Bringing research to the public’s attention isn’t just about drafting and sending out press releases. Outreach work allows our academics to involve people with the research that shapes their lives, and our Science Outreach Team provides a range of award-winning activities aimed at stimulating interest in science among young people, their teachers and the wider community.
The team showcases Durham’s world-class scientific research and teaching, by developing collaborative programmes that are aimed at strengthening engagement in science with our communities.
Bringing research to the public’s attention isn’t just about drafting and sending out press releases.
One of these programmes is Durham’s annual science festival ‘Celebrate Science’, which is a three-day festival of fun and fascinating interactive science activities and workshops based in a marquee on Palace Green. Held during the local schools’ October half term holiday, families from across the region and beyond attend and get involved. In 2019 well over 6,000 people attended and around 60,000 people have come along since the first festival in 2010.
Due to the pandemic and current restrictions the festival was a virtual event ‘Celebrate Science at Home’ and an astonishing 2,000 ‘Celebrate Science at Home’ packs were delivered to 26 of our partner primary schools for the children to enjoy during half term. The activity pack included kitchen science experiments, instructions on making a kazoo, a nature detectives challenge from the Woodland Trust, a cloud spotters guide, a sky chart to help spot constellations and much more – all with the encouragement: ‘Do try this at home!’
School activities are also an important part of outreach and the team works with children from early primary-age up to sixth form. They have developed a Science Ambassadors Programme which aims to build confidence and science awareness amongst primary and secondary pupils, gained through hands-on experiments and activities, which they then deliver to their peers and the wider community. Since the first programme in 2011, over 2,100 young people from 145 schools and community organisations across the North East have become involved and taken ownership of their own programmes.
The team continues to contribute to, and participate in, many regional networks and groups including teacher networks, Science Learning Partnerships, business-education alliances, and cultural organisations.
In August 2020, they received an invitation to join the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement Public Engagement Professionals (PEP) Insights Peer Researcher Team, made up of a panel of ten drawn from around the UK. The team is conducting a research study, which aims to explore the impact of Covid-19 on PEP and the work of universities.
Internally, support is provided to several other groups within the University, including staff and student training, DCAD, Student Community Action, the School of Education and NETPark. The Team engages with specialist groups in the region and participates in local, national, and international activities and events. They continue to offer free engagement activities and workshops, to enhance the curriculum for both primary and secondary school pupils and their teachers in the North East and across the UK.
If you would like to learn more about the Science Outreach team and their excellent work, visit the Science Outreach web pages.
