BIG STEM Communicators Network Latest news

Josh Award 2026 open for applications

BIG STEM Communicators Network — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:45:52 GMT

The Josh Award for early career practitioners involved in STEAM communication is now open for applications for 2026/2027.

Read about what the Josh Award is, what the prize is and how to apply at https://big.uk.com/josh/.

DR MELANIE QUIN 1958 – 2025

BIG STEM Communicators Network — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 11:57:31 GMT

DR MELANIE QUIN 1958 – 2025

It is fair to say that without Melanie Quin, BIG would not exist. In the early days of British science centres in the late 1980s, Melanie was recruited by the Nuffield Foundation to run their Interactive Science and Technology Project, which had been set up to provide a support network for the new field. Melanie came to science centres after studying botany at Imperial College, culminating in a PhD on pollen distribution, which included a summer stint on Thames TV’s weather forecast as “pollen count girl”. A talented artist, she initially hoped to be a botanical illustrator, but having been advised there was no money in it, went into publishing, from where she was recruited by Nuffield. Once at Nuffield, she set to with characteristic energy and charm, connecting and advising the new centres and their staff, sending out frequent bulletins made up of an assortment of useful snippets from all kinds of sources, stapled together and mailed out hot off the press, which were an amazing resource for the new field. She also ran important early science centre networking events, including the first of the influential Fabricators Weeks for exhibit builders. It was at Nuffield that I first met Melanie, after joining Leicestershire Museums in mid-1988 to set up the hands-on galleries at Snibston Discovery Park. Having spoken to her on the phone, I was expecting a rather older person, so was surprised to be greeted by a tiny, vivacious woman with spiky hair and huge, lively eyes, about the same age as me. We hit it off immediately and were firm friends from then on.

Melanie’s ability to make friends, to network, and to command universal respect was formidable; she seemed to immediately know and be respected by everyone in the field, everywhere, not just in the UK. It was this, though, that led her to be tempted away in the early 90s to be the first director of the European science centre network ECSITE, based at Heureka in Finland. This left a huge vacuum in the UK, and as a result Bhagwant Singh at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry rounded up a group of us to create a networking organization to continue what Melanie had started, and this was BIG. It is a testament to Melanie that it required a whole organisation to do what she had been doing alone. Melanie’s amazing charm, organisation, and networking skills swiftly got ECSITE on its feet and it was soon a professional body second only in influence to the long-established ASTC in the US. Having achieved this, Melanie decided to have a go at science centre building herself and joined the team developing what eventually became NEMO in Amsterdam, although she continued to edit the ECSITE newsletter for many years – she was one of the best writers and editors I have ever worked with, and we collaborated on several projects.

Regrettably, NEMOs early stages were a fraught affair and Melanie did not thrive there, so returned to the UK to join the much happier ship at Techniquest, where she took over the MSc Science Communication programme with Glamorgan University from Brian Delf. This was a triumph, and Melanie swiftly established it as an influential course, unique in its emphasis on science centres and practical face-to face sci comms, as opposed to the media-centred nature of the more academic courses. Many graduates have gone on to distinguished careers in the field, with Melanie as a much-loved mentor. The MSc’s later closure left a gap that has still not been adequately filled. During this time, Melanie also reconnected with UK networking, serving on the BIG committee, mainly as its Chair, or “the BIG Sofa” as she liked to describe herself, during a period that truly established the organisation on the UK sci coms landscape

By 2001, with the arrival of giant Millennium Projects, the lack of a UK organisational network for science centres (BIG was always for individuals) became apparent. As a result, Wellcome and Gillian Thomas set up the semi-autonomous ECSITE-UK (later becoming fully independent as ASDC), and, with the call of networking too hard to resist, Melanie left Techniquest to be its director. This, too, was a Melanie success, and she presided over it until 2006, when she made what was to most of us a startling decision; choosing leave science communication to train as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language. “I just felt it was time for a change” she told me. Melanie’s influence on science centres and science communication in the UK and Europe was vast; the field would be significantly different and distinctly impoverished today had she not been there to guide and support its development, and many of us owe her an immense and lasting debt of gratitude.

As a language teacher, Melanie’s career took her first to Istanbul, and then to Lyon, where she married Andy, an old university friend who was designing the city’s new tramway. She continued to keep in touch with science communication developments via her many friends from the field with whom she remained in contact, and who continued to visit her, even when Andy’s tramway career took them further afield to Sydney, Australia. From there, I enjoyed receiving colourful reports of birdwatching trips and musical adventures, and we had been emailing about meeting up when she was next in the UK. In August 2024, though, Melanie received a diagnosis of terminal illness and was told to expect five to ten years. Sadly, this was not to be, and she slipped away peacefully while receiving palliative care in Sydney on 19^th August.

Melanie is survived by her husband, Andy, and her brother Thomas, Abbot of Mucknell Abbey in Worcestershire. A London memorial service will take place in the near future.

IAN SIMMONS

Ian Simmons is a semi-retired science communicator, a BIG founder, and a long serving former committee member. He worked for Science Projects, Techniquest, The Centre for Life, the Francis Crick Institute and the Royal Society, and as an independent consultant. He is now part time news editor for Fortean Times.

BIG Event 2024 - Thaddeus Papke (speaker and bursary recipient)

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:24:31 GMT

Earlier this year I moved to Cardiff from the US. The move was prompted by my partner's career, which meant that I arrived here without a job of my own. In the states I had been working in various capacities at science museums and planetariums and had come to see myself as someone deeply enmeshed in those overlapping areas of informal education, museum work, and science communication, but didn’t have any contacts to speak of in my new home. Fortunately, the founder of museumexpert.org, a group I volunteer with, put me in touch with Colin Johnson, the now retired former CEO of Techniquest. (My contacts had contacts at least!) Following a meeting over tea at the Millennium Center in Cardiff Bay, Colin very kindly helped provide me with a list of resources, including the website for the BIG STEM Communicators Network and introduced me to Wendy Sadler, another Cardiff resident and long-time participant with BIG. This was how I learned about the BIG Event and the serendipitous fact that this year the conference would be held in Cardiff!

Especially without needing to worry about travel costs, I decided that it would be worth the investment to register for the event so I could start building more connections of my own amongst the sci-comm community here in the UK. I quickly decided that one of the best ways to ensure I would be getting some opportunities to really meet and converse with others was to run a session. (That running a session also meant a discount to the admission cost may have also had some influence on the decision making process.) The process for submitting a proposal was extremely straightforward and months before the BIG Event even happened, it helped to propel me towards making more connections here. Ashley Kent, the event coordinator for BIG, helped Rowena Fletcher-Wood, a sci-comm freelancer who had proposed a similar session, get in touch with me and we decided to combine our ideas and also seek a third collaborator with local ties to where the event would be held. Rowena was able to make a connection with Thomas Woolley, a researcher and head of outreach for the maths department at Cardiff University, and the three of us were able to put together our different areas of expertise and put together what I think was an informative and entertaining session about running STEM-based mystery-themed events from varied perspectives.

Already having met, virtually or in-person, Wendy, Ashley, Rowena, and Thomas, I went into the BIG Event without that sense of dread one has when they don’t know anyone at a party. What I wasn’t expecting, was just how open, inviting, and *familiar* this party would be. I’ve been to conferences filled with sci-comm professionals before, in particular ASTC conferences, so I was expecting to encounter an assemblage of enthusiastic professionals from a wide range of positions within their careers who were excited to discuss everything from facilitation techniques to evaluation methods to how to make things literally explode in the most educational ways. And those expectations were met in spades at the BIG Event. In fact, I’d say that the level of enthusiasm and dedication I encountered surpassed my expectations. While most attendees at ASTC are there to represent their institutions and perhaps participate in a little professional development in relation to their specific roles within those institutions, a large percentage of the attendees at the BIG Event were freelance or ran the equivalent of a little mom-and-pop sci-comm shop. They weren’t just there to fulfill an obligation for their jobs, they were there because this was their vocation and their passion!

The other thing that surpassed my expectations was that sense of familiarity that I alluded to earlier. I have had countless friendly conversations at other conferences, but the BIG Event felt like the first time that I was truly being welcomed into a community. Every morning there was a group meeting filled with welcoming announcements and humorous moments, such as reprimands for individuals who had lost their name badges. I felt encouraged to speak up if I had questions or could provide tips for navigating around Cardiff. From the very beginning it was clear that there was a sense of easy comfort in the event that was underscored by a lack of formality in the interactions. To help foster that sense of community, there was scheduled time for a structured mingling event and many scheduled coffee breaks with both time and space provided for some unstructured mingling. Additionally, there were well-communicated plans for after hour meetups at pubs. And rather than small groups or cliques grabbing corner booths in the pub, a mass flock of conference attendees would take over the beer garden continually squeezing closer and closer together to make room for both old friends and complete strangers. Whether it was in a session, at a tea break, at the pub, or during the dinner party hosted by Techniquest, every single person I sat next to was welcoming and not just friendly, but curious and ready to share ideas and learn new ones. Just last week I was volunteering at We the Curious in Bristol and found myself sharing information about the effects of aging on the brain with the visitors there that I had learned during a casual dinner conversation with a neuroscientist at the BIG Event.

Over the course of the three days of the conference, I attended sessions about enhancing accessibility during shows and workshops, how to get involved with science festivals in the UK, how to reconsider the purpose and value of evaluations, ways to incorporate a diverse range of researchers and their work into science shows, and got an immersive look at what’s involved with running a mobile planetarium. All of it felt incredibly valuable and just the knowledge gained from the sessions would make the BIG Event worth attending, but it is feeling welcomed into this community and now knowing dozens more passionate sci-comm professionals, many of whom have already reached out over Linked-In or the BIG channel on Slack, that has made me feel confident in my assessment that attending the BIG Event was the best decision I’ve made since moving to the United Kingdom.

Nominations for the BIG Executive Committee

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:03:43 GMT

Every year, we elect new members of our Executive Committee, the wonderful group of volunteers who make BIG what it is! The Committee consists of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and two General Officers. This year, we will be opening nominations on Thursday 1st May and closing them on Monday 2nd June. We will then open for voting! The winning candidates will be announced at the BIG Event in July. You need to be a BIG member to stand, and to vote.

If you are interested in finding out about each role, and possibly putting yourself forward for one, please see here.

Beetlestone Award open until 1st May

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 08:05:28 GMT

Our annual Beetlestone Award recognises those who have created a significant impact in science communication. Applications and nominations are now open and close on 1st May. For full details about the award, and to apply to nominate someone, see here.

Family Fun Day at The Royal Institution. A BIG opportunity

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:29:49 GMT

This is your sign to apply for The Royal Institution's Family Fun Day.

BIG Event 2025 Delegates are being encouraged to contribute to the RI's Family Fun Day, a day when the RI opens it's doors to approximately 600 people - families with kids between the ages of 6 and 12 - to deliver activities and demonstrations all across the building.

So, if you're planning to come along to the BIG Event this July, why not get involved!

What is Family Fun Day?

Family Fun Day (FFD) is a day where we open up the Royal Institution to families with children aged 6-12 years old and consists of activity and demonstration stalls across the building for families to attend. The whole idea is to engage families with science in an interactive and fun way and encourage adults and children to discover and discuss STEM topics together. While some activities might relate to the school curriculum, a lot of them are outside core curriculum subjects to help expand the science capital of families attending.

There are also two 30 minute shows that happen in the theatre, which get repeated throughout the day.

We expect around 550 – 600 people through the doors throughout the day, with our theatre holding around 150 - 250 people per show.

Theme

July’s theme is all about science communication and engaging with the public. We’ve chosen this for two reasons. The Ri will be celebrating 200 years of our CHRISTMAS LECTURES, a televised science communication lecture that is aimed at 11-17 year olds.

This means you can choose whatever STEM topic you desire! It’s a broad theme and gives you the opportunity to choose a topic that you feel comfortable communicating.

Timings

This FFD will be on Saturday 19 July, 11am – 4pm.

Participants will be able to set up either on the morning of the event from 9am, or during the afternoon the day before.

Lunch is provided and dietary requirements noted nearer the time. We ask, if possible, if you can provide enough volunteers to help cover each other’s lunch. If not, we have a pool of volunteers and staff that can provide lunch cover.

Space available

You will automatically be given a 6 foot trestle table and about 2mx2m in space. If you require more space, or have a large activity, do let us know as we can dedicate more space to you. Items such as TV screens or flipcharts are available but limited so do let us know if you require these.

Anything that involves fire or water will be placed in a certain room due to heritage items and health and safety.

Expression of interest info

Activity and demonstration stalls can range from:

1 – A pure demonstration of a subject that our audience will watch and talk to the presenter about. This will usually mean families spend up to 5 minutes with you. Eg – showing off a new piece of medical equipment.

2 – An activity that involves the audience interacting with objects and either experimenting with them or trialling something. Usually takes 5-10 minutes time. Eg VR headset or investigating objects with an IR camera.

3 – A sit down arts and crafts activity that the audience can take away with them. This can take 5-15 minutes depending on how detailed the crafting is. Eg creating a satellite following origami instructions.

We will ask you to send us information about what you would like to do activity wise and the learning outcomes you’d like to achieve. We will be choosing a mixture of the three types of activities mentioned above and making sure that we have a good variety of demos, activities and arts and crafts. If you have a risk assessment already, please do send this along with your proposal.

If you have an idea, but you’re not sure how to implement it please still let us know! Our demo and lab teams are available to help some people turn their ideas into reality. This will be limited to only a few stalls due to staff capacity.

We’re also accepting applications for the 30 minute shows in the theatre. You will have the lab and demo team helping you as well as providing some consumables.

Timeline

Initial ideas will be received by Friday 28^th February.

The team will then work with groups and finalise the participants by the end of May.

Email Lisa Derry lderry@ri.ac.uk with your expression of interest.

BIG Event 2025 at The Royal Institution

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:25:49 GMT

BIG Event 2025

Royal Institution, London, UK
16-18th July 2025

Home of the Christmas Lectures, Faraday and Discourses, BIG is thrilled to be returning to The Royal Institution in 2025. It's a triple BIG year for the RI as 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of Discourses and the Christmas Lectures.

In addition to the 2.5 days of sessions on anything and everything to do with STEM Communication, we'll also be taking advantage of the amazing facilities and staff at the RI. Who's up for doing demos in the iconic Faraday Lecture Theatre?!?

What is the BIG Event?

The BIG Event is a three day get-together every summer to share skills and experiences, develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field. This is the place to hone your skills and recharge your professional batteries, pick up great ideas and show off your talents to peers.

It provides an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. It’s like power juice for STEM communicators.

The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

This will be a hybrid BIG Event. As many sessions as possible will be delivered as hybrid events, so if you can't get to London in-person, you can still join us online.

View previous year's programmes below:
Winchester in 2018: BIG_Programme_2018.pdf
Edinburgh in 2019: FINAL_BIG_Programme_2019.pdf
Belfast in 2022: BIG_Programme_2022_5.pdf
Birmingham in 2023: BIG_Programme_2023.pdf
Cardiff in 2024: BIG_Programme_2024_FINAL.pdf

Tips to save money

As amazing as the RI is, it also happens to be in a rather expensive part of London. But, BIG being the frugal organisation it is, has some tips on ways you can attend the BIG Event at the RI for less.

1. Propose a session to become a Speaker! The BIG Event programme is created by the attendees. And we know the people who get the most out of the Event are the ones who contribute the most. And being a Speaker is the CHEAPEST way to attend the Event.

2. Book the BIG Event Early! Booking opens 1st April 2025 and the Early Bird gets the discount, so plan ahead and book early.

3. Save this date in your diary - 23 April 2025. This is 12 weeks before the BIG Event and is about the time that Advance train fares are available. These are generally cheaper than waiting closer to the time to book your train travel. Have a look at this excellent article from Money Saving Expert on ways to save on your train travel: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets/ The article has lots of great tips, even if you are reading this after April 23, so still check it out. Your pocketbook will thank you.

4. Book accommodation early. Like train travel, the sooner you can book your accommodation, the cheaper it will be. BIG is working on sorting out some cheaper University Accommodation. As soon as we've got the details, we'll post them here. However, if University Accommodation doesn't float your boat - BIG would like to remind you that London has great bus and underground services. So don't hesitate to book a hotel/Airbnb that is further out of central London.

5. Get your employer to pay for your ticket. If your employer needs more convincing to pay for you to attend BIG...

6. Apply for the RI's Family Fun Day. BIG Event Delegates are being encouraged to contribute to the RI's FFD, a day when the RI opens it's doors to approximately 600 people - families with kids between 6 and 12 - to deliver activities and demonstrations all across the building. See this page for more details and deadlines.

7. Apply for a Bursary. The BIG Event Bursary will cover your ticket, BIG Membership, accommodation, travel and any other reasonable expenses.

Accommodation

We're in the process of reserving rooms in the student halls for those wanting cost-effective and extremely convenient accommodation at the BIG Event. These rooms will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Watch this space.

Bursaries

BIG bursaries provide financial assistance to enable members to attend one of our events.

BIG offers a handful of bursary places which will:

pay registration fees for the BIG Event
one year's BIG membership
give reasonable expenses to support your attendance at the BIG Event

For full details and to apply, see our Bursaries page

The Little Event 2025

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 20:07:32 GMT

Guess what's back, back again...

That's right, The ever-popular Little Event is returning in January, jam-packed with everything needed for people starting out in the world of Public Engagement. It's a Sci-Comm toolkit you never knew you needed.

Our online training sessions, curated and delivered by members of BIG (some of which started their BIG/SciComm journey at The Little Event!) is a great way to start the new year.

