Transcript Public Engagement - Innovative Learning Week

Public Engagement
Dr Iona Beange
Dr Iona Beange
• ICONZ Communications Officer
• Science Communicator
• PhD Neuroscience
• Bsc Hons in Biomedical Science
Welcome To ILW
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Monday – Intro & sign-up for sessions
Tuesday – Performance Skills
Wednesday – Science Journalism
Thursday- Preparing a story for Film or TV
• Showcase – Thursday Afternoon
Plan for Today
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What is Public Engagement?
Jargon – technical words
Structure – building a narrative
Evaluation
Sign Up for the rest of the week
What is Public Engagement?
Buzz:
Discuss with person next to you
What is Public Engagement?
“Public engagement describes the many
ways in which higher education
institutions and their staff and students
can connect and share their work with
the public.”
Beltane Beacon for Public Engagement
What is Public Engagement?
The imparting or exchange of information or
ideas in:
• any format (writing, speaking, drama, art)
• any medium (book, TV, radio, schools)
• to any level of audience
.... at the heart of it, public engagement is a
good conversation…
Reasons to communicate science
Honourable
Economic
Societal
Selfish
Honourable reasons
• Research money = taxes
• Funders say you should
• Role model to young people
• Challenge attitudes & stereotypes
• ‘Science is to be shared’
Economic reasons
• Science Workforce.
• Next Generation
• Science is relevant to everyday life
Societal reasons
• Confident consumers
• Engage voters
• Encourage public acceptance of emerging
science & creation of informed opinions
Selfish reasons
• Skills for CV
• Promote Biology
It’s fun!
Who will I speak to?
Aim of Public Engagement
Jargon
Jargon
• Words that people won’t know
i.e. scientific terms like Zoonoses
• Abbreviations / acronyms are STMA
So ten minutes ago
Jargon
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Words that have a different meaning in
common use e.g. Gas:
a)
a state of matter
b)
fuel for car
c)
flatulence (fart)
Jargon
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Phrases that may not cross cultures
“raining cats and dogs”
Find the Jargon
The re-writing of the vocabulary of
intemporal Irish heritage is a possible vector
for submissions on the condition that this
transposition is resolutely anchored in the
21st century through a contemporary lens
that absolutely avoids drifting into the
vernacular.‘
Crafts Council of Ireland circular letter
From Plain English Campaign Website
Find the Jargon
The re-writing of the vocabulary of
intemporal Irish heritage is a possible vector
for submissions on the condition that this
transposition is resolutely anchored in the
21st century through a contemporary lens
that absolutely avoids drifting into the
vernacular.
Crafts Council of Ireland circular letter
From Plain English Campaign Website
Brown Group http://brown.bio.ed.ac.uk/
Work in the group centres on two themes: the
ecological/evolutionary dynamics of sociality and of virulence.
These two themes combine strongly when applied to microbial
pathogens, as microbes must often cooperate, communicate
and coordinate in order to successfully exploit their hosts.
The major challenges in our current research focus on
understanding the complex multi-agent dynamics that shape
microbial social interactions. Our recent research has revealed
the vital role that mobile genetic elements (molecular parasites
of bacteria, such as plasmids and temperate phages) play in
driving the evolution of microbial cooperative behaviours and
consequent virulence. ..........
...........We address these challenges using a mix of analytical
modeling, simulations, genomics and experimental evolution.
Brown Group http://brown.bio.ed.ac.uk/
Work in the group centres on two themes: the
ecological/evolutionary dynamics of sociality and of virulence.
These two themes combine strongly when applied to microbial
pathogens, as microbes must often cooperate, communicate
and coordinate in order to successfully exploit their hosts.
The major challenges in our current research focus on
understanding the complex multi-agent dynamics that shape
microbial social interactions. Our recent research has revealed
the vital role that mobile genetic elements (molecular parasites
of bacteria, such as plasmids and temperate phages) play in
driving the evolution of microbial cooperative behaviours and
consequent virulence. ..........
...........We address these challenges using a mix of analytical
modeling, simulations, genomics and experimental evolution.
Sam Brown
Avoid Jargon……
OR……
Explain Jargon
• Use simple definitions
Zoonotic disease - Any disease spreads
between animals and people.
• Use analogies
A cell is like a factory – it has different areas where
small parts of the finished item is built.
Write a new intro paragraph
Work in the group centres on two themes:
the ecological/evolutionary dynamics of
sociality and of virulence.
These two themes combine strongly when
applied to microbial pathogens, as microbes
must often cooperate, communicate and
coordinate in order to successfully exploit
their hosts.
My Try!!
The people in this group are interested in microbes
(small living creatures like bacteria).
They investigate how they live and how they
breed.
Some microbes are cheats; they use more than
their fair share of food and space, and produce
very little. Others are co-operative and continually
communicate and coordinate their actions with
those of their neighbours. But which group is the
most successful and why? This is what the
researchers want to find out.
Structure
Building a story
Building a narrative
Tell them 3 times!!!
• Tell them what you are going to tell them
• Tell them
• Remind them what you told them
Example
Wedge
• Start with the big picture
• Narrow it down
• Get specific
Example - Work
Your Turn
Use the 2 techniques to tell the person next
to you about your degree course.
• You will have:
– 2 mins to plan
– 2 mins for Person 1 to speak
– 2 mins for Person 2 to speak
Provoke, Relate, Reveal
• Provoke – something to catch the
imagination, exciting, controversial
• Relate – make it relevant, familiar,
something to care about (the story)
• Reveal – explain the secret, show that
they can understand this too (what is new
or different)
Or do it in a different order!
