Programme by Session

Over the past fifteen years we have been involved in numerous public outreach activities, presenting auroral science to a wide range of audiences using a number of different tools. Here we will draw on our own experiences to examine public engagement by researchers in the MIST and the UKSP community; looking at purpose, people, process and evaluation. We will investigate the motivation and inspiration of researchers to engage in outreach activities. Next we will examine how to identify different audiences, including current efforts to widen participation in science, and the importance of parental involvement. We will present several engagement processes from different universities, and discuss stories of involvement and lessons learnt. We will finish by discussing how to best evaluate your engagement activity and examine the role of REF impact case studies in increasing the profile of public engagement in the university sector. Throughout the talk we will be discussing our involvement in Leicester’s many engagement activities, including the Planetarrella, the Planetarium, SMILE-related events, and the University’s A-level revision club. We will include discussion of a recent programme with the Somali Community Parents Association, which aims to link student-led activities with the wider community through a Space Celebration event. The overall aim is to motivate and inform your approach to public engagement and to assess its value.