And if that wasn't enough good news, we're also offering bursary places again - so if you are within the first 5 years of your career, get that application in now!

Prices start at £50 for Members.

Book here: www.big.uk.com/event-5935416

Bursaries here: www.big.uk.com/event-5935429

5 things you should know before you attend your first BIG conference, by Amelia Doran

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:23:08 GMT

THE COUNTDOWN TO CARDIFF IS ON!

Book 1, 2 or all 3 days of the conference or join us online with our hybrid ticket option.

1. This is not a conference where your days are pre-determined

The first thing you might notice about BIG is that there are roughly a hundred different things happening at once (I’m pretty sure this is factually accurate…). With 4 or 5 different sessions happening in each slot, everything can seem a bit overwhelming when you walk in on day one. My advice would be to have a look at the programme before you get there, and see what you might be interested in for each slot. I don’t think there's a right or wrong way to choose, but it’s useful to remember that you won’t be able to attend everything! I also find that, if you do miss a session you were interested in, people that did attend it will always be happy to share what they learnt!

2. This is not a conference where your mind switches off for 3 days

I know a conference does feel like a nice way to get some days off work (or away from uni in my case), but I can tell you for a fact that you will not leave this conference well rested as if you’ve been on holiday! Everyone I spoke to on Friday was still incredibly smiley, but we all agreed that we were exhausted. Between all the sessions, plenty of coffee and biscuits, the conference meal and everything else happening across the three days, you’ll be kept very busy (so maybe make sure you have very little to do that weekend…)

3. This is not a conference where you’ll be on your own if you don’t know people

I know saying ‘Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone at the conference’ is far easier said than done, but I promise it is true. It was something I was really apprehensive about before I arrived on the Wednesday. The very first session of the conference was enough to quash these worries – the BIG mingle introduced me to a lot of people very quickly. (I am going to qualify this by saying this might not be for everyone, and if it isn’t there’s still plenty of time to meet people in a calmer way!) In the mingle, you have about a minute to introduce yourself, your work and why you’re at the conference, in a group of maybe 4 or 5, and do that 5 or 6 times to try and meet lots of people super quickly. This helped me to find some friends who I spent the rest of the conference with, but also find some people whose research was similar to mine, or whose careers I was really interested to learn more about! My advice, if meeting people is something you’re anxious about, is to work on your quick elevator pitch, so that you don’t panic when you introduce yourself throughout the weekend.

4. This is not a conference where everyone’s coming from the same background, or even the same careers

This is particularly advice for anyone like me, who’s going into the conference as an early career (or for me, yet to begin career) science communicator. You’ll find that there’s an incredible number of people who have come from around a million different backgrounds, doing all sorts of different careers, who all meet at BIG. I think that’s what makes the conference so incredible! But it also definitely can make things feel a bit overwhelming if you’re trying to work your way into the sector. It’s important to remember that while some people have been explainers, some people have done PhDs, some people did teacher training, there is no one path to making it into science communication. Learning what other people have done can give you inspiration for your next steps, but don’t let it make you feel like you haven’t done the right things!

5. This is not a conference where people take things too seriously

I think this is the best news for any new attendees of the conference – this is absolutely not a suit or heels kind of conference (unless that’s how you feel most confident, then I guess go for it!). For most of us though, jeans, shorts, sneakers –whatever floats your boat. But this relaxed atmosphere is also present in so many areas of the conference, from the card of shame for losing your name tag, to the incredibly supportive atmosphere at the Best Demo competition, this is perhaps the most friendly conference you’ll attend (I don’t think I went more than 15 minutes without bursting into laughter the whole conference long). That also means if you ever need a bit of a break, if you want to sit out a session or need to duck out for any reason, everyone is incredibly understanding and it’s not something you need to be worried about!

I hope these 5 tips give you a taste of what the conference might be like, but the headlines are it's an incredible conference where you’ll learn so much, and you’ll meet so many amazing people! The whole BIG team are there to help make you comfortable, so you’ll have a great time. Enjoy it!

Amelia Doran is the Communications and Public Engagement Coordinator for Planetary Health Informatics, a research lab at the University of Oxford. You can follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram @scicommelia or connect with her on LinkedIn

Look out for Amelia in Cardiff and if it's your first conference this year, or you're also new to your Scicomm career, she will be more than happy to chat!

Congratulations to Chenying Liu, Josh Award winner 2024.

Tue, 28 May 2024 06:34:40 GMT

Congratulations to Chenying Liu!

We are very pleased to announce that the winner of the Josh Award 2024 is Chenying Liu.

Chenying is a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University, working in engineering science.

She has worked on modern structures inspired by origami and uses inspiration from their exceptional mechanical properties to design robots and personal protective equipment.

Her Josh award activity -"Sustainable Origami: Art, Robotics, Construction, and Space Exploration” will get audiences creating origami crafts, robotic grippers, deployable shelters and solar panels, using recycled materials.

The judges were impressed by the combination of an accessible activity with contemporary science and engineering.

A huge well done to our deserving winner!

Clare Harvey, Chief Executive, The Ogden Trust:

“Early-career science communicators have such an important role to play in inspiring future generations as they share their enthusiasm, passion and expertise. The Josh Award provides a fabulous platform for nurturing this emerging talent, and we are excited to be one of the funders for 2024. Huge congratulations to this year’s winner, Chenying - we look forward to seeing their future work and feel sure they will continue to make a real difference to the sector.”

Chenying makes origami in the Special Structures Group in Jenkin Building, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. This later forms part of her video with Oxford Sparks - a platform to enhance the University's digital science engagement.

Watch the Oxford Sparks video - Origami inspiration, 3D printing and robots

A note from Chenying

My work and the Josh Award

Having practiced origami since childhood, I never dreamed that the paper folding art could be transformed into practical applications and benefit society in different domains.

After finishing my undergraduate studies in Beijing, China, I relocated to the UK to pursue a D.Phil (Doctor of Philosophy, known as Ph.D. elsewhere) in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. I was fortunate to have two supervisors with complementary expertise: one introduced me to the fascinating world of origami engineering and the other encouraged me to explore its potential in advanced robotics. I ended up with a few exciting projects using origami principles: a gripper that can precisely handle fragile objects, a millipede-like robot that can change its morphology to adapt to the environment, and numerous structures that can morph into given shapes. With origami, the design of those robots has been greatly simplified and it has been much easier and more cost-efficient to synchronise their movements.

Origami also goes beyond robotics and has found its way into other domains such as deployable solar panels and energy absorption materials, the latter of which forms part of my postdoctoral project. I am very keen to impart my passion for origami engineering to the general public via science communication. Having been involved in a series of University's public engagement initiatives and external science festivals, I was awarded an Award Lectureship from the British Science Association and will soon give a talk on my research at the 2024 British Science Festival (BSF)!

Then, how is this related to the Josh Award? It is indeed a tremendous opportunity (both funding and training-wise) for me to further develop my talk into a series of interactive workshops for a wider range of audiences at the BSF and other Science Discovery Centre's programmes. I really hope this project could make science more accessible to the harder-to-reach communities, thereby providing them with fun and informative hands-on experience in engineering.

You can follow Chenying on X @MorningChenying or connect on LinkedIn

Chenying and her peers at the 2022 International Women in Engineering Day, where they contributed to a series of outreach talks to A-level students who are self-identified as female or non-binary and interested in pursuing an engineering degree.

This photo was taken on 23rd June 2022 in Thom Building, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. Left to right: Nadja Yang, Maitha Al Shimmari, Chenying Liu, Misha Patel, Frances Gawne

What is the Josh Award?

The Josh Award is a national prize for early-career science communicators who are passionate about continuing to work in this field in the future, including students, volunteers, researchers or creatives.

The Award is inspired by and named in memory of Josh Phillips, who was the first Science Communication Officer at the Manchester Science and Industry Museum. He proposed and ran the first Manchester Science Festival.

Josh was a much loved, much respected and highly talented science communicator, whose outstanding career is commemorated with this Award. Josh was the Chair of BIG at the time of his death.

The Award is for Science and Showmanship, targeted to help stimulate and lead to a better future: fun with a purpose!

The Josh Award Trophy

What is the prize?

The Josh Award Winner will receive:

£500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival. This budget includes all the costs and expenses (i.e. resources, travel, accommodation) for the project, and will be controlled by the sponsoring location and by the Josh Award Committee
The possibility of presenting your project or event at this year's British Science Festival, in East London, and the possibility of presenting it at the 2025 Cheltenham Science Festival.
Non-financial support from the sponsoring venue to further develop your winning proposal, as necessary, to fit logistics and practicalities of working in their setting
Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BIG network
Attending the annual BIG Event (conference fee and annual membership provided by BIG, worth around £300) to network with and present to a diverse range of science communicators from across the sector
The 2024 BIG Event will take place on 24-26 July in Cardiff
Attending professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy
A personal prize cheque of £2,000 from the Josh Award Fund
The Josh Award trophy, to hold and to hand on to the next winner, at the 2026 BIG Event

Thus, the total prize fund can be up to £4,800 + invaluable support from sci-comm professionals.

The winner is expected to:

Develop and deliver their project or event for the sponsoring venue(s), and ensure that it meets the Award's selection criteria
Meet expected deadlines and make themselves available for major dates agreed in advance
Attend The BIG Event 2024, present an audience-engaging case study of their project, and write it up for inclusion in the BIG newsletter after the project has been delivered
Receive the Josh Award Trophy at the BIG Event from the previous winner.
Proactively participate in relevant personal and professional development opportunities
Receive the personal prize cheque from the Josh Award Fund and meet the Josh Award Chairman
Be part of the Selection Panel for Josh Award 2026
Hand over the Award to the next winner at the 2026 BIG Event

Congratulations to all of our applicants

This year saw a large number of very impressive candidates for the Josh Award. Activities ranged from apps, animations and art installations to workshops and shows from a passionate group of applicants with diverse backgrounds. We wish them all well in their science communication careers and will be sharing more about their ideas and proposals on the BIG website very soon.

Guilia Ponti, William Marler, Chloe Trotter, Emma Latta, Max Hughes,

Amelia Doran, Gareth Campbell, Lee Parkin, Abi Fafolu and Danbee Kim.

We would love to see you all as speakers at a future BIG Event!

Thank you to our panel

James Piercy, Former Chair of BIG and Judging Panel Chair

Kirsty Hayward, Chair, BIG

Shaaron Leverment, CEO ADSC

James Brown, Chair, UKSFN

Mat Allen, Programme Manager, Cheltenham Science Festival

Eva Ernstzen, 2022 Josh Award Winner

Thank you also to Timothy Phillips, Family Representative and Steering Committee Chairman.

Read all about The Josh Award here

This message was sent to you by BIG - Stem Communicators N

Booking now open for The BIG Event at Cardiff University, July 24th-26th

Tue, 21 May 2024 09:04:30 GMT

Booking is now open for The BIG Event 2024!

Join us for just a day or two, the full conference, or online for our hybrid sessions.

Taking place at Cardiff University from 24th - 26th July, come along to one of the best UK Scicomm events in the calendar.

You can view this year's fantastic programme here - it's shaping up to be one of the best thanks to so many of our members contributing such creative session ideas.

As well as our wonderfully curated programme, there are the usual favourites - ISTATOY, Best Demo Competition and the informal Thursday night dinner, which this year takes place at Techniquest.

All booking options and registration details can be found here

We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff!

Team BIG

From the BIG event to the RI: How informal conversations created collaboration.

Fri, 10 May 2024 13:03:35 GMT

From the BIG event to the RI: How informal conversations created collaboration.

Dan Plane (Royal institution), Robin Hayward (University of Leeds), Martin Khechara (University of Wolverhampton)

The Royal Institution (Ri) has been a place for scientists, science communicators, and the public to come together since 1799. Through our series’ of talks and events we aim to engage people of all ages. Famously our Christmas Lectures, which have been running since 1825, target a young audience, but we don’t restrict ourselves to that one time of year to work with children and families.

Three times a year we run a Family Fun Day (FFD). While our building is normally open to the public, and the museum can be explored, FFD adds to the offer by filling the building with things to see and do. Like a mini festival, there are make & takes, demonstrations, games and challenges, but of course, the centre piece of the building, our world-famous Lecture Theatre is filled with smiling faces as we present shows and talks suitable for the families. Our hope is that we will start some of the youngest visitors on their lifelong journey with science with these informative, exciting, and inspiring talks. Sometimes we present our own shows at FFD, but we like to mix it up and get interesting and varied people to inform, excite and inspire our families! This means we’re always on the look out for potential speakers and performers. And at BIG in 2023 I had the great fortune to meet all sorts of potential collaborators.

Dan Plane

Thoughts from Robin:

I am the communication and engagement officer for all things tree research at the University of Leeds. It’s an amazing role that I’ve enjoyed now for two years – since finishing my own PhD, back when all this was just enthusiastic procrastination. With only a couple of years chatting science professionally outside of academia, I’m a relative newbie in the world of scicomm and BIG has been an amazing opportunity, both to meet people and to learn things I would never have considered for myself.

I attended my first BIG Event in 2022 and, pretty much as soon as I got back to work, I told my manager that we should be making annual attendance a priority in our conference calendar. Returning to the BIG Event in 2023, I had a much better idea of what to expect when I arrived and was even co-running a session, compiling tips from across the breadth of scicomm. Following a first attempt in 2022, I was also determined to take part in the BIG Demo Competition, and this became the foundation of the show I ended up creating with the Ri.

My job didn’t really include science shows in 2023. I did a few tabletop interactive demos at science fairs and lots of PowerPoint presentations, but BIG was really the only time I got to stand on stage and do a demo for a crowd. It was a great excuse to try something out and play with ideas of bringing science to life. Something I hadn’t considered was that it might also be something that Dan would see from the audience and invite me to come and present at the Ri! I was thrilled to be invited and to receive expert advice and logistical support as we developed a show all about seed dispersal. One of the big barriers to presenting demos at work has always been the investment in getting it off the ground but the Ri was able to supply the kit and the expertise to make it run smoothly. Now that I’ve done it once though, I can do it again, and because we know it works, it’s worth the investment to buy our own kit and bring this science into schools for 2024. A massive thanks to the Ri and to BIG for making it all happen!

Thoughts from Martin:

I am an associate professor for engagement in STEM, manager and creative director of the STEM Response Team at the University of Wolverhampton, a scicommer for 12 years and a member of BIG since 2018.

When I saw that the BIG event was coming to Birmingham in 2023 we didn’t even have to think about it. Session proposals were in and accepted and the team was going on tour! Our first workshop session at the conference was about using theatre practice for STEM engagement. I was humbled and nervous when so many of the people I respect for using performance in their scicomm turned up to take part. This included the demo team from the Royal Institution (Ri). We obviously made an impression with our costumes, slime and explosions as Dan Plane (Head of Demonstrations for the Ri) came to chat to me later about working together on workshops for the BIG event 2024. Since then, a brilliant collaboration has grown. Only a week or so later we were invited as a team to feature at the October Surprising Science Family Fun Day at the Ri in London. Now to me, the Ri is like a cathedral of scicomm and to go there, stand in their Theatre and speak to an audience has been a lifelong ambition. The time I spent at and the people I met at the BIG event, made it all happen. Without being there and contributing I wouldn’t have been able to have one of the proudest moments in my career so far. I just can’t thank everyone enough who made it possible.

Thoughts from Dan:

I am Head of Public and Family Programmes at the Ri, which includes heading up the Demonstration Team here. While relatively new in this role, I have worked in scicomm since 2007, in science centres, outreach programmes, and as a freelancer. Part of my new role is to be on the lookout for interesting people to invite to the Ri and engage with our audiences.

I saw Robin’s demo in the Best Demo Competition and as well as loving the clear, simple, and accessible explanation of the demo itself, what I really enjoyed was Robin’s presentation of it, and their clear passion for the topic across the whole event. I still have my Tree Identification Pen! I invited Robin to talk about seed dispersal at FFD and we worked together to put some demonstrations together to make the most of our space, which included dropping 100 paper whirlybirds from our 10m ceiling, and the seemingly ever-present barrel of balls explosion. I hope they don’t mind me saying, but seeds is a pretty niche subject, but Robin’s aforementioned passion, paired with the surprising and visual demonstrations had the audience, young and old alike, buzzing about a topic many of them may not have given much thought to. Perfection!

Martin and Heather’s BIG session about theatre showed off their skills as engaging presenters and I could easily picture them in front of our family audience. The session also included a section about accidents, which inspired me to suggest a joint workshop at the next conference, hopefully more coming on that. For FFD we provided the STEM Response Team with a few materials, the odd bit of liquid nitrogen or hydrogen, all the normal stuff. They brought their experience, skill, and A-game to present a dynamic show with explosions, silliness, and a lot of laughs that got our audience pumped up for a day of science!

I was really flattered how excited both Robin and Martin were about presenting in our Theatre. I hope that they felt it was welcoming and open, as we strive to be just that for everyone.

I think this type of collaboration is win/win. The Ri gets great content and new speakers in our theatre, while outreach programmes based in Leeds and Wolverhampton get to expand their reach to a London audience. And on top of that, said audience get a great experience, so actually win/win/win!

Some final thoughts:

As scicommers we all work in our own world. We have our own thing going on, our own local group of scicomm friends we do things with and our own programmes of engagement to manage. We change people’s lives that’s what we do but sometimes to do something truly amazing we all need to work together. This gives us chance to cross boundaries between subject area and practice to work in a truly interdisciplinary way. To exist in what could be called a ‘third space’ where these kinds of collaborations happen is fundamentally empowering for all those involved. However, collaboration takes friendship and trust between those that take part. It is clear that the BIG Event and the relationships that have developed have created just that. From a few conversations over dinner, true and fruitful interventions are developing and more importantly three more scicommers know two more people they can trust and rely on. Thanks BIG Event team, we’ll see you in Cardiff!

