1. Outreach and Engagement
Dr Elizabeth Cunningham
Particle and Nuclear Physics Outreach Officer
Thank you Alex for inviting me here today. I am…
I’m going to be talking about some of the work I’ve been doing with the nuclear physics community in outreach and engagement…

2. Outline STFC Public Engagement (PE) PE Support for Researchers
Nuclear Physics Outreach
In Development…
I’m hoping that you might get some ideas from this talk, or that you may already have ideas that you think I would find useful. I’ve left some time for discussion at the end and you can also come up and talk to me at lunch.

3. Public Engagement Team
Inspire and Involve!
Linking STFC science and
technology with young people
Stimulate and respond to
public interest in research
Encourage and support
researchers outreach projects
Based in Swindon.

4. STFC National Laboratories
Three sites
Daresbury Laboratory
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Royal Observatory Edinburgh
Activities
Work experience, apprenticeships, ‘Talking Science’ lecture series, public access days, school visits, careers days, masterclasses, teacher visits and CPD.
External events: Stargazing LIVE, Engineering Education Scheme, Young Rewired State, local science festivals, Dark Sky Discovery and the Big Bang.
Engaging publics with the work of the national laboratories.
These sites along with the Swindon office provide the support network for public engagement that STFC’s offers.

5. Strategic Plan
If anyone would like to know more about our mission and aims, our key audiences and our themes, but it is nicely summarised in our strategy document and I have a few copies with me if anyone wants to take a look

6. Support for Researchers

7. Funding
STFC, Small Awards. Funds for small, local or 'pilot' projects promoting STFC science and technology. Awards range from £500 to £10,000.
Closing dates April and October.
STFC, Large Awards. Funds for projects which are expected to have a significant regional or national impact. Awards range from £10,000 to £100,000.
Closing date November 2014.
Now I’d like to talk about the different types of support STFC offers it’s researchers for their outreach work.

8. CERN@school Bringing CERN into the classroom
Uses pixel detector chips from the Medipix Collaboration at CERN
Engage students and teachers with real research equipment and data
To develop research based learning as part of students’ experience of physics
Bringing CERN into the classroom
In schools and on the LUCID spacecraft in orbit around the Earth, to aid with the teaching of nuclear and particle physics. To enthuse them about physics and equip them with the skills needed to go on to a STEM career.

9. Radiation Around You
Research programme developed by high school students
Schools gather measurements of background radiation levels in their local area
Try to identify spatial and temporal trends.
Measurements collated into a dataset available to all

10. Fellowships
Aimed at those with significant research experience who have demonstrated a track record in outreach or communications work
The Fellowships purchase a proportion of a researcher’s time to enable them to concentrate more on public engagement activities which will have a significant national or regional impact

11. Training Support Bursaries for Royal Society media and communications
workshops
Support for British Science
Association media fellowships
Royal Society Summer
Exhibition Grants.
Where scientists spend a few weeks of the summer working for a media organisation.

12. Working with the Media Press releases Media briefings Publicity
Engaging with politicians
Training

13. Knowledge Exchange Workshop
Nuclear Physics Technology Showcase Event
To develop links between
UK nuclear physicists and
industry
Topics raised: need to
maintain and improve
nuclear databases
Follow up workshop on nuclear data at the National Physical Laboratory

14. Nuclear Physics Outreach

15. Monthly Newsletter

16. Masterclasses Started at University of Liverpool, expanded
to University of Surrey…
One day events for high
school students
Lectures
Radiation Lab
Careers workshops
Ice cream!

17. Teach the Teachers Started by David Jenkins when he was a public
engagement fellow
One days events for high
school physics teachers
Lectures
Make and take workshop
Facility tours

18. Website

19. Free Resources

20. Currently in Development
Nuclear Physics resource
Broadsheet detailing activities
and applications of UK nuclear
physics
Nuclear physics teaching resources
Curriculum linked classroom activities and teacher notes

21. Summary
STFC seeks to inspire and involve the wider public in STFC-supported research through a wide range of PE activities and funding schemes.
There is an opportunity to develop and expand programmes of PE activity and resources for nuclear physics.
Nuclear physicists do amazing things, we want to tell as many people as we can about them.

22. Any Questions? elizabeth.cunningham@stfc.ac.uk