, viewed CCTV footage, examined the crime scene, and had the chance to grill forensic experts and Persons of Interest in their search for clues. Thankfully justice was done, and the guilty party brought to rights. Rest in Peace, Jane.
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Public Engagement in Social Media – Developing understanding, infrastructure & engagement

25/08/201521/08/2015 / ESRC / Leave a comment

Dr Jennifer Holden (University of Aberdeen) is Training and Outreach Officer for the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub. Her role involves co-ordinating internal dot.rural training, along with dot.rural public engagement and outreach activities.

This project seeks to develop and apply new tools and methods for social media data analysis, as well as explore the ethical challenges associated with using such data in research. Case studies include transport disruption around the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, UK-EU relations and island communities in the Western Isles. Part of the project seeks to engage with the public on the topic of social media through a series of festivals. These include music festivals as they lead to encounters with members of the public who might not attend science events. To date the team have featured at seven festivals including Green Man 2014 and Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Continue reading →

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Shaping Society

public engagement

Data research at science festivals: engaging the public

Engaging with policymakers – some tips to help you on your journey…

The death of Jane Doe: A Goldsmiths murder investigation

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