Bursary Applications for The BIG Event are now welcomed (and encouraged!)

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:00:49 GMT

We are now delighted to be welcoming bursary applications for this year's BIG Event, which takes place at Cardiff University from 24th-26th July.

For full details and to apply, head over to our Bursaries page

BIG offers a handful of bursary places which will:

pay registration fees for the BIG Event
one year's BIG membership
give reasonable expenses to support your attendance at the BIG Event

Eligibility

Applicants must

be BIG members at time of application;
be within the first 5 years of their professional career in the STEM engagement sector in the UK;
not have attended the BIG Event before.

Applications will be scored 1-5 on the following attributes:

demonstrable commitment to professional development;
demonstrable commitment to the STEM engagement sector;
level of positive impact of attending conference on applicant's personal and professional development; and
relevance of work experience.

Other assessment considerations

Special consideration will be given to applicants from smaller organisations and to applicants who adopt a creative and thrifty approach to their travel and accommodation costs (for in-person events) as BIG is a not-for-profit organisation supported by its members.

What will you have to do in return?

Following attendance of the BIG Event, you will need to submit an article (approx. 400 words) for BIG’s e-newsletter about your conference attendance or a related topic which would be of use and interest to the BIG community. Expenses will be issued following receipt of this article. If writing an article isn't your thing, we are also happy to accept photos of the event; blog posts; vlogs of your experience; or other creative content you can produce. Let's discuss event@big.uk.com

We also hope you will be willing to give a hand at the conference where required; this gives you a great opportunity to create links with other delegates.

Early Bird Booking now open for The BIG Event 2024 in Cardiff

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:40:41 GMT

Book your place now for The BIG Event 2024, taking place at Cardiff University from 24th-26th July.

For full details, visit www.big.uk.com/BIG2024

Early bird booking is open from Monday 1st April until 20th May, so don't delay! This is the very best time to book if you are attending the full 3 day conference. Payment can be made by card or you can request an invoice.

Full price conference booking, individual day booking and hybrid booking all open on May 21st.

You can view the current draft programme here: http://bigevent.info/

The final programme will be announced very soon.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff!

Team BIG

The Beetlestone Award 2024 - nominations now open

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:18:16 GMT

THE BEETLESTONE AWARD

For leadership and legacy in Communicating Science

Apply now for the 2024 Beetlestone Award

Beetlestone Award

Professor John Beetlestone was one of the pioneers of ‘informal learning in science’ of the 20th century. Are you, or someone you know, a leader in this field?

Since first starting in 2018, this Award is to recognise a leader who has already made or is clearly creating a significant impact in communicating science

The Prize

UK-wide recognition amongst your peers in the ISL field.

The ingenious Beetlestone Award trophy, to keep.

A personal award of £500

Access to a bursary of up to £500 to facilitate dissemination (see below)

Your conference fee paid to this year's BIG Event, a 3-day conference to network with and present to a diverse range of STEM engagement professionals from across the sector.

If you decide to nominate someone, you only have to complete a very short online form here https://forms.office.com/e/FF5cy2mKhN. References are not required.

How to Apply

Applications can be accepted in person, or through nomination by a third party. In either case the nominee will be asked to complete a written application.

Nominations are limited to leaders working in the UK who are still in post; the Award is not offered to retirees.

Detailed guidance notes are available within the Application Process here Beetlestone Application & Guidance Notes

How to Nominate

If you decide to nominate someone, you only have to complete a very short online form here https://forms.office.com/e/FF5cy2mKhN References are not required.

The closing date for completed applications for this year’s Award is Friday 10th May, so don’t delay!

The Selection Panel will not enter into correspondence with applicants. Submitting an application constitutes an acceptance that the Panel’s decision is final.

Awardee Responsibilities, if a bursary is claimed

To present – through a creative contribution to a conference, workshop or online resource – a description of the work for which the Award has been made, explaining its relevance and application to the wider field of ISL.

To share this information with the field, duly recognising the Beetlestone Award, in a relevant publication – whether in print or online.

The above presentation to take place within 12 months of the announcement of the Award, and the publication to appear no later than a further 12 months thereafter.

Selection Panel

The Selection Panel will include the Awardee(s) from the previous year, representatives from the Organising Committee and BIG, and Leonardo Alfonsi from PsiQuadro, Perugia, Italy. It will be chaired this year by Harry White.

Organising Committee

Colin Johnson OBE - (Chair) Director, Techniquest, 1997-2004

Ian Hall -Treasurer

Wendy Sadler MBE, Director, science made simple

Debbie Syrop, Public Engagement Officer, School of Engineering, Cardiff University

Harry White, Science Centre Consultant, HW Consult

Previous winners of

The Beetlestone Award

Our previous Beetlestone Award winners, from L-R, Top to Bottom, Bridget Holligan, Fran Balkwill, Helen Featherstone, Ian Russell, Karen Davies, Lewis Hou, Stephen Pizzey.

Find out more about previous winners of the prestigious Beetlestone Award here.

Professor John Beetlestone

Professor John Beetlestone (1932-2017) was the founding director of the UK’s first purpose-built science discovery centre, Techniquest in Cardiff. The centre was his idea, and he led it through three phases of development until his retirement in 1997.

In partnership with BIG, a small group of John Beetlestone’s former colleagues set up this Award scheme in his name in 2018. This Award has been made possible through the generosity of the Beetlestone family and other private donors.

Applications for The Josh Award 2024 open on 24th February

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:53:13 GMT

Applications for the 2024 Josh Award open on 24th February

What is the Josh Award?

Josh was a much loved, much respected and highly talented science communicator, whose outstanding career is commemorated with this Award. Josh was the Chair of BIG at the time of his death.

The Award is for Science and Showmanship, targeted to help stimulate and lead to a better future: fun with a purpose!

The Josh Award

What is the prize?

The Josh Award Winner will receive:

£500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival. This budget includes all the costs and expenses (i.e. resources, travel, accommodation) for the project, and will be controlled by the sponsoring location and by the Josh Award Committee
Non-financial support from the sponsoring venue to further develop your winning proposal, as necessary, to fit logistics and practicalities of working in their setting
Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BiG network
Attending the annual BIG Event (conference fee and annual membership provided by BIG, worth around £300) to network with and present to a diverse range of science communicators from across the sector
The 2024 BIG Event will take place on 24-26 July in Cardiff
Attending professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy
A personal prize cheque of £2,000 from the Josh Award Fund
The Josh Award trophy, to hold and to hand on to the next winner, at the 2026 BiG Event

Thus, the total prize fund can be up to £4,800 + invaluable support from sci-comm professionals

Who is it for?

Practitioners in the early stages of their career, to enhance how they engage people with STEAM.

We welcome applicants who will bring a valuable difference to our sector, either through the audiences they work with or via their own leading edge creative practice, or both! So, you may be a:-

full-time, part-time or volunteer science communicator, with a passion to grow your practice
science communication practitioner through various aspects of your job, e.g. as an artistic, creative practitioner working with STEM, a Freelance Science Communication Professional, a Science Centre Presenter,or a researcher at a University who loves doing community focused science communication as well as academic research and teaching
representative, leader or participant in a local community group interested in using a STEAM topic to a greater extent, to engage their local neighbourhood more with science

We welcome applications from both individuals and groups, and accept initial nominations.

The Award is open to anyone involved in STEAM communication in the UK and is a UK resident.

What is the purpose of the Award?

To recognise and nurture emerging talent within contemporary STEAM communication and engagement, prioritising innovation and creative practice, so as to foster involvement in and a deeper understanding of science**, across many community sectors, including the harder to reach ones.

What are the objectives of the Award?

To strengthen and evolve the innovative and creative practice of STEAM communication
To support the development of an innovative project or event for Science Discovery Centres or at Science Festivals, or both.
To develop the winner’s professional network, via partnership opportunities and skills training
To enhance the winner’s experience and strengthen their sci-comm leadership vision through involvement in a large-scale Science Festival or with a Science Discovery Centre.

Some previous winners of The Josh Award. Top L-R Judith Beard, Frederike Gerstner, Ben Nicholson, Helen Featherstone Bottom L-R Jon Chase, Carole Keating

Read all about the previous winners at the link below

Josh Award winners

How do I apply?

You can apply at the link below or via www.big.uk.com/josh

We welcome applications from 24th February to 8th April 2024.

The winner is chosen by the Judging Panel, made up of: The Association for Science Discovery Centres, the UK Science Festivals Network, the BIG STEM Communicators Network, the Josh Award Foundation, and the previous Winner, by judging the applicant's potential and the potential of their proposed activity.

Good luck!

Apply here

The Josh Award is sponsored by the Association for Science Discovery Centres (ASDC), the UK Science Festivals Network, (UKSFN), and by the BIG STEM Communicators Network (BIG).

The Josh Award

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 07:15:33 GMT

The Josh Award returns for 2024 and applications are welcomed from February 24th.

We welcome applicants who will bring a valuable difference to our sector, either through the audiences they work with or via their own leading edge creative practice, or both!

The Josh Award Winner will receive:

£500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival.
Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BIG network
A place at the annual BIG Event in Cardiff
Professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy
A personal prize cheque of £2,000 from the Josh Award Fund
The Josh Award trophy

Visit www.big.uk.com/josh for full details and for how to apply

Jon Chase, winner of the Josh Award in 2017, being presented with the award by Carole Keating

Ben and Fred (Juggling Science), winners of the Josh Award in 2019, being presented with the award by Helen Featherstone

Josh Phillips, who the Award is named after

The BIG Event 2024

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:07:40 GMT

The BIG Event Cardiff 2024

24th - 26th July

To the Welsh capital we go! Yes, for real this time. We did attempt to visit Cardiff back in 2020. And then again in 2021... But this time we are determined to make it happen.

Cardiff is a city with a very long tradition of songs, rugby and a vibrant Sci-Comm community. Cardiff University (one of our venues) is right in the heart of the civic centre and has a beautiful parkland, an historic castle, a world-class museum and Victorian arcades all within a 5 min walk. Cardiff is compact (much like the BIG Event), culture-packed and ready for the most hotly anticipated conference on any STEM communicator’s calendar.

The University has modern lecture theatres, labs and various meeting spaces available to host the melting pot of creative ideas that make up the BIG Event. And if all the outstanding interaction becomes too much, you can always take a little walk down the corridor in Sherlock’s mind palace and play spot the Dr Who location. Plus, we guarantee the sun will be shining.*

*There just might be clouds in the way... Joking aside, Cardiff actually has more hours of sunshine a year than the UK national average.

P.S. We’ve even reserved ensuite rooms in the student halls for those wanting cost-effective and extremely convenient B&B accommodation. Details to follow soon.

What is the BIG Event?

The BIG Event is a three-day get-together every summer to share skills and experiences, develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field. This is the place to hone your skills and recharge your professional batteries, pick up great ideas and show off your talents to peers.

It provides an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. It’s like power juice for STEM communicators.

The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

This will be a hybrid BIG Event. As many sessions as possible will be delivered as hybrid events, so if you can't get to Cardiff in-person, you can still join us online.

General event registration (non-speakers)

Full conference (all 3 days including conference dinner) - £330 early bird rate* (£380 after 20^th May, 2024)

2-days only - £290 (conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)

1-day only - £150 (conference dinner not included but can be added to your basket for £80)

Hybrid - £70 (a link to all hybrid sessions will be sent to you nearer the time)

Speakers registration (Want to be a speaker? Why not propose a session then?)

Full conference (all 3 days and including the conference dinner) - £240 early bird rate* (£310 after 20^th May, 2024)

2-days event only - £170 (conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)

1-day event only - £40 (on the day of your session only; conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)

Travel and accommodation is not included in any of the conference rates, however, we are in the process of securing University en-suite accommodation very close to the BIG Event location. More information to come in the new year.

*Early Bird requires full payment on or before 20^th May, 2024. If full payment isn't received by 20^th May, your registration will be honoured at the Full Price until 3^rd June, 2024. After this point, if we still haven't received full payment, your registration will be cancelled.

Beetlestone Award 2023

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 21:26:58 GMT

Applications and nominations are now open for this year's Beetlestone Award.

For full details of the award, and how to apply or nominate, visit https://www.big.uk.com/Beetlestone

The Little Event and our next Skills Day are now open for booking

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 11:25:45 GMT

We have been very busy behind the scenes and can now announce that booking is open for both The Little Event and our next Skills Day, both taking place in January 2023.

Visit our Event Calendar page, found under 'BOOK AN EVENT' to learn more about the fantastic programmes and wonderful speakers that we have in store for you.

Additionally, applications are now open for our bursary places at The Little Event.

As always, we need our Members to help spread the word about our Events, so please share amongst your networks.

Free online training session, brought to you by BIG and The Public Engagement Trainers Network

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:38:37 GMT

The Public Engagement Trainers (PET) Network are having our second event on the 13th October 2022. It will be an online swap shop where a panel of professionals share some training tips and insights gained from their experiences of working in Public Engagement and Science Communication.

* What are the experiences of a University PE training manager?
* What are some of the current theories and best practices in training?
* How can we incorporate experiential learning opportunities?
* How can we involve different ‘publics’?
* What can be done to help public speakers be more engaging?

In swapping/sharing our diverse experiences, lessons and top tips, we aim to help grow and fortify the collective knowledge and skill base of the PE training community.

#training #share #network Come along to listen, learn and share amongst colleagues with varied but overlapping interests in PE training. This session is for science communication and PE trainers, whether in Universities or external, such as freelancers or training companies. It will also be valuable to University PEPs (PE practitioners), and anyone interested in finding new areas in which to target improvement of their Science Communication and PE practices.

Your Speakers are:

* Dee Davison, Public Engagement Manager, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh
* Sarah Sisson, Sphere Science Public Engagement training
* Jon Chase, Project Scientist, GlobalSCAPE project, Leiden University, Netherlands
* Dr Lorraine Coghill, Science Outreach & Engagement Specialist, Durham University & The Ogden Trust
* Martin Khechara, Associate Professor for Engagement in STEM, University of Wolverhampton

Date: 13th October 2022
Time: 13:00-15:30 UK Time
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free

Details and registration can be found here - https://lnkd.in/e9vuRVcz

The PET network is a member-led network, currently being supported by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagment (NCCPE) in collaboration with the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

Best Demo Competition is OPEN

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 13:25:44 GMT

Now is the time to throw your hat in the ring - enter this year’s Best Demo Competition while you're at the BIG Event.

The Best Demo Competition is put on by the members, for the members, and presents a lighthearted look at some of the demos you think are worth sharing. It invites you to demonstrate the maths, science, engineering and so on that really lights your fire and you just can’t help but show off to your peers. You have up to three minutes, a warm and welcoming audience and more eager volunteers than you could ever wish for.

Maybe you’ll be going home with the prestigious Best Demo Award to display on your desk, in your shed or sliding across the dashboard of your van.

There's no money to win; it's not an Oscar; and it's not a Nobel Prize. But within BIG we think it's worth having because it’s worth joining in.

The Competition takes place 5pm Thursday 14 July in the Lecture Theatre as part of the BIG Event at W5 in Belfast. Anyone attending* the BIG Event can join the running order. The competition is not scary, intimidating or harsh in any way – the main purpose is to enjoy what we do.

It’s very simple: demos presenting STEM subject matter must be no longer than 3 minutes**; you must bring all of the equipment you need; you must provide a risk assessment and you must sign up in advance.

HOW TO ENTER:

Please email Ashley Kent event@big.uk.com with

your name

short demo title

50-80 word description of the demo

a brief list of the equipment you intend to use

a completed risk assessment

This information is for the venue and event organisers only and will not be published. Your entry is not considered final until all of the above has been received and acknowledged via email.

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRIES: 11.59pm, TUESDAY 12 JULY

More detail about the BIG Event can be found on BIG’s website at BIG Event 2022

If you have any questions about the format, structure, or need a bit of support in putting your entry together, please contact:

Ashley Kent, BIG Event Organiser, event@big.uk.com

* Have you not signed up to come to the BIG Event yet? Don't worry, there is still time! See details here: BIG Event 2022

**Don’t drag it out - if it's a 30 second demo, take 30 seconds

Nominations now open for our Executive Committee 2022/23

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:22:45 GMT

BIG is a membership organisation run by and for its members. We have a committee in place to steer the future of BIG and to keep it relevant to the needs and requirements of you - our members.

The Executive Committee comprises of the following positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and two General Officers (without portfolio). All positions are open to nomination each year and we are now looking to appoint for 2022/23.

All nominees must be current BIG members. You can see our current committee members here.

We would like to invite nominations by FRIDAY 1st JULY 2022

To apply for a position, members are required to complete a nomination form.

You can nominate yourself for more than one role. In the event that a candidate is elected to more than one position, the candidate will be encouraged to accept the more senior position and withdraw from the other so that the person with the next highest vote can fill the then-vacant position.

You need a member of BIG to second you for your nomination. We can help you with this if required.

In July, voting opens up to the BIG membership with the results and appointment to each position being announced at the AGM, which will take place at The BIG Event on Thursday 14th July. You do not have to be present at the AGM to take up a position on the Executive Committee.

More details of the roles can be found here https://www.big.uk.com/volunteer

If you want to know more about any of the roles please email Helen Nightingale via admin@big.uk.com and she will put you in touch with the relevant person.