UNICEF
Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)
Provoke
Philip contaminates water with shit before offering it to
community members to drink.(Tanzania)
Photo: Samuel Musyoki, Plan Kenya.
Relate
With the people from
UNICEF, the people draw a
map of their village and put
yellow powder to show
where they last defecated.
The UNICEF staff then
pretend to be people and
animals, spreading the
yellow powder with their
feet and showing how the
pooh gets into the water.
Reveal
UNICEF then educate the
people on how illness and
infection spread.
At the end of the session
the people take a vote on
building toilets (latrines)
The people then build
these themselves with
local materials and some
equipment borrowed from
UNICEF
Reporting on CLTS
Provoking Headline – Shit matters
Relate - 2.5 million people worldwide do not have
access to sanitation. Despite growing attention
and efforts, many top-down approaches to
sanitation have failed.
Reveal – CLTS focuses on facilitating a profound
change in people’s behaviour through
participatory techniques. The approach has
proven immensely successful and is being
implemented in at least 40 countries,
Provoke, Relate, Reveal
• Sam Brown’s Research
Within-Host Competition Drives Selection for
the Capsule Virulence Determinant of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Curr Biol. 2010 July 13; 20(13): 1222–1226.
Sam Brown
Construct a
Provoke, Relate, Reveal
for Sam Brown’s Research
(1-2 sentences for each section)
• Provoke – something to catch the imagination,
exciting, controversial (like a headline).
• Relate – make it relevant, familiar, something to
care about (the story)
• Reveal – explain the secret, show that they can
understand this too (what is new or different)
Or do it in a different order!
Examples of Public
Engagement Activities
Super bugs
Superbugs
• Schools outreach (mainly 12-15 year olds)
• Science Festivals
• Teacher Packs / Teacher Training
• Edinburgh Fringe Festival (outside a
theatre)
Design your own bacterium
Paper and pen
Step 1 – Pick a shape
Bacteria have three basic shapes
Rod
Bacillus
The large surface area
is good for taking up
lots of nutrients from
the environment.
Coccus
The small surface area
makes them very
resistant to
dehydration.
Spirillum
These cells can move
in a corkscrew motion.
Round
Spiral
Congratulations
Your cell membrane will
hold all the insides in
and keep what’s outside out!
Step 2 – Cell Wall
The cell wall helps the bacterium:
• keep its shape
• defend itself
• stops it drying out
Step 2 – Cell Wall
One or Two layered wall? You decide!
or
Gap
One layer of cell wall
Gap
Layer 1
Gap
Layer 2
Medicine
• Some medicines only kill bacteria that
have one cell wall.
• Other medicines only work against
bacteria that have two cell walls.
Step 3 – Cell contents
a) DNA
• Instruction manual for building the
bacterium.
• Draw between 1 and 3 coils in your
bacteria.
Step 3 – Cell Contents
b) Ribosomes
• Tiny factories
• Draw a few ribosomes inside your
bacterium (little circles)
Step 3 – Cell Contents
c) Other Stuff inside the cell
• Proteins – little ‘workers’ in the cell
• Storage Granules – Bacteria are greedy.
They store up extra food whenever they
get the chance.
• Draw some dots inside your bacterium
Optional Extra - Plasmid
• Plasmids = EXTRA GENES for special
situations (superpowers!).
• The cell can gain or lose them without
dying.
• There can be none, one or even a
hundred different plasmids with a
bacterium.
• Will yours have any plasmids?
Optional Extras – Outside
• Flagella – long ‘tails’ that spin like
propellers
• Pilli - short hooks to cling to surfaces like
teeth, intestines, and rocks
Look at your bacterium
• Which bits do you think are essential ( ie
the bacteria must have these to live?)
• Which bits would it not really matter if you
removed?
Antibiotics
(medicines)
Antibiotics either kill the cell or stop it
making copies of itself (replicating)
Which bits of the bacteria should they
target / attach to / destroy?
Rest of superbugs task and
photos of kids ones
• Stitch a superbug images
• Playdough version - fringe
Craft Bits
Playdough
Knit a Superbug
Costumes
Life through a lens
http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/group
s/outreach/wcb/Home.html
Gene Jury
Engage
Explore
Think
Discuss
Reflect
Vote!
GM’ll Fix It?
What does GM stand for in science?
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1
Giant millipede
3
2
Gliding molecules
2
Ghastly monkey
4
Genetic modification
CELLS
The building blocks of all living things
Living things
Muscle cells
Heart cells
Brain cell
Blood cell
Living thing
Cells
Recipe
instructions
Genes
Thread the gene instructions
onto the correct string for
each character in your box.
1. Move one instruction to change one of
your characters?
Sign up to other sessions
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Monday – Intro & sign-up for sessions
Tuesday – Performance Skills
Wednesday – Science Journalism
Thursday- Preparing a story for Film or TV
• Showcase – Thursday Afternoon
Professionalism Please
• Session will run on time
• If unable to attend please email Iona
[email protected] or BTO office
(other people would like to attend)
• Preparation will ensure you get the most
benefit from the sessions.
Performance Session
(Tuesday)
• Please prepare an informal 2 minute talk
on any subject ( a science one would be good, but it
can be anything)
• Come to the session ready to present this
talk to a small group (4-5 other people)
• We will work on and improve these talks
during the session.
Evaluation
Evaluation
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Were my / my funders objectives met?
Has anything changed as result of this?
Could it have been better?
Were there any unintended outcomes?
Make the project better next time.
Evaluation
1)
2)
3)
• What feedback would you like to give
to the university regarding innovative
learning week?
• Have you encountered any problems
or difficulties with innovative
learning week?