To nominate yourself please complete this form and email it to admin@big.uk.com

"I originally ran for the Exec Committee because I thought it would be a really great networking opportunity, and it was. But it was more than that. Not only did I get to see how a small, yet professional organisation ran from the inside, but I also got a lot of experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I was pretty new to science communication but was working at an experienced science centre. Being on BIG’s Executive Committee allowed me to spread my wings and stand on my own two feet – faster than I would have been able to otherwise.

Secretary was a great position, too. Taking the minutes means you are responsible for keeping the actions of meetings clear and concise. Meetings only happen a few times a year, so it’s never too much work at any time. It was a great experience for me and I really can’t recommend it enough."

- Ashley Kent, former BIG Secretary and current Event Manager

"Having been a BIG member for a long time and gained a lot from the networking opportunities I was keen to stand on the exec committee to give something back to the organisation. I acted as a General Officer, Vice-Chair and Chair and always enjoyed the experience.

Working with colleagues to produce a programme of events and hearing the insights of others was personally and professionally rewarding. Clients are impressed that I know and have worked with so many people and have a good understanding of the challenges and delights of working in science communication.

Commitment to the exec was never too onerous and I’d encourage others to get involved. Make BIG work even harder to do what you want it to do by being part of the team running it!"

- James Piercy, BIG Chair

The 2022 BIG Event Programme is now LIVE

Fri, 27 May 2022 10:45:55 GMT

As we prepare to return for our first in-person BIG Event since 2019, we are more than just a little excited to now reveal the full programme.

From Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th July, we will be presenting and hosting more than 30 sessions across a variety of topics and themes.

As ever, we are very proud to have contributions from many BIG Members, making this an invaluable, not-to-be-missed event!

You can view the full programme here:

https://big.uk.com/2022-Programme

April Sci Comm Social via Zoom

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 10:17:40 GMT

We're hosting this month's Sci Comm Social on 21st April. Sign up to receive the Zoom details here https://www.big.uk.com/Socials/
Besides our general socialising, we'll also be chatting about the Josh Award.
Anyone is welcome to join, so why not introduce someone new to join in this month. The more the merrier!

Cheltenham Science Festival , MakerShack

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 12:03:57 GMT

Volunteer in the MakerShack at Cheltenham Science Festival

Cheltenham Science Festival are looking for a whole host of volunteers to join the MakerShack 2022 team, from makers, designers, hobbyists to complete making novices.
If you have an activity you would like to run in the MakerShack, or even if you can only volunteer for a day, please show your interest by filling out this form. If you have any questions, please contact Olivia at oliviaalicedesign@gmail.com

The dates for this year's festival are Tuesday 7th to Sunday 12th June, 2022.

The MakerShack is open from 10am to 5pm, volunteers usually start 9:00am and finish at 6pm at the latest, usually you finish at 5:15pm. You might be running a making station, helping a maker or researcher run a making activity.

If you are based far from Cheltenham, fear not, accommodation will be available for all successful applicants, along with a tasty daily food allowance.

The Festival also needs some general festival volunteers too, which you can apply for here: https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/news/2022/02/cheltsciencefest-volunteers

As a volunteer you get brilliant backstage access to the festival, meet loads of great people, and gain experience in festivals/events.

Early Bird booking is now open

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 10:05:04 GMT

The BIG Event 2022 is the annual STEM Communicators’ conference, this year in-person and hosted by W5, Belfast, Northern Ireland from Wed 13 - Fri 15 July 2022.

Early Bird booking is now open: https://www.big.uk.com/BigEvent22

The in-person BIG Event is back!

It provides an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. It’s like power juice for STEM communicators. You can read all the detail about the conference and book you space here https://www.big.uk.com/BigEvent22

Don’t forget – the Early Bird rate is cheaper, but it doesn’t last forever, so book your place now and save some money! BIG’s also arranged discounts on some Belfast hotels, see the offers here: https://www.big.uk.com/Event_hotels

Any questions, just ask Ashley on event@big.uk.com

INCREDIBLE SPECIAL OFFER Public Engagement Skills Retreat with Malcolm Love

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:26:08 GMT

Malcolm Love would like to offer BIG Members the special price of £500 for his mid-week training retreat, which includes food and accommodation alongside this very beneficial course.

Simply select the BIG Discount button at checkout.

Public engagement skills training retreat by the sea 23rd - 24th march 2022

Who will benefit from this course?

The course is very suitable for engineers, researchers, academics, explainers and others who need to engage more effectively with the public - whether in front of a live audience or via the media.

How is the course designed?

The 2-day workshop retreat is deliberately limited to 12 delegates. This allows for an interactive style of training, more intensive feedback on exercises, and more focus on individual concerns. The course will run from 11am to 6pm on the 23rd and 9am to 3.30 pm on the 24th.

At the completion of this course you will have:

Learned how to connect with your audience
Enhanced your ‘body language’ - movement, gestures and voice
Revolutionised your content via the power of story-telling
Gathered many top tips from top-communicators
Discovered effective ways to create and prepare both your material and yourself
Learned how to give a great interview to the media
Built your confidence and learned how to cope with ‘performance anxieties’

Who is Malcolm Love?

Formerly a senior producer (programme maker) at the BBC, Malcolm is a visiting lecturer in Public Engagement at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol. He is an independent media producer, radio presenter, and public communication skills coach. He has more than 25 years experience in delivering skill building workshops and masterclasses around the world in over 40 countries. His clients include NASA, CERN, ESA, British Academy, FENS (Representing European Neuroscience) and numerous universities and institutions. Malcolm specialises in public engagement skills and also coaches people in business, politics and the charity sector. He was part of the team that created Famelab International and was responsible for developing the 'Famelab masterclass’.

Malcolm lives in the North of England with his partner Becky and together they manage their company Solid Gold Hat Ltd.

You can read about Malcolm's key areas of training here.

You can read his testimonials here.

What are the costs?

The total cost for the course is £800 pp.

This includes accommodation (single room occupancy), dinner on 23rd, breakfast on 24th, lunch both days, refreshments during training sessions.

The number of places on this course are limited to ensure personal feedback. Your booking confirmation and full details of the course content and directions will be forwarded to you by email.

Do contact us at solidgoldhat@gmail.com to find out more, reserve a place or for any queries. You can also visit the website malcolmlove.org for information and booking.

New Scientist Live - Call for Speakers

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 13:43:08 GMT

New Scientist Live London is making a return to the stage in October 2022. We have been putting the same passion and energy as before into creating a new show format. It will return as a hybrid event, combining the best of our live and virtual experiences and allowing us to connect with a global audience. The first day will be exclusively for schools and home learners providing an excellent opportunity to inspire the next generation. New Scientist Live will take place from 7-9^th October 2022 at ExCeL London.

New Scientist are delighted to welcome Martin Davies as Head of Event Production. You may know him already from his previous role at the Royal Institution. He will be curating our content programme not just at New Scientist Live but across all our events. We are on the lookout for inspiring speakers and performers, engaging experiences, exhibits and activities. If that’s you (or someone you know), we’d love to hear from you. We particularly welcome applications from early-careers and underrepresented scientists and communicators. If you think you have what it takes to appear at the greatest show on earth, please complete this form by 23.59 on Sunday 23^rd January 2022. If you are interested in exhibiting, please contact me jacqui.mccarron@newscientist.com.

Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:17:51 GMT

Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment

The ECG Distinguished Guest Lecture (DGL) and Symposium is our annual flagship event, and focusses on a specific contemporary environmental chemistry topic. Previous DGLs have included anti-microbial resistance, fuel emissions and nanomaterials. The Distinguished Guest Lecturer is a scientist who is recognised to have made a significant contribution to the field, and is awarded a medal.

Where: The Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

When: Thursday 10th March 2022

Registration: https://events.rsc.org/rsc/frontend/reg/tSelectBookingMode.csp?pageID=831721&_ga=2.33812582.655127171.1640284725-1022990306.1616499539&eventID=2400&tempPersonID=976520

ASDC National Conference 24th & 25th November: Sustainable Futures

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:22:13 GMT

We are really excited to share with you the Programme for our forthcoming ASDC National Conference for science engagement professionals across the UK, taking place online over 24^th & 25^th November. The theme is Sustainable Futures focusing on three areas of:

Resilience
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access
Environmental Sustainability

We have brought together a fantastic collection of thought-provoking speakers, inspiring keynotes with specialist meetings and discussions to participate in. Come and enjoy time online together to learn about new approaches and ideas from our sector and beyond. Tickets for non-members are only £50 (plus VAT). Join us to share inspiring ideas and practice as we connect with each other for an innovative, inclusive and sustainable future.

You can find the programme here: Conference Programme - The Association for Science and Discovery Centres (sciencecentres.org.uk)

You can book tickets here: ASDC Conference 2021: Sustainable Futures - Nov 24 | Hopin

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursary

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 10:19:40 GMT

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Add to my calendar

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursarY

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursaries

£200 available

Applications are now open and close at 11:59pm on 31 October, 2021.

Thanks to funding from the British Science Association’s Inclusive Science Engagement Network, BIG is offering ten micro bursaries of £200 each to start or enhance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practice for our members.

You can suggest anything you want that will help you with your EDI practice. This could be about how you do things as an organisation (eg to change recruitment practices) or be visitor/audience/participant facing work (eg to pilot using Makaton). So the bursaries can cover anything you want to help with this. For example, you may want to use it to visit another site; buy a suite of books for an anti-racist book club for your colleagues; pay for a training course...

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING APPLICATIONS

Applicants must be BIG members
Applications will be assessed on the following attributes:

Demonstrable commitment to EDI work
Feasibility of proposed work (remember that it’s only £200)
Clear demonstration of how the bursary will lead to longer term change

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE TO DO IN RETURN?

Following your work you will contribute to a BIG Skills Day to share your learning with other BIG members - this will be held online, likely to be in May 2022. We will collate the learning from the 10 projects and create a short guide for other members.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

BIG will assess each anonymised application and attempt to award bursaries to cover a variety of different ideas and organisations. You will be notified either way in the w/c 22 November 2021. We will then ask you for bank details for transferring the bursary to your organisation.

To apply for a Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursary, please complete this form by clicking on 'register' to the left of this text.

If it's easier for you to prepare your responses before completing the form, you can download it as a Word document to prepare and then cut-and-paste your responses.

Deadline:Sunday 31 October,11.59 pm- sorry, late applications will not be considered.

Any questions? Contact Ashley Kent the BIG Event Coordinator.

IMA Maths Communication Resources Grant Scheme

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 15:27:53 GMT

Overview

Maths communicators are invited to apply for small grants to produce resource packs for maths communication activities. These will contain materials and instructions which will be published and promoted by the IMA for anyone to use in delivering maths communication activities.

Each grant will provide £400 to cover the development of a single activity pack, and three grants are available in this iteration of the scheme.

Details

The packs of materials will target a small-scale activity (e.g. an event at a local public library, a university outreach event or an after-school enrichment session) which is either:

* an interactive workshop;

* a drop-in stall with interactive activities.

While the pack should be designed with a particular audience in mind, materials should be adaptable to multiple audiences, including extensions and adaptations for different age/attainment groups.

Materials produced should include:

* information about the audience the activity is primarily aimed at, including how to adapt the material for different audiences;

* notes for the activity leader(s) about how to run the activity, including rough timings if this is for a workshop;

* slides (for workshop) with IMA branding (details will be supplied);

* printable handouts with IMA branding;

* further reading notes that go beyond the content, including links to other relevant resources;

* list of required equipment.

Content should feature:

* 'real world' applications of mathematics (making use of Mathematics Matters materials or materials from the Maths Careers website if possible);

* examples of mathematicians from diverse backgrounds (making use of materials from the Maths Careers website if possible).

Communicators producing materials would be able to use the activity in their own maths communication work in future, but the IMA would retain the right to distribute and/or modify the materials in future if necessary for their own publication.

Applicants for the grant can be individuals or organisations, but the IMA must be the sole funder of the development work for the materials. Recipients are responsible for ensuring that materials do not include any copyrighted images or material and that any free-to-use licensed materials used are credited correctly.

Process

Applicants should prepare a proposal with a list of suggested themes for resource packs - this should include a title and brief outline of an activity, along with the intended audience and a summary of topics covered. This should be limited to 300 words per suggested resource pack, and you are encouraged to submit multiple topics in case of overlap with other submissions. You should also include a brief biography outlining your experience in maths communication.

The funding panel will then select which applicants and topics will be funded, and contact successful applicants. Recipients will be selected to ensure a range of subjects and activity types.

The materials can then be developed and submitted, and applicants will receive feedback from Peter Rowlett, Katie Steckles and other members of the IMA Communications Committee. Feedback will include suggested improvements to the content and delivery/format, and ensure consistency across the different projects. Applicants will then have time to act on the feedback and develop their final versions of the materials.

Completed materials will be shared as free resources on the IMA’s website, with credit to the maths communicator who developed them.

Timeline

Deadline for applications: 17th September

Successful applicants notified: w/c 4th October

First submission of materials for feedback: by 15th November

Feedback to applicants: 29th November

Second submission of materials: by 17th December

Materials online: early 2022

How to apply

Please complete the online application form: https://my.ima.org.uk/services.php?section=grants&grantid=31 You must log in to apply for the grant, but anyone can create a free account just requiring an email address.

Large-scale drug analysis reveals potential new COVID-19 antivirals

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 11:09:02 GMT

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University of Dundee have screened thousands of drug and chemical molecules and identified a range of potential antivirals that could be developed into new treatments for COVID-19 or in preparation for future coronavirus outbreaks.

While COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, there are still few drug options that can be used to treat patients with the virus, to reduce symptoms and speed up recovery time. These treatments are especially important for groups where the vaccines are less effective, such as some patients with blood cancers.

In a series of seven papers, published today (2 July) in the Biochemical Journal, the scientists identified 15 molecules which inhibit the growth of SARS-CoV-2 by blocking different enzymes involved in its replication.

The researchers developed and ran tests for around 5,000 molecules provided by the Crick’s High Throughput Screening team to see if any of these effectively blocked the functioning of any of seven SARS-CoV-2 enzymes. The tests were based on fluorescent changes with a special imaging tool detecting if enzymes had been affected.

They then validated and tested the potential inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 in the lab, to determine if they effectively slowed viral growth. The team found at least one inhibitor for all seven enzymes.

Three of the molecules identified are existing drugs, used to treat other diseases. Lomeguatrib is used in melanoma and has few side-effects, suramin is a treatment for African sleeping sickness and river blindness and trifluperidol is used in cases of mania and schizophrenia. As there is existing safety data on these drugs, it may be possible to more quickly develop these into SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.

John Diffley, lead author of the papers and associate research director and head of the Chromosome Replication Laboratory at the Crick, said: “We’ve developed a chemical toolbox of information about potential new COVID-19 drugs. We hope this attracts attention from scientists with the drug development and clinical expertise needed to test these further, and ultimately see if any could become safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 patients.”

The 15 molecules were also tested in combination with remdesivir, an antiviral being used to treat patients with COVID-19. Four of these, all which target the SARS-CoV-2 enzyme Nsp14 mRNA Cap methyltransferase, were found to improve the effectiveness of this antiviral in lab tests.

The scientists now plan to run tests to see if any pairing of the 15 molecules they identified decrease the virus’ growth more than if they are used alone. Targeting enzymes involved in virus replication could also help prepare for future viral pandemics.

“Proteins on the outside of viruses evolve rapidly but within different classes of viruses are well conserved proteins that change very little with time,” adds John.

“If we can develop drugs that inhibit these proteins, in the situation of a future pandemic, they could provide a valuable first line of defence, before vaccines become available.”

Build a startup that transforms the food system.

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:50:26 GMT

» Scientists and technologists with skill and experience that is applicable to food systems (cell agriculture, tissue engineering, synthetic biology, fermentation, biochemistry, food science, food engineering, agricultural engineering, plant biology, chemical engineering, bioreactor engineering, processing plant design, operations research/industrial engineering, data science, AI/ML, etc)

» Entrepreneurs with experience in business, commercialisation, logistics, supply chain and/or operations.

We're accepting applications on an ongoing basis. However, if you want to be part of our first cohort starting Autumn 2021, apply by July 15th, 2021.

For application details and a video about this opportunity by our CEO, visit us at https://www.counterfactual.co

Location: Remote / London

Arts Based Approaches to Public Engagement

Wed, 12 May 2021 10:56:58 GMT

THIS Institute has published a new guide that explores how arts-based approaches can be effectively used to help engage people with research. THIS Institute led public engagement activities to pilot arts-based approaches to engaging NHS staff, patients and carers with our research.

The guide for community groups, artists and researchers highlights case studies and practical tips for increasing the success of an arts-based research engagement project, including how you run an activity matters, good relationships and collaboration built on trust are essential, understand and use the skills and experience of everyone involved in the project and make sure you plan ahead in order to have the impact you’re looking for.

Find out more: https://www.thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research-articles/arts-based-engagement/

Biochemical Society announces its 2022 award recipients

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 09:57:55 GMT

The work and contribution of eleven eminent bioscientists and exceptional early career researchers has been acknowledged in the annual Biochemical Society Awards. Each recipient has been recognised for excellence in their field of the biosciences, ranging from bioenergetics and 3D whole organ microscopy to prokaryotic cells and cancer research.

Professor Colin Bingle, Professor of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, and Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Awards Committee, says: “We are living in extraordinary times and the COVID-19 pandemic has helped to shine a light on the value of high-quality research and collaboration in the life sciences. Amongst this year’s nominees, there were some excellent, outstanding scientists which made the judging process very difficult. Every year, I am impressed by the contribution of these innovators and it is inspiring to see our winners are all on an upward trajectory in their chosen field. My heartfelt congratulations to our 2022 winners!”

Dr Maria Marti Solano, one of our Early Career Research award recipients, adds: “I am delighted to receive this award. I would like to thank my nominators, especially Dr M. Madan Babu, who is not only a really inspiring scientist but also an excellent mentor. Due to its multi-disciplinary nature, my research would not have been possible without the outstanding experimental and computational collaborators I’ve been lucky to work with in the past years, so I’d like to take this chance to thank them all for their continued support.”

The full list of recipients of the Biochemical Society’s 2022 Awards are:

The AstraZeneca Award

Dr Sjors Scheres, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

The Centenary Award

Professor Jeremy Thorner, University of California Berkeley

The Colworth Medal

Dr Tanmay Bharat, University of Oxford

Early Career Research Award

Dr Hendrik Messal, The Netherlands Cancer Institute

Early Career Research Award

Dr Maria Marti Solano, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

The GlaxoSmithKline Award

Dr Ivan Ahel, University of Oxford

Industry and Academic Collaboration Award

Professor Matthias Trost, Newcastle University

International Award

Dr James Murphy, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

The Keilin Memorial Lecture Award

Professor Leonid Sazanov, Institute of Science and Technology Austria

The Morton Lecture Award

Professor Valerie O’Donnell, Cardiff University

Teaching Excellence Award

Dr Dave Lewis, University of Leeds

Each year the Biochemical Society presents a series of prestigious awards that recognize excellence and achievement in both specific and general fields of science. Six of these awards are presented annually and the remaining are awarded either biennially or triennially. Candidates are nominated by their peers and the winners are agreed by a judging panel of respected scientists, from across a range of different scientific backgrounds.

These winners will receive their prize and deliver an award or medal lecture in 2022. All of the awards and medal lectureships carry prize money and, as part of the prize, winners will also be invited to submit an article to one of the Society’s publications.

Nominations for the Biochemical Society’s 2023 Awards open in August 2021 and can be made by and for members and non-members alike.

WE THE CURIOUS AWARDED PROJECT INSPIRE GRANT TO CREATE CLIMATE CRISIS THEMED RESEARCH RESIDENCES FOR EMERGING YOUNG CREATIVES IN THE CITY

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 14:03:20 GMT

Educational charity, We The Curious, has received a £15,000 grant from the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC), as part of Project Inspire: Digital Engagement and Innovation Programme. This project is in collaboration with the Inspiring Science Fund, a partnership between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome.

The grant will go towards creating three paid research residencies for emerging young creatives from a diverse range of backgrounds, and a shorter design programme for thirty local young people to co-create emotionally engaging, relevant online content with We The Curious, based on the theme of climate action.

Their projects will be completed ahead of November; the results of their work will coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26 which is due to be held in Glasgow in November), and will be shared with We The Curious audiences online, in the venue and on the Big Screen. It will make up part of a COP26-inspired programme of activities and events, all themed around ‘A Better World Is Possible’ - exploring major climate themes and how people can work together to co-create solutions for the future.

In 2019, We The Curious became the first science centre in the world to declare a climate emergency, with a pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030. As well as reducing energy as a venue, We The Curious has a role to increase public understanding of science and explore issues that affect people’s lives.

Building on the existing programmes and strategic community partnerships that We The Curious already hold, Project Inspire aims to bring together current STEM research together with young creatives to create inspiring, relevant content about climate action, a topic which many young people are passionate about, according to research conducted by the United Nations*.

The residents will be supported by producers from We The Curious, STEM professionals, young activists, industry specialists and community partners to co-design online content. They’ll also collaborate with thirty young people to identify climate-crisis themes in a series of rapid prototyping workshops, and will use some of the 10,000 curious questions gathered from the city of Bristol by We The Curious over the past 3 years, as inspiration for the workshops.

It is hoped that through this programme, the residents involved will be able to make connections with current scientific research, universities, industry and people in the city to develop their networks and practice. Their work will also be disseminated amongst the national and international science centre sector.

Nicole Briggs, Head of Audience for We The Curious said:

“We’re really excited to see what can be produced by bringing current STEM research and community partners together with a group of young creatives to explore a subject which, young people have told the world time and time again they are passionate about.
Our research with young people has shown us that meeting and working with different professionals can be a transformational experience, so we’re delighted that we can support emerging talent within the city in this way.

This has been a challenging year for us as a charity, it’s fantastic that with the support of ASDC and Wellcome Trust we are able to deliver this project and support young people entering a difficult creative jobs market. By working with the residencies, we are hoping to discover new ways to explore people’s curiosity, foster connections and engage with everyday science, to create positive social change.”

Collaboration and diverse participation is one of the key pledges of the guiding Manifesto for We The Curious, which has been in place since 2017; it seeks to play a part in wider positive social change, by embedding new ways of working and integrating a multi-disciplinary approach, and reflecting issues which audiences are passionate about.

We The Curious is currently closed due to the pandemic, but hopes to open in May once restrictions lift – it will reopen with the launch of a brand new experience, Project What If. The Project Inspire residences will start in late spring.

About Project Inspire

Projects from eight UK Science and Discovery Centres have been selected to receive grants of £15,000 to develop new and creative digital ways to engage and involve under-served and under-represented communities and audiences with STEM.

The selected Science Centres were chosen from a host of applicants from across the UK to join this one-year national Digital Innovation and Engagement Programme, which includes Science Centres being given training and support through a series of masterclasses and ideation sessions, bringing in the latest knowledge and expertise, as well as the funding of £15,000 to develop and deliver their individually co-created digital innovation projects with their communities.

The eight selected Science Centres are:

Glasgow Science Centre
Dundee Science Centre
Kielder Observatory on the English – Scottish Border
Techniquest in Cardiff
The National Space Centre in Leicester
Science Oxford
We the Curious in Bristol
Winchester Science Centre

Proposals from these eight Science Centres were selected for the Digital Engagement and Innovation Programme because their projects demonstrated plans and ambition for inspirational digital practice that would change the way they involve under-served and under-represented communities and audiences with STEM.

Project Inspire is a one-year national Digital Engagement and Leadership Programme for UK Science Centres, led by ASDC. The project has been developed by ASDC following consultation with the sector and has two strands which together will support selected Science Centres to adapt and grow during this time of change, and help them to innovate with their communities.

The two Project Inspire strands are:

The Digital Engagement and Innovation Programme for Science and Discovery Centres to develop new and creative digital ways to engage and involve under-served communities and audiences with STEM.
The ASDC Leadership Programme to nurture and support emerging Science Centre talent to become the inclusive and dynamic leaders of the future. Details will be launched in Spring 2021.

Project Inspire is a collaboration with the Inspiring Science Fund, a partnership between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome.

The Innes Lecture

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 15:31:16 GMT

This year’s Innes Lecture will be given, online, by Professor Nick Hopwood at 19.30 on 22 April

The lecture explores the links between two challenges: producing images of hidden objects and controlling human reproduction.

It shows how gynaecologists, anatomists and artists collected material from miscarrying women, and later from operations, to construct developmental series that ever wider audiences saw in books, exhibitions, magazines and films. It highlights the crucial shift, with in vitro fertilisation and ultrasound, to viewing living embryos and fetuses that could develop into babies.

Nick Hopwood is Professor of History of Science and Medicine in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.jic.ac.uk/event/innes-lecture-2021-visible-embryos-a-history-of-human-development/

MSc in Science Communication at UWE Bristol

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:11:05 GMT

Applications are now open to study for an MSc in Science Communication at UWE Bristol’s renowned Science Communication Unit. The course starts in October 2021.

The programme has been running for well over a decade and has developed an international reputation with employers for the practical skills in science communication that its students develop - practical skills that are underpinned with theoretical knowledge. The Unit pools its expertise, resources and contacts to deliver a programme that offers excellent professional development opportunities for those already working as science communicators or those aiming to move into the field.

Our MSc in Science Communication programme was given a 100% satisfaction rating by its students in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) in the 19/20 academic year. In this survey, our students said they value the practice-focused approach of the programme that provides an opportunity to learn new skills.

The course is taught on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus in Bristol and we have access to excellent facilities such as radio studios and TV editing suites.

We provide opportunities to combine study with placements and projects hosted by organisations in the field in Bristol and elsewhere. Full-Time Home Award Fees are £7250. Student loans are available for those studying the MSc full time and part time. The course is timetabled to allow our students to fit their studies around work commitments and a 25% fee discount is available to UWE Bristol alumni to study with us.

An online open event is taking place at 7pm (GMT) on Thursday, 13 May 2021 and you can register your interest for the session here: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/open-days/postgraduate-open-events. Alternatively, contact Programme Leader Andy Ridgway directly at Andy.Ridgway@uwe.ac.uk for further information.

You will find more information about the MSc in Science Communication here: https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/P90012/science-communication

Science Communication Unit

University of the West of England

Bristol, UK

e: science.communication@uwe.ac.uk

w: www1.uwe.ac.uk/research/sciencecommunicationunit.aspx

Spanish National Research Council and Portland Press sign Read & Publish deal enabling unlimited open access in the Biochemical Society’s journals

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:16:02 GMT

The Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), also known as the Spanish National Research Council, signs up to the Biochemical Society and Portland Press’ pilot Read & Publish transformative deal. Corresponding authors at CSIC institutions will receive unlimited open access (OA) publishing across the entire journal portfolio.

The CSIC has 120 research institutes across Spain, joining 130 other organisations already participating in this Read & Publish scheme. This pilot transitional agreement will help CSIC´s researchers working in biology and the life sciences to gain more impact and visibility for their articles. Portland Press is the Biochemical Society’s publisher, and its pilot Read & Publish scheme, offering unlimited OA publishing, first went live in 2020 as a means of transforming more of its published research and review articles to OA. This Read & Publish agreement guarantees all corresponding authors OA publishing by default at no additional author-facing charges.

Professor Richard Reece, Chair of Portland Press Board, Trustee of the Biochemical Society and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Kent, says: “We are delighted to work with CSIC on signing up to our growing Read & Publish offerings. The CSIC is determined to contribute to making academic publications more accessible, which aligns with our own mission, transforming to open scholarship. We look forward to publishing OA research from CSIC authors on diverse topics in molecular biology and the life sciences.”

Agnès Ponsati, CSIC‐Director at the Unit of Information Resources for Research, says: “Our institution's commitment to open science contemplates the progressive transformation of the traditional subscription deals with scientific publishers, towards agreements that promote immediate open access. We are happy to have achieved this agreement with Portland Press. We have worked with other big publishers, but we want to offer equal support to others of unquestionable scientific relevance, as it is the case with the Biochemical Society. We are eager to contribute with them in their various ways of transitioning toward open access.”

Portland Press publishes seven journals covering different areas within molecular biology and the life sciences; two are fully open access (OA) titles and there are five hybrid journals where content is usually published behind a paywall, with authors either choosing to pay an article publishing charge to have their work published OA or benefitting from default, charge-free OA publishing where their institution has signed up to a Read & Publish pilot.

To support and accelerate a transition to OA, these pilot Read & Publish offerings provide an alternative to regular subscriptions. The Biochemical Society and Portland Press are committed to a sustainable transition to a more open scholarly publishing landscape and our Read & Publish initiative builds on the principles set out in our Open Scholarship position statement.

Visit portlandpress.com/OpenScholarship for more information.

Max Planck Digital Library and Portland Press sign Read & Publish deal enabling unlimited open access in the Biochemical Society’s journals

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 14:46:30 GMT

Max Planck Digital Library and Portland Press sign Read & Publish deal enabling unlimited open access in the Biochemical Society’s journals

The Max Planck Society is the latest organization to sign-up to the Biochemical Society and Portland Press’ pilot Read & Publish transformative deal. This provides Max Planck researchers with unlimited open access (OA) publishing and ‘read’ access across the entire journal portfolio. The Max Planck Society joins more than 50 other institutions based around the world, from Tokyo to Texas, participating in this Read & Publish scheme.

Portland Press is the Biochemical Society’s publisher and its pilot Read & Publish scheme, offering unlimited OA publishing, first went live in 2020 as a means of making more of its published research and review articles openly available to researchers everywhere. This Read & Publish agreement guarantees all corresponding authors affiliated with the 86 Max Planck Institutes worldwide with OA publishing of their articles by default and at no additional author-facing charges.

The three-year deal, 2021-2023, repurposes former library subscription funds to support open access publishing, instead, ensuring a move away from the traditional subscription model towards a sustainable publishing model based on open dissemination of research.

Professor Richard Reece, Chair of Portland Press Board, Trustee of the Biochemical Society and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Kent, says: “The Max Planck Society and Biochemical Society are highly aligned in principles and thinking around transitioning to sustainable open scholarship. We are extremely pleased to be piloting this new model with the Max Planck Society and look forward to publishing work from Max Planck scholars on an OA basis in support of the advancement of the molecular biosciences.”

Dr Ralf Schimmer, Head of Information Provision at the Max Planck Digital Library, said: “Through their commitment and thoughtful strategy, the Biochemical Society is paving the way for learned societies toward a sustainable and irreversible transition of scholarly publishing to open access. We are delighted to implement this new agreement in full alignment with the Max Planck Society’s open access transformation strategy and the OA2020 Initiative, for the benefit of our research community and scientists everywhere.”

To support and accelerate a transition to OA, these pilot Read & Publish deals provide an innovative alternative to the traditional subscription business model in scholarly publishing. The Biochemical Society and Portland Press are committed to a sustainable transition to a more open scholarly publishing landscape and our Read & Publish initiative builds on the principles set out in our Open Scholarship position statement.

Visit portlandpress.com/OpenScholarship for more information.

How to make your events and activities more accessible

Sun, 28 Jul 2019 11:34:28 GMT

BIG recently partnered with the British Science Association to run a session alongside the annual BIG Event to explore how science engagement practitioners can make better use of their facilities and resources to support equality, diversity and inclusion. You can read the blog here.

BIG Partnership Bursary Announcement - Talking Maths in Public 2019

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 09:25:41 GMT

Talking Maths in Public is the UK’s national maths communication conference, and takes place every two years in locations around the country. TMiP 2019 will take place at the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge on 29th-31st August, and will be a chance for people who work in communicating and promoting maths and related topics to meet others who communicate maths, and to participate in training, workshops and discussions.

Tickets for TMiP 2019 cost £115 for all three days, including lunch and refreshments each day and a conference dinner on Thursday evening - as well as the full programme of workshops, talks and informal networking activities. Details of the event are available on our website at talkingmathsinpublic.uk, and if you have any further questions about the event, you can contact the organisers by emailing info@talkingmathsinpublic.uk.

BIG is offering a limited number of bursaries to BIG members who would not otherwise consider attending TMiP, covering the cost of a ticket to the conference (accommodation and travel not included). This could include those who work in more general science communication but would like to bring out the “M” in their STEM activities. If you wouldn't normally include maths in your work, or are unable to attend for other reasons, this bursary is for you.

This Partnership Bursary is a pilot activity which supports our commitment to working with other networks and organisations that are relevant to BIG members' interests.

Find out more here

Josh Award 2019 winners

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:20:51 GMT

This year's Josh Award 2019 winners, Ben Nicholson and Frederike Gerstner being presented with their trophy at the BIG Event in Edinburgh by Judith Baird from the Science & Industry Museum, and Helen Featherstone, Chair of BIG.

Exhibit Prototyping for Beginners - a BIG Skills Day

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:25:15 GMT

Exhibit Prototyping: Skills Days for BEGINNERS, 2 days

1-2 October 2019, 10am -7pm both days

Edinburgh

Do you have an idea for an exhibit or demo that you'd like to make, but feel that you don't have the confidence, the skills or the facilities to make it? In this two day skills event, we'll show you how to use hand tools and woodworking machines to turn your idea into a useful prototype.

In this Skills Day offering, we’ll spend two days in the workshop of the Edinburgh Tool Library working on our own projects. This event is aimed at people with little or no workshop experience, but independent working will be required. There will be experienced staff available to help you get the most out of the workshop and the two days. (If you already have some experience, check out our Intermediate-level event in July.)

The workshop is equipped for woodworking; drilling and hand-sawing metal is also possible. Don't worry if you haven't used some or all of the woodworking machines before - everyone will be given an induction on safety and machines’ capabilities.

Preparation: Although this event is aimed at people with minimal experience, everyone should come with an exhibit or a demo idea in mind. You'll get the most out of the event if you do as much of the thinking as possible beforehand, so that you can get stuck into making straight away. We will discuss your idea with you in advance so that we can advise on any details that you're unsure of. This will help you arrive with an idea that has the best chance of being completed in the time available.

In addition to tools and machines, we'll provide the basics: a collection of reclaimed timber, wood screws, and all the tools you'll need. For other materials and components, Screwfix and B&Q are not far away, but it will save you time if you do your shopping in advance.

About the session leader: Ben Craven

Ben is a vision scientist by training, but now makes his living teaching Product Design Engineering at Glasgow School of Art, and gentle maths and stats for the Open University. He also does freelance work in informal science communication, and arranges efficient networking events.

Find out more or BOOK HERE

£100 for members, £130 for non-members (Lunch is on your own)

Freelance position available

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 12:46:06 GMT

We are recruiting for a freelance Membership Services Manager for an initial 3-year period starting this September. The time commitment will be approximately 8 hours a week worked flexibly and according to the needs of our organisation. Visit www.big.uk.com/jobs for more info

Beetlestone Award 2019 Winners Announced!

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 15:43:46 GMT

The Beetlestone* Award Committee is delighted to announce that for 2019 this prestigious Award which recognises “leadership and legacy in the field of informal science learning” is being given not once, but twice. Such was the field of candidates that the Committee decided that two people – contributing to the field in very different ways – both deserve an Award. Exceptionally, therefore, two Awards are being given. This is not a question of ‘sharing the prize’; each recipient is equally deserving of full recognition.

Helen Featherstone is Head of Public Engagement at the University of Bath, and the current chair of BIG. She has also worked in science centres and as an independent consultant and researcher. The assessors felt that “her many expert contributions to the field and her enthusiastic advocacy” have already “built a solid legacy which will continue to facilitate the sharing of expertise and raise standards in public engagement with science.”

Ian Russell runs his own company, Interactive Science Ltd., and is both a science communicator and an exhibit designer. The assessors pointed out that he has “forged his own brand both nationally and internationally, and is widely respected”, and added that“his seemingly inborn spirit and drive to share the joy of science is beyond admirable”. These qualities have inspired generations of young people and many other professional communicators – a significant legacy.

Colin Johnson, chair of the Beetlestone Award Committee, says “In this second year of the Award we received another impressive field of candidates, and I am delighted that we are able to recognise the very significant contributions that, in their different ways, both Helen and Ian are making to the field. My very warmest congratulations to them both.”

Each Award carries a personal cash prize of £500, an additional bursary to facilitate dissemination of the holder’s vision and legacy (which is an obligation on the awardee) and free registration for the next BIG conference. The next call for applications/nominations will be early in 2020 and you can find out more here.

*John Beetlestone (1932-2017) was the founding director of Techniquest, the UK’s first purpose-built science discovery centre. This Award has been made possible through the generosity of his family and friends.

"Real Stories Of Scicomm" open mic night

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:18:43 GMT

We'd like to invite you all to come and tell your uplifting, sad and sometimes laughable tales of when scicomm stops being polite...and starts getting real. We will be creating a safe space where you can share your stories, either anonymously in advance or in person. You might be a complete newbie, someone with decades of experience, or anywhere in between. All are welcome, including non-BIG delegates. The event is FREE and there will be snacks and drinks available for purchase.

Tuesday, 16th July, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR. 6pm for 6:30pm-9pm

Speakers include, but are not limited to:

Kirsty Ross, University of Strathclyde
Sam Langford, Glasgow Science Centre
Hana Ayoob, freelance Creative Producer and Trainer
Saeeda Bhatti, STEM in the Gorbals
Laura-Alexandra Smith, Science Connects
Siân Hickson, Institute of Physics

There will also be walk-up slots available on the night.

Email if you'd like to submit a story anonymously to be read on your behalf.

The BIG Event 2019 Bursary – OPEN

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 18:30:43 GMT

Deadline for applications: 15th May, 11:59pm

BIG is offering a few bursary places to attend the BIG Event in July. This is ideal for people working in and around science communication, who think they might benefit from making some more professional friends by attending BIG’s three-day annual conference in Edinburgh.

The bursary covers registration fees to attend the BIG Event 17-19 July at Dynamic Earth, plus limited travel and accommodation support. BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event are eligible to apply. If you’re not a member of BIG, don’t let that stand in your way – join at www.big.uk.com

If you fit this bill, then we’d love you to apply for a bursary to come along. The BIG Event brings together 150+ STEM engagement professionals from across the UK and beyond to help you build your skills, grow your contacts and explore what’s working for others in your field of work.

You can read all the detail about the conference and the bursary application process here.

Don’t forget – you must be a BIG member to apply so leave time to join if you aren’t a member already.

To apply for the Bursary click here.

Early bird discount for BIG Event 19 closing soon!

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 12:33:22 GMT

There are just 5 working days left to claim the early bird discount on attending this year’s BIG Event at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. Save a whole £40 on the conference fee if you register before 23th April (and then pay by the end of the month)

The BIG Event 2019 is a three-day conference offering an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. The conference is relevant for designers, presenters, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators, educationalists, funders, and anyone involved in public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Many people working in the STEM engagement field have little opportunity to cross paths with their peers, so the BIG Event was designed with exactly this in mind.

More than 40 workshops, discussions, shows, and even a sprinkling of sessions that simply can’t be categorised. Find out more by viewing the draft programme online here.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE BETTER EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ALLIES?

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 16:04:21 GMT

A free event in partnership with the British Science Association

Wednesday 17th July 10am-12pm (BIG Event starts at 1pm for those attending)

The science engagement sector is increasingly talking about diversity, and the need to make our activities available and inclusive to as wider group of people as possible. Many of us working in science engagement are freelance, part of small organisations, or cater to a specific established audience – but there’s a role for us all to play as allies.

This event will explore how we can make better use of the facilities and resources we control to support equality, diversity and inclusion. The aim is to identify the actions we can all commit to doing to make a difference, and support diverse practitioners, organisations, and organisers even when they aren’t directly involved in our work.

Join us for a panel discussion and networking session to share practical actions that engagement managers, venues, event organisers, and presenters can use.

This event is FREE to attend and is open to everyone. BIG and the BSA are committed to ensuring that the event is accessible to everyone. If you need to confirm access needs before booking a place, please let us know on your booking form.

To find out more, click here.

Exhibit Prototyping Skills Days - intermediate level, 2 days

Sun, 24 Mar 2019 20:55:38 GMT

15-16 July 2019, 10am -7pm both days

Edinburgh

£100 for members, £130 for non-members

Lunch is not included

Do you have an idea for a demo or an exhibit that you've always wanted to prototype, but have never had the chance? Or would you just welcome the chance to do some Sci-Comm-related making in the company of other BIG members? Then you might enjoy our Exhibit Prototyping Skills Days.

Click here for more information

Award Announcements - Josh Award 2019 and Beetlestone Award 2019

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 15:50:58 GMT

It’s time to cast your nominations for the two major awards in Sci Comm, each recognising an individual, at different stages of their careers, who’ve made a significant difference to the industry.

The Josh Award is the UK’s national Award in science communication, established to recognise and encourage early professional career, talented innovation and creativity in science communication and engagement. The Award is inspired by and named in memory of Josh Phillips who was the first Science Communication Officer at the Museum of Science and Industry and also Chair of BIG at the time his passing. The Award provides the opportunity to become resident science communicator at the Manchester Science Festival 2019. To find out more, please visit here.

The Beetlestone Award is now in its second year and was established to recognise leadership and legacy in the field of ‘informal science learning’ (in memory of Professor John Beetlestone, the founding Director of Techniquest Science Discovery Centre. To be considered for this Award, nominees must be actively engaged and well-established in the field of ISL. They must be currently in a leadership role in the UK and able to demonstrate strategic vision and the creation of a legacy. You may nominate yourself or someone else for this Award by Wednesday 1 May 2019. For more information, please visit here.

Early bird registration open for BIG Event 19

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 11:20:37 GMT

Registration is now open for the best conference in the STEM Communicator's calendar - and we are thrilled to let you know that we’ll be in Scotland! We’re traveling to the city of Edinburgh and our hosts are Dynamic Earth. DE’s exhibits and shows offer the chance to experience the primeval forces of nature as they shaped our planet, to journey through space and time and even go on a 4DVENTURE around the world. Opened in 1999, Dynamic Earth was the UK’s first Millennium Commission funded project to open to the public and has since welcomed over 4 million visitors.

Our early bird rate is open until 23rd April and a full early bird conference place will set you back just £185 (for a speaker) or £250 (for a non-speaker) which includes annual BIG membership, the conference dinner on Thursday evening and lunches! You can find out more or book your place here

Call for newsletter contributions

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 11:50:00 GMT

Do you have any news, research, projects or tips that you'd like to share with 500-or-so members of the STEM community? Or maybe you'd like to have your profile featured in our "BIG Members" section?

The Spring edition of the BIG newsletter is due for publication on March 1st and this is a call for articles and contributions. NO PRESS RELEASES PLEASE - please make sure your editorial and content is written for our members! You can see examples of past newsletters on our website www.big.uk.com/newsletterarchive

Please send your article of between 250-500 words plus an image to admin@big.uk.com by close of play Tuesday 26th February to be considered for inclusion.

Closing date - BIG Event session proposals

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 19:33:22 GMT

The deadline for session proposals for this year’s BIG Event in Edinburgh is just 3 days away - closing on 6th February! Those whose sessions are accepted will qualify for reduced-cost attendance at the Speaker's Rate.

If you have an idea for a conference session, you can propose something here: http://bigevent.info/wp-login.php.

The BIG Event is a truly participatory conference where STEM engagement practitioners of all kinds showcase their materials and activities and exchange ideas with others in the field. BIG encourages delegates to use the Event for peer review, sharing ideas and renewing enthusiasm for the work they do.

Financial Support for Skills Day on Training Researchers in PE

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 11:37:25 GMT

Thanks to financial support from UKRI, BIG is able to offer financial and material support for our Training Researchers in Public Engagement Skills Day (York, 12 February) in the following two ways:

1. BIG is offering 5 bursaries to cover the cost of registration, membership and any reasonable expenses associated with attending this Skills Day. These bursaries have been set up to facilitate greater diversity in the people who attend our events so that we are more representative of broader society. This diversity includes, but is not limited to: age, gender, health, geography, cultural heritage, career path, salary or educational background. Apply online here: Training Researchers in Public Engagement Bursary Application - 2019 The deadline is 6pm Thursday 17th January, 2019.

2. BIG is also able to support ANY delegate with costs associated with access to this Skills Day. For example: a translator, care costs, carer travel costs etc. If this applies to you, please email event@big.uk.com and tell us what you need and we will endeavour to meet your needs.

BIG Event 2019 - Call for session proposals

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 12:20:20 GMT

BIG is thrilled to announce a return to Scotland for BIG Event 2019. The highlight of the STEM communicator’s annual calendar will see our conference held at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh 17-19 July 2019. Dynamic Earth is a wonderful venue – lots of space and lots of spaces. Indoors, outdoors and fantastically placed for access to the airport, rail station and city centre.

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS - OPEN!

If you have a session proposal you’d like to submit, you can pop your ideas on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info (you'll need to register for the site; tip: this isn't the same registration as when you log into the BIG website)

The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

So now is your chance to fling your session ideas into the ring. Once we have a ring-full we flirt the programme together, put people together who might like to work together, and ask a few people to do something a bit different. Your session ideas can be put forward now until 6th February.

Bring a show, a workshop, something needing tweaking, something you think is fab; bring your skills in evaluating, managing, developing, presenting, fettling; bring your planetarium, your STEM tap-routine, your busks, your IPad session. But whatever you do, make it hands-on, make it collaborative, make it a truly sharing contribution. BIG members really don’t like to be spouted at – we like to have a go at a thing so bring the thing, not a picture of the thing or a talk about the thing.

STFC Leadership Fellowships in Public Engagement

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 10:58:18 GMT

STFC is pleased to announce that the 2019 call for applications to the Leadership Fellowships in Public Engagement is now open. The closing date for receipt of applications is 21st February 2019.

The scheme can support individuals from early career to established career who can demonstrate outstanding personal qualities relative to their level of experience and a passion for public engagement.
Raising the profile of public engagement within their host institution and professional community, including sharing best practice and developing new talent is a core objective. Applicants are also advised to contact the STFC Public Engagement Team STFCPublicEngagement@stfc.ac.uk in advance of submitting their application.

TRAINING RESEARCHERS IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 10:45:56 GMT

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our upcoming skills day.

TRAINING RESEARCHERS IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Tuesday 12th February, 2019 - (coffee and registration from 9.30am)

National Railway Museum, York

Do you work in a university to support public engagement with research?

Have you been asked to develop and deliver training or professional development for scientists?

If you said yes to either question, then this BIG Skills Day is for you!

In this highly practical day, we’ll share our experiences of developing training and professional development specifically for researchers. We’ll look at what makes for effective training, different types of intervention, participants’ needs and evaluating the effectiveness of training. Bring your experiences to share and any challenges you’re encountering.

During this Skills Day you will:

Consider good practice in training;
Develop a toolkit of example activities to use in your own training; and
Have personal advice and support for any challenges you are facing.

Who is the day for?

People who work outside universities and research organisations with experience of developing training for researchers;
People who work in a public engagement role at universities;
People who already have experience developing training for researchers; and
People who want to advance their training and knowledge of working with researchers.

Your Trainers

Helen Featherstone, PhD is the Head of Public Engagement at the University of Bath
Natalie Ford
Nicola Stock

This skills day is part of the University of Bath’s ChallengeCPD project. Helen will share findings from this work which is looking at why training for public engagement can be a challenging area.

Costs

£45 for BIG members including lunch and coffee

Non-members will need to join BIG first at an annual cost of £30 and then come back to register for the day as a member.

To find out more or register visit www.big.uk.com/york

Bursary announcement - Little Event 2019

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 15:34:04 GMT

The Little Event is BIG’s one-day training session for people who are relatively early in their STEM communication career, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences.

It’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be several sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, including sessions on Networking, Managing Projects, Presenting, Audience Analysis and Careers.

Each bursary is worth approximately £100 and covers annual BIG membership, registration fees and reasonable expenses. Applying for one of the 10 free places is simple.

Click here to apply and tell us in no more than 200 words, why you would like the opportunity to come to the Little Event and how you think it will benefit your personal and professional development.

Applications close at 6pm, 5th December, 2019. Applicants will be notified of the outcome the week commencing 17th December, 2019.

Little Event 2019

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 19:31:49 GMT

The Little Event will take place again on Thursday, 24th January, 10am - 4:30pm at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum.

The Little Event is BIG’s one-day mini-conference for people who are new to STEM communication, whether you work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with science, technology, engineering and maths. The day is crammed with introductory sessions focusing on developing the different skills that are useful in STEM communication; they are delivered by experienced science communicators following BIG's usual hands-on approach.

But of course, it isn't just about the sessions, it’s the people you meet there, too. The Little Event also presents a great opportunity to meet people from across the UK working in similar roles and sharing similar experiences. The programme for the day includes sessions on Networking, Managing Projects, Presenting, Audience analysis and Careers.

The Little Event costs £45 for BIG members. If you are not a member, you need to join BIG at an annual cost of £30.

Training in Presentation, business and storytelling

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 12:58:01 GMT

Once upon a time...not too far from here, an awesome event was happening...

Do you talk about your business?

Would you to like get more engagement?

Would it be great if your messages where remembered?

Then this session is for you.

You hear a lot about business storytelling at the moment – it’s somewhat in Vogue. But what does it actually mean?

In this session Duncan will take you through the reasons storytelling can be exciting in business, and how you can apply this centuries old art to transform your ideas, projects and products.

Concepts from storytelling are crucial to creating engaging communications, particularly in presentation but also in marketing, social, and in business processes. We’ll create a compelling business story, explore some techniques and take the time to think a little differently.

There will be cake... Book here: Presentation, business and storytelling by DY Training

If you have any questions drop us an email to info@duncanyellowlees.com or check out the website at www.DuncanYellowlees.com

UKSFN conference 2018

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 11:35:36 GMT

The UK science festival ecosystem is diverse and constantly evolving, but we rarely take the time to celebrate what we have achieved or to look ahead to some of the challenges and opportunities for the sector. This is where the UK Science Festivals Network come in - they bring together science festivals and non-science festivals with scientific content to consider the highs, lows and future of festival organisation and management.

Following the success of the first UKSFN conference in Edinburgh last year, the UK Science Festivals Network are re-lighting the fire again, this time in Swansea on 21st November. Join them to discuss best practice in diversifying audiences and speakers, workshop new approaches to programming and learn what else is happening beyond the UK, amongst other topics. Most importantly, there will be plenty of opportunities to network and socialise with other conference attendees - if only it serves to reassure you that you're not alone in this crazy little science engagement bubble!

Hosted by the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Please arrive at 9.30 for a 10.15 start, the day will end at 17.15. Delegates are also invited to a drinks reception from 17.15 onwards. The venue will not be open before 9.30 so do bear that in mind.

Tickets + more info available here.

National Forum for Public Engagement with STEM

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 09:00:40 GMT

The National Forum for Public Engagement with STEM, a group that comprises Government, funders of STEM engagement across the UK, and the key national networks (ASDC, NCCPE, BSA) are hosting a national networking event on November 1st from 11am to 5.30pm in Central London.

This event is aimed at:

Leaders and senior managers: people with responsibility for and oversight of public engagement in their organisation and who are involved in strategic decisions about how to allocate funding, evaluate impact and support involvement and staff / volunteer development
Experienced practitioners: people with a significant track record developing, delivering and evaluating public engagement, or researching the field, and who are committed to enhancing the quality of activity in the sector
Collaborators and intermediaries: people who work in intermediary roles and as brokers, helping to bridge between scientists and communities they hope to engage with

The event will provide the opportunity to learn more about the activity of the National Forum and to feed into collective priorities moving forward. The event will focus on the following priority areas:

Improving models and approaches to funding;
Engaging underserved audiences;
Ensuring more effective evaluation;
Development and sharing of evidence, knowledge, resources and activity.

Places are limited (and we may need to restrict to one per organisation). Please indicate your intention to attend by completing the expression of interest form by 12th October:

https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/national-forum-public-engagement-with-stem-networking-event

Background

The National Forum is a collective of key funders and organisations involved in setting the national agenda for public engagement in STEM. Established in 2014, our goal is to improve collaboration, co-operation and learning across the sector. We want to make better collective decisions and accelerate improvements across the science engagement system. The Forum was established to help tackle sector-wide challenges that can’t be solved by people working in isolation. For instance, how to address the balance of our funding across different purposes and audiences for engagement; identifying priority areas for sustained public engagement; exploring how we can gather more useful intelligence on the long-term impact of our work; and better supporting professional development and recognition.

You can find out more about our work here: http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/national-forum

If you can’t attend but would like to input into the Forum’s work moving forward we will shortly be circulating a sector survey. We want to hear from a wide range of people and professions, who are in some way involved in public engagement with STEM. This includes science journalists and writers, broadcasters, gamers, community practitioners, teachers and researchers. The full survey will be circulated shortly.

Autumn edition of the BIG Members' e-newsletter

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 20:00:23 GMT

The Autumn edition of the BIG Members' e-newsletter is now available to read here.

Contents

BIG Skills Day: How to develop training sessions
I wrote this and thought of YOU!
A Tale of Two Villages (and two out of school activities..!)
10% off Science Communication Masterclass!
Can you describe your PhD in a limerick?
The Big Shiny
Annual MathsJam Gathering Weekend
Inaugural Diversity In Space Careers conference
BIG Member Profile: Paolo Arru

BIG SKILLS DAY - HOW TO DEVELOP A TRAINING SESSION

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 14:50:50 GMT

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our latest skills day HOW TO DEVELOP A TRAINING SESSION on Wednesday 17th October, 2018 - 9.30-4.00pm at ThinkTank, Birmingham. Find out more here.

Matthew Allen awarded 2018 Josh Award

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 10:53:41 GMT

Matthew Allen has been awarded the 2018 Josh Award for science communication. He is pictured here being presented with his award by Hannah Rose-Ford, a science communicator from the Museum of Science & Industry at the BIG Event in Winchester Science Centre.

The Josh Award was established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival, developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practice in the field of science communication.

The winner receives support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from the Festival team, the University of Salford’s Science Communication cluster, and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

2018 Best Demo competition winner

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 22:51:01 GMT

The winner of the 2018 Best Demo competition is Matthias Salewski from Physikanten.

The Beetlestone Award 2018 - Winner Announced

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 08:12:02 GMT

The Beetlestone* Award Committee, in partnership with BIG, is delighted to announce that the first winner of this prestigious Award which recognises “leadership and legacy in the field of informal science learning”, is Stephen Pizzey of Science Projects Ltd and the Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux.

Steve was one of the very first people in the UK to be involved in hands-on science exhibitions. His travelling Discovery Dome in the mid-1980s was a prototype for many similar ventures which have followed. After a career in industry Steve joined the Science Museum and in due course became the Deputy Director involved in setting up what is now known as the Media Museum in Bradford. He established his own company with charitable status, Science Projects Ltd, in 1987 and the exhibits designed and built there are now to be found in science centres and museums around the world. Science Projects is also responsible for the science centre at the Herstmonceux, which for many years was the host to the BIG Event. Steve was also the holder of a NESTA Fellowship to study ‘Science in the Landscape’ – a continuing passion.

Colin Johnson, chair of the Beetlestone Award Committee, says “It is no exaggeration to say that BIG itself and the science centre network as it now exists in the UK, owes much to Steve Pizzey’s pioneering and sustained efforts to ‘bring science to the people’ and to bring together those who practise that profession. Steve’s 40+ years of devotion to informal science learning, and his important tangible legacy, are indeed worthy of this first Award.” He adds “We received a number of other very impressive nominations for this Award, so we can look forward to the future of the scheme with confidence. The next call for applications/nominations will be early in 2019.”

The Award carries a personal cash prize of £500, an additional bursary to facilitate dissemination of the holder’s vision and legacy (which is an obligation on the awardee) and free registration for the next BIG conference.

BIG Event 2018 - SOLD OUT

Tue, 22 May 2018 08:07:19 GMT

Interest in attending the BIG Event has been higher than ever before and has now SOLD OUT. There is a waiting list for those who may wish to attend should any last minute places become available at www.big.uk.com/bigevent18

Bursaries for BIG Event - Closing Soon!

Wed, 09 May 2018 13:38:04 GMT

Bursaries to attend #BIGEvent18 18-20 July at Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium, plus limited travel and accommodation support ARE CLOSING SOON. Find out more and apply by 14 May. http://www.hereherehere

The BIG Event Bursary – OPEN

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 10:31:13 GMT

Deadline for applications: Monday 14th May, 11:59pm

Again this year, BIG is offering a few bursary places to attend the BIG Event in July. This is ideal for people working in and around science communication, who think they might benefit from making some more professional friends by attending BIG’s three-day conference in Winchester.

The bursary covers registration fees to attend the BIG Event 18-20 July at Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium, plus limited travel and accommodation support. BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event are eligible to apply. If you’re not a member of BIG, don’t let that stand in your way – join at www.big.uk.com

“It was my first time and I didn’t quite know what to expect but I really found it useful… Not only useful for work, it is nice to know so many people share similar passions” - 2014 bursary winner

If you fit this bill, then we’d love you to apply for a bursary to come along. The BIG Event is a three-day conference bringing together 150+ STEM engagement professionals from across the UK and beyond to help you build your skills, grow your contacts and explore what’s working for others in your field of work.

You can read all the detail about the conference and the bursary application process here.

Don’t forget – you must be a BIG member to apply so leave time to join if you aren’t a member already.

The BIG Event Team

www.big.uk.com

Diversity in STEM - a BIG Skills Day

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 14:15:42 GMT

BIG SKILLS DAY - DIVERSITY IN STEM

Friday 1st June, 2018 11am-5pm

Royal Institution, London

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our upcoming skills day: Diversity in STEM.

Diversity can mean lots of different things to different people including representation, accessibility, inclusion and more. It is increasingly being talking about within science, and science communication.

During this day, we will discuss different areas of diversity, and how we can all make our events, activities and organisations more inclusive, accessible and representative. Topics will include:

How we can make activities and events more accessible
How we can monitor and evaluate diversity in projects
How we can feel more comfortable talking about diversity in different settings

This Skills Day aims to better equip everyone to think about diversity within science communication. It will be particularly relevant to those working in or with organisations such as universities, museums and festivals but anyone wanted to improve their approach to diversity will benefit.

Cost of attending is £45 for BIG members including lunch and coffee. Non members will need to join BIG first at an annual cost of £30 and then come back to register for the day as a member

To find out more or to register for the day click here

Early bird closing soon

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 14:50:43 GMT

There are just four working days left to claim the early bird discount on attending this year’s BIG Event at Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium. Save a whole £40 on the conference fee if you REGISTER before 19th April (and then pay within 30 days)

The BIG Event 2018 is a three-day conference offering an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. The conference is relevant for designers, presenters, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators, educationalists, funders, and anyone involved in public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Many people working in the STEM engagement field have little opportunity to cross paths with their peers, so the BIG Event was designed with exactly this in mind.

More than 40 workshops, discussions, shows, and even a sprinkling of sessions that simply can’t be categorised. Find out more by viewing the draft programme online here.

Beetlestone Award - Closing Date

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:39:19 GMT

A reminder that the closing date for the inaugural Beetlestone Award is 1st May 2018.

The purpose of this new Award is to recognize a senior person in the field of ‘informal learning in science’ (ISL) – someone still in post in the UK, not a retiree – who has already made or is clearly creating a significant legacy for the field. John Beetlestone was one of the ISL pioneers of the 20th century. Who is following in his footsteps?

Find out more or apply here

Josh Award 2018 - Deadline Approaching

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 09:16:30 GMT

The deadline for submitting applications for The Josh Award 2018 is less than a month away - Friday 20 April 2018, 5pm.

The Josh Award is the UK’s national award in science communication, established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival, developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practice in the field of science communication.

Please download the application form and guidance notes here.

Cost-saving tips for #BIGEvent18

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:19:23 GMT

We appreciate how squeezed your budget is. At BIG we really value making every penny count and squeezing in as much value for money as possible for our members and the BIG Event is no different.

Here are the things we have done to make this Event as affordable as possible:

The cost of attending the whole event is cheaper than ever before.
There will be a free shuttle bus from Winchester city centre to the Winchester Science Centre each day. This will enable people to book city centre accommodation which will be cheaper than the onsite hotel (Holiday Inn). The shuttle is paid for by BIG and will be free to BIG delegates.
Book before 19 April! This will save you up to £50 if you attend the whole Event.
Find a session you can contribute to and become a speaker. Speakers get one day free (which includes BIG membership for another year).
Book your travel and accommodation early. The event is coinciding with the Farnborough Air Show, so many people will be looking for places to stay which can drive prices up.

Find out more about the event or book here

The Josh Award 2018 is now open for applications

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 14:00:55 GMT

Please download our application form and guidance notes here. The deadline for submitting your application is Friday 20 April 2018, 5pm.

Early bird registration open for #BIGEvent18

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 11:21:04 GMT

Registration is now open for the best conference in the STEM Communicator's calendar - and we are thrilled to let you know that in our efforts to keep costs low as possible, attending the 3-day event is cheaper than ever before!

Our early bird rate is open until 19th April and a full conference place will set you back just £170 (for a speaker) or £240 (for a non-speaker) which includes annual BIG membership and a really nice dinner! You can find out more or book your place here.

Announcing The Beetlestone Award

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 14:59:16 GMT

A new recognition for an Informal Science Learning professional

Professor John Beetlestone was one of the pioneers of ‘informal learning in science’ (ISL) of the 20th century. Are you, or someone you know, following in his footsteps?

This brand new Award is to recognize a senior person in the sector – someone still in post in the UK, not a retiree – who has already made or is clearly creating a significant legacy for the field.

To find out more click here

Closing date for session proposals

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 10:28:30 GMT

There are only three working days remaining to submit your session ideas for the BIG Event, 18-20 July 2018, Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium

Time's running out! The deadline for proposals is

Tuesday 27 February

Propose your session at www.bigevent.info

Call for session proposals OPEN

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 21:21:54 GMT

Now is your chance to fling your session ideas into the ring for the BIG Event 2018 at Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium - 18-20 July, 2018

Once we have a ring-full we flirt the programme together, put people together who might like to work together, and ask a few people to do something a bit different. Your session ideas can be put forward now until 23 February on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info

Things that will be especially great at Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium:

They have an awesome planetarium! If you do things with planetariums and want to use this space as it was intended to be used, get in touch and we'll see if we can make it happen.
There is outside space! We'll have access to a grassy picnic area, so if you wanted to do messy things not suitable to indoors, Winchester has a place for you.

And finally, Winchester has a workshop which we *might* be able to use. If you have a session idea that can only take place in a workshop, just make a note of it on the proposal site and we'll see what we can do.

As ever this time of year, we are very much looking forward to seeing your session ideas gush on to the proposal site www.bigevent.info

Revamped, mobile-friendly website!

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:06:05 GMT

Come and check-out the newly revamped, mobile-friendly BIG website. Find out what we do, what events are coming up and read our info pages to help you start your career in Science Communication.

If you are lucky enough to be a member, you also have access to lots of extra information including:

An introduction to Impact and the REF
DBS and Working with Children
How to write Risk Assessments and Protect Yourself
Discover fun facts and useless information in our BIG Archive.
Plus lots more…

As always BIG is an organisation run for its members, by its members so if you have any skills or knowledge you’d love to share with the BIG community or feel that anything is missing please do you let us know - or even better write something for the website or organise a Skills Day. Just get in touch to find out how!

Bursaries for Little Event 2018

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:54:02 GMT

There are 10 bursaries up for grabs to attend The Little Event 2018 on Wednesday 17th January at Thinktank in Birmingham.

Each bursary is worth £100 and covers annual BIG membership, registration fees and £25 towards travel expenses. Applying for one of the 10 free places is simple. Email event@big.uk.com by 6pm on Thursday 14^th December with the subject line "Bursary Application Little Event" telling us in no more than 200 words, why you would like the opportunity to come to the Little Event and how you think it will benefit your personal and professional development. Successful applicants will be notified by email by 20th December.

Little Event 2018 announced!

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 18:21:59 GMT

Little Event 2018: a 1-day conference for early-career STEM communicators

Thanks to support from Thinktank Birmingham science museum, the Little Event will take place again in 2018!

Wednesday 17th January 2018, 9.30am - 4.30pm

Thinktank, Birmingham

This one-day conference is for early-career STEM communicators who are keen to suck the knowledge and experience out of those who have been at it for ages. It is also an excellent opportunity to make professional and friendly relationships with others in similar work, or to update job-hunting skills for those hoping to take a next step in their careers.

The full programme is being finalised and will be announced in early December.

The price is £45 for BIG members. Non-members can join first for the annual fee of £30.

Guerilla Science Event (London) - Have I Got Fake News For You pub quiz

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 18:18:16 GMT

Get ready to pit facts against fiction in Have I Got Fake News For You pub quiz presented by Guerilla Science. Come in pairs or with groups of friends to test out your ability to separate the latest science from the most up-to-date nonsense that is flooding our media. Conspiracy theory psychologist Viren Swami, and political psychologist Keith O’Brien, will sit on the panel to share their research and insights as you take part in the quick fire rounds.

Wednesday 22 November, 7.30 – 10.00pm, at The Book Club 100-106 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH.

Tickets are £6-£7.99 and available on fakenewspubquiz.eventbrite.co.uk.

See www.guerillascience.org for more information.

UK Science Festivals Network Conference 2017

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:25:16 GMT

A new conference for anyone who is interested or involved in organising science festivals, events or activities

9 November 2017, 10.00-18.00 | National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh | £80+VAT pp

Thrilling, rewarding and exhausting: three words all science festival and event organisers can relate to. Despite the chaotic mixture of emotions we often feel, we're all in this because we have a passion for putting on exciting and engaging activities for our audiences. Whether it be fine tuning the logistics, producing a high-quality programme or meeting inspiring people, everyone has favourite (and not so favourable) aspects of their role.

The UK science festival ecosystem is diverse and constantly evolving, but we rarely take the time to celebrate what we have achieved or to look ahead to some of the challenges and opportunities for the sector. This is where the UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN) come in - we bring together science festivals and non-science festivals with scientific content to consider the highs, lows and future of festival organisation and management.

What?

Join us at our first ever conference to discuss best practice in diversifying audiences, programming and how to effectively evaluate events, amongst other topics. Most importantly, there will be plenty of opportunities to network and socialise with other conference attendees!

The main conference events will happen from 10.30-16.00, with a drinks reception from 16.00 onwards.

Who?

Although there will be a focus on festivals, the conference programme will be applicable and useful for anyone interested or involved in organising science events and activities in general. This conference is open to all, you do not have to be a member of the UKSFN to attend.

For tickets and more info please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-science-festivals-network-conference-tickets-37873145598

Find out more about the UKSFN here: http://sciencefestivals.uk/

Any questions, please direct them to: Anna Woolman, anna.woolman@britishscienceassociation.org

Brian Mackenwells wins 2017 Best Demo Award

Thu, 17 Aug 2017 14:56:58 GMT

Brian Mackenwells from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford was crowned the winner of the 2017 Best Demo Award at the BIG Event 2017.

This is the second time Brian has won the coveted award, having won it back in 2009.

The Best Demo Competition presents a lighthearted look at some of the demos you think are worth sharing; it invites you to demonstrate the maths, science, engineering and so on that really lights your fire and you just can’t help but show off to your peers. You have up to three minutes, a warm and welcoming audience and more eager volunteers than you could ever wish for.

Maybe you’ll be going home with the prestigious Best Demo Award to display on your desk, in your shed or sliding across the dashboard of your van.

There's no money to win, it's not an Oscar, it's not a Nobel Prize. But within BIG we think it is worth having because it’s worth joining in. The Competition takes place every year as part of the BIG Event and any registered delegate can join the running order. The competition is not scary, intimidating or harsh in any way – the main purpose is to enjoy what we do. It’s very simple: demos presenting STEM subject matter must be no longer than 3 minutes** (shorter, if that suits your demo), you must bring all of the equipment you need and you must sign up in advance.

20170720-IMG_0459.jpg

Science Rapper crowned winner of 2017 Josh Award

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 17:06:41 GMT

'Science Rapper', Jon Chase has been awarded the 2017 Josh Award for science communication. Jon was presented with his prizes and trophy at last week's BIG Event at the Centre for Life in Newcastle. Pictured with Jon above is Carole Keating, Creative Producer for Manchester Science Festival.

21st Birthday Party Weekend

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 17:05:33 GMT

Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd September 2017

The Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, Hailsham

To celebrate our 21st birthday, BIG is holding a party in our ancestral home of Herstmonceux on the evening of Saturday 2nd September.

Although BIG was established 25 years ago, what we now call the ‘BIG Event’ didn’t begin until a few years later and for many years, the BIG Event was held in Herstmonceux. So, we will return for our 21st birthday party to enjoy one another’s company, chat about the good old (or new) days and eat cake.

BIG 21st Birthday Party is Saturday evening's session. Join us for this only or come for the whole weekend to also enjoy The Observatory Science Centre and Astronomy Festival. Please see their website for the provisional programme of Astronomy Festival events.

Overnight camping is FREE (courtesy of BIG) if you book ANY of the options below. All pitches for BIG members and their families are in the same area. If camping is not your thing, there is accommodation in the nearby Herstmonceux Castle.

PRICES

Adults

Complete weekend registration = £40 (1 Sept 2:30pm to 3 Sept 6pm)
Friday session 1 = £10 (1 Sept 2:30pm to 11pm 1 Sept)
Saturday session 1 = £10 (2 Sept 10am to 6pm 2 Sept)
Saturday session 2 = £10 (2 Sept 6:30pm to 11pm 2 Sept)
Sunday session 1 = £10 (3 Sept 10am to 6pm 3 Sept)

Children (Prices for 4 and over / Under 4s are free)

Complete weekend registration = £30 (1 Sept 2:30pm to 3 Sept 6pm)
Friday session 1 = £7.50 (1 Sept 2:30pm to 11pm 1 Sept)
Saturday session 1 = £7.50 (2 Sept 10am to 6pm 2 Sept)
Saturday session 2 = £7.50 (2 Sept 6:30pm to 11pm 2 Sept)
Sunday session 1 = £7.50 (3 Sept 10am to 6pm 3 Sept)

Families

Complete weekend registration for a family of 4 = £110 (1 Sept 2:30pm to 3 Sept 6pm)

BIG members: login as a member first to be able to register for the member rate. To login as a member, use the email address you used to join BIG. If you can't remember what this is, please email admin@big.uk.com.

Non-members: you first need to join BIG costing £30 for the year and then come back and register for the BIG 21st Birthday Party at the member rate.

Got questions or having trouble booking?: email Ashley Kent on big (at) ashfayk (dot) com including details of your problem or query.

BIG Event SOLD OUT

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 09:52:46 GMT

Places at the BIG Event have now SOLD OUT and we are not accepting further registrations. You can add your name to our waiting list in the event of late cancellations.

BIG Event Best Demo Competition - ENTER NOW

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 12:16:15 GMT

Now is the time to throw your hat in the ring - enter this year’s Best Demo Competition while you're at the BIG Event and you’ll be the better for it*

Maybe you’ll be going home with the prestigious Best Demo Award to display on your desk, in your shed or sliding across the dashboard of your van.

There's no money to win, it's not an Oscar, it's not a Nobel Prize. But within BIG we think it is worth having because it’s worth joining in.

The Competition takes place 5pm Thursday 20 July as part of the BIG Event at The Centre for Life in Newcastle. Any registered delegate attending the BIG Event can join the running order. The competition is not scary, intimidating or harsh in any way – the main purpose is to enjoy what we do.

It’s very simple: demos presenting STEM subject matter must be no longer than 3 minutes** (shorter, if that suits your demo), you must bring all of the equipment you need and you must sign up in advance.

HOW TO ENTER:

Please email Rachel Mason event@big.uk.com with your name, short demo title and a short (50-80 word) description of the demo. Please also give a brief list of the equipment you intend to use and note any safety issues we should consider. You may be asked to provide a risk assessment so if you have this already, send it along too. This information is for the event organisers and venue only and will not be published (that would spoil the demo now, wouldn’t it?)

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRIES: 11.59 FRIDAY 30 JUNE

More detail about the BIG Event

If you have any questions about the format, structure, or need a bit of support in putting your entry together, please contact…

Rachel Mason, BIG Event Organiser

BIG - STEM COMMUNICATORS NETWORK

event@big.uk.com

* Maybe

** Don’t drag it out - if it's a 30 second demo, take 30 secs

The Winston Churchill 2018 'Science, Technology & Innovation' Travelling Fellowships

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 17:04:18 GMT

Do you work in the field of Science, Technology & Innovation?

Would time overseas meeting others working in your area and sharing ideas and good practice benefit your work? Would you be prepared to share your findings for the improvement of your sector, and the UK as a whole, on your return?

If the answer is yes and you would like to visit innovative programmes abroad so that you could transfer or adapt them to the UK, a Churchill Fellowship could be for you.

Applications are welcome from across this wide field, but we are also interested in:

the communication of science and technology by any means
the fusion of the arts and science
efforts to encourage interest and participation in science by the public
the use of the internet to hold dialogues

Find out more

Bursaries available for BIG Event 2017

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 10:08:47 GMT

Deadline for applications: Friday 5 May, 11:59pm

Again this year, BIG is offering a few lovely bursary places to attend the BIG Event in July. This is ideal for people working in and around science communication, who think they might benefit from making some more professional friends by attending BIG’s three-day conference in Newcastle.

Find out more here.

The Josh Award 2017 – call for nominations

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 10:07:43 GMT

The Josh Award is the UK’s national award in science communication, established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. Find out more here

BIG Event 17 - REGISTRATION OPEN

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 12:50:23 GMT

Early Bird registration for the BIG Event 19-21 July 2017 at Life Science Centre, Newcastle UK is now open. Early Bird prices offer a significant reduction on standard so if you know you're coming, it's worth registering now.

Go to BIG Event 2017

Join the brand new BIG mailing list!

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:27:20 GMT

If aren't a member of BIG but you'd like to be kept up-to-date with BIG's activities, events and skills days, you can now sign up for our mailing list here. We promise that these updates are very infrequent and you can unsubscribe at any time!

Call for session proposals OPEN - BIG Event 19 - 21 July 2017, Newcastle

Thu, 26 Jan 2017 13:37:33 GMT

Every year, BIG members get together for a three-day bash to exchange ideas, compare disasters, find their next employer and have a grand time with the work and the colleagues they love. STEM engagement professionals from all over the UK (and some more besides) take this opportunity to step out of their offices, museums and science centres, vans and sheds, universities and research institutions, to plan their next career steps, pick the brains of like-minded people or just have a bit of a professional think.

The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

Now is your chance to fling your session ideas into the ring. Once we have a ring-full we flirt the programme together, put people together who might like to work together, and ask a few people to do something a bit different. Your session ideas can be put forward now until 19 February on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info

The Centre for Life is a wonderful venue – lots of space and lots of spaces. Indoors, outdoors and fantastically placed for access to the airport, rail station and city centre. You might even give some serious thought to using the BIG Event to take your summer holidays in beautiful Northumberland

As ever this time of year, we are very much looking forward to seeing your session ideas gush on to the proposal site www.bigevent.info

If you’re not sure what the BIG Event is or if it’s for you, go to big.uk.com/bigevent17

10 bursaries up for grabs - The Little Event 2017!

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:58:46 GMT

For people who are relatively early in their STEM communication career, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences. It’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be several sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, delivered by experienced science communicators following our usual hands-on approach.

But of course it isn’t just about the sessions, it’s the people you meet there too. The Little Event presents a great opportunity to meet people from across the UK working in similar roles and sharing similar experiences. The programme for the day will include sessions on Learning & evaluation, Interacting with the public, Managing your engagement project, Presenting and careers.

Each bursary worth £100 covers an annual BIG membership, registration fees for the Little Event and £25 towards travel expenses.

If you wish to apply for one of the 10 free places, applying is simple. Just email event@big.uk.comby noon on Wednesday 16th December with the subject line "Bursary application Little Event" to tell us in no more than 200 words why you would like the opportunity to come to the Little Event and how you think it will benefit your personal and professional development.

Successful applicants will be notified by by email.

For more information about the day click here

Come and work for BIG

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 14:22:34 GMT

BIG needs a Conference and Events Coordinator

BIG is looking for a self-employed contractor to join its small-but-perfectly-formed team of supporters of BIG’s aims and activities, to improve its service of training provision to members. You will develop and deliver BIG’s Skills Days and – over time – take over the coordination of the BIG Event too.

Find out more on our jobs page

Vancancy: Welsh Support Coordinator with IOP

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 15:08:43 GMT

Welsh Support Coordinator (Fixed Term)

Department: Outreach and Engagement
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Salary: £21,500 – £22,575 pro rata

We are looking for a proactive and dependable individual to join our Outreach and Engagement department as a Welsh Support Coordinator.

Go toLatest Jobs

Results of election of officers to the BIG Executive Committee 2016-17

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 14:45:02 GMT

Results of election of officers to the Executive Committee 2016-17

Chair - Bridget Holligan (Science Oxford) with 97% of the vote

Vice Chair - Karl Byrne (Cheltenham Science Festival) with 55% of the vote

Treasurer - Lucy Moorcraft (Newcastle University) with 100% of the vote

Secretary - Natalie Ford (Science Oxford) with 49% of the vote (4 candidates)

General Members - Andy Miah (42%) and James Bamford (40%)

Wanted! 7 keen individuals to form BIG Executive Committee 2016-17!

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 11:52:26 GMT

Members of BIG are invited to stand for a position on the 2016/17 Executive Committee.

ANY member can apply for ANY position on the Committee and no prior experience of Committee or Board work is required. It's always helpful to have a cross-representation of the entire membership on the Committee so we actively encourage applications from freelancers, science festivals, science centres, academic institutions, zoos, museums, funding and research bodies etc.

We are looking to fill all roles but in particular we are looking for a new Chair and a General (Ordinary) Committee member.

We are a friendly bunch, we meet about 4 times a year somewhere central to all committee members (for which your expenses will be covered) and you'll be fully supported in your role by BIG's Administrator. You will receive a cost-only place at the BIG Event 2017. All positions will be subject to an online vote and the results will be revealed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Belfast on July 21st (you do not need to be present).

To find out more about the positions, email for an informal and confidential chat. Nominations are to be received by 10am on Monday 4th July. Please contact me for a nomination form: admin@big.uk.com

Josh Award winner announced!

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:56:52 GMT

Mathematician Katie Steckles has won the 2016 Josh Award. She plans to turn the Museum of Science and Industry into a giant hand-made, crowd- sourced image during this year’s Manchester Science Festival.

Katie's winning application suggested festival visitors help colour thousands of individual ‘pixels’ that will make up a picture in one of the museum’s windows representing how digital devices such as computers, tablets, and phones display images.

The project will also look at the mathematics behind how devices store images as a series of numbers that create the different colours on screen. There’ll be a close-up look at the pixels in your own phone’s screen and a photo booth that transforms you into an Excel spreadsheet of colour values.

The Josh Award is the UK’s national award in science communication, established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016, in partnership with the University of Salford, Manchester developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practice in the field of science communication. The winner receives support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from both the Festival team, the University of Salford’s Science Communication cluster, and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

Katie said of winning the award, ‘I'm delighted to have received this award, and I'm very much looking forward to the project in October. I've worked on events with Manchester Science Festival many times in the past, and am extremely proud to be Science Communicator in Residence with such a great organisation.’

Antonio Benitez, Director of Manchester Science Festival, said, ’We are delighted that Katie will be the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016. Katie is a very inspiring science communicator and a great ambassador for Manchester Science Festival. The Festival team is looking forward working with Katie to develop and deliver this exciting new project showcasing best practise in the field of science communication for this year’s festival’

The is the third year that BIG has been co-organising the Josh Award. We saw some very strong entries and choosing a winner was not easy. The award panel were impressed with Katie’s plan for an event at the Manchester Science festival and with her commitment to bringing mathematics to the fore in everyday life.

BIG Event Bursary - OPEN

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:57:27 GMT

This year BIG is offering 2-3 bursary places which will pay registration fees for the BIG Event in Belfast and give limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

The Bursary scheme is now open for applications until Fri 6 May

Find out more

Josh Award for Science Communication closing soon

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 19:42:10 GMT

Are you - or do you know - an amazing science communicator who is at a defining moment in their career?

The Josh Award is an award established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award recognises a defining moment in the career of a science communicator; a person who is a practicing scientist or someone who has chosen science communication as their profession.

This defining moment could be a game changing project, piece of work, way of working or a key moment of change, creativity, innovation or passion. A defining moment in a career that has transformed science communication practice, inspired others or changed the landscape of science communication.

The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016, developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practise in the field of science communication.

The winner will receive support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from both the Festival team and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

You can find out more about the Award and the simple application process at www.big.uk.com/josh

Closing date 15 April.

Early Bird discount on the full conference rate for BIG Event 16

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 18:46:46 GMT

Registration is now open for the BIG Event, Wed 20 - Fri 22 July at W5 Science Centre in Belfast.

The BIG Event is a three-day conference offering an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time.

The BIG Event is relevant for designers, presenters, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators, educationalists, funders, and anyone involved in public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Many people working in the STEM engagement field have little opportunity to cross paths with their peers, so the BIG Event was designed with exactly this in mind.

More than 40 workshops, discussions, shows, and even a sprinkling of sessions that simply can’t be categorised; this is the place to:

- share skills and experiences

- develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field

- hone your skills and recharge your professional batteries

- pick up great ideas and show off your talents to peers

- meet your next employer

Register and find out more at www.big.uk.com/bigevent16

Low cost flights from Flybe, RyanAir, Easyjet available from all UK airports to Belfast City or Belfast International Airports.

Josh Award 2016 announced

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 15:27:32 GMT

Are you - or do you know - an amazing science communicator who is at a defining moment in their career?

The Josh Award is an award established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award recognises a defining moment in the career of a science communicator; a person who is a practicing scientist or someone who has chosen science communication as their profession.

This defining moment could be a game changing project, piece of work, way of working or a key moment of change, creativity, innovation or passion. A defining moment in a career that has transformed science communication practice, inspired others or changed the landscape of science communication.

The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016, developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practise in the field of science communication.

The winner will receive support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from both the Festival team and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

You can find out more about the Award and the simple application process here.

BIG Event: 1 week left to propose sessions

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:41:45 GMT

Just one week left to put forward your excellent ideas for sessions that will plump out the BIG Event with succulent morsels of professional development.

Don't forget - session providers/speakers receive a discount on the registration fee to attend the BIG Event.

PROPOSE A SESSION HERE

Go to BIG Event page here

Call for session proposals is now OPEN

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:00:01 GMT

Would you like to run a session for 150-or-so STEM Communicators at this year's BIG Event in Belfast on 20-22 July?

Bring a show, a workshop, something needing tweaking, something you think is fab; bring your skills in evaluating, managing, developing, presenting, fettling; bring your planetarium, your STEM tap-routine, your busks, your IPad session. But whatever you do, make it hands-on, make it collaborative, make it a truly sharing contribution. The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

Your session ideas can be put forward now until 22 February on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info

BIG Event 2016 - Venue and Dates announced!

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 10:33:57 GMT

One of the best things about the BIG Event, according to many of you, is that it moves around. It gives you that excuse you’ve been looking for to go and have a butchers at that science centre, museum (or something) that you’ve been meaning to drop in on but never actually have. And lots of you love the chance to plan your own holidays round your BIG development needs.

So we’re heading to the W5 Science Centre in Belfast this summer, which offers:

A great science engagement venue with lots of space (indoors and out)
A vibrant science communication field, keen to host and contribute to a BIG muster
A city location with lots nearby – great places to eat, meet, museums and sites to see
Cheap to get to – Belfast’s airports serve all the places you could ever hope to fly from at a VERY LOW COST

W5 is only ten mins taxi trundle from Belfast City Airport and the place is small and friendly enough that you’d be hard pressed to get out of departures without hooking up with another BIG person to share your taxi with. They could help carry all that stuff you like to bring. Visit Belfast has given us lots of support already and are making plans to help BIG-Event-goers stay on in Northern Ireland for their hols – more on that later.

You can decide what sessions to go to later (you know they’ll be right up your street and if they’re not, propose your own), but If you fancy adding ‘efficiency’ to your list of new year’s resolutions, then why not start by grabbing a cheap flight now from just £25 with FlyBe, EasyJet or RyanAir.

The call for session proposals will open soon so keep an eye out for that in your inboxes. Any questions about what the venue can take, email event@big.uk.com

Bursaries available for Little Event

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 16:55:01 GMT

10 bursaries to attend this year's Little Event up for grabs! But get applying quickly because the deadline for applications is 18th December.

Each bursary worth £100 covers an annual BIG membership, registration fees for the Little Event and £25 towards travel expenses.

The Little Event is for people who are relatively new to STEM communication, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences. It’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be several sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, delivered by experienced science communicators following our usual hands-on approach.

If you wish to apply for one of the 10 free places, applying is simple. Just email admin@big.uk.com by noon on Friday 18th December with the subject line "Bursary application Little Event" to tell us in no more than 200 words why you would like the opportunity to come to the Little Event and how you think it will benefit your personal and professional development. If you have already registered for the Event you can still apply for the bursary and we will refund your registration if you are successful.

Successful applicants will be notified by 23rd December by email.

For more information or to book click here

Sarah Vining, Administrator

The Little Event is BACK!

Mon, 23 Nov 2015 10:55:22 GMT

Wednesday 13th January 2016, 9.30am - 4.30pm

Thinktank, Birmingham

The full programme is being finalised and will be announced in early December.

The price is £45 for BIG members. Non-members can join first for the annual fee of £30

SOLD OUT! How to train researchers event is now FULL

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 09:22:55 GMT

How to train researchers event is now FULL

How to train researchers...

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:03:44 GMT

How to train researchers - BIG Skills Day - Tuesday 24th November - Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Find out more here.

Latest jobs

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 08:26:27 GMT

Take a look at the latest jobs posted:

CEO - Techniquest, Cardiff

Fundraising Manager - Techniquest, Cardiff

Head of Learning & Participation - National Media Museum, Bradford

Science Communicator (weekends only) - Glasgow Science Centre

To find out more, go to http://big.uk.com/jobs

Josh Award Winner 2015 Announced!

Fri, 12 Jun 2015 09:14:39 GMT

You heard it here first... Professor Andy Miah is the worthy winner of this year's Josh Award.

Andy is Chair in Science Communication & Future Media in the School of Environment & Life Sciences at University of Salford. Andy is renowned for his research into bioethics and emerging technologies and was recently a Google Glass explorer. Now developing virtual reality art installations and drone documentaries, Andy has published in such places as TIME, Wired, and regularly appears in the media, offering commentaries on new discoveries. His research has taken him to over 50 countries and spans such areas as genetics, nanotechnology, neuroscience, mobile health, wearable technologies, and digital innovations. He is particularly interested around the possibility of bringing creative digital media skills to the field of science communication and published one of the first articles to address the potential of digital media to create new kinds of public engagement with science possibilities. He is also part of the European City of Science steering group, set up to create a programme for Greater Manchester, as it hosts the European Science Forum in 2016.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be this year’s Josh award winner, not least because the BIG event happens in my home city of Norwich... I got into communicating science as a PhD student, trained myself on building websites and doing all I could to make academic discoveries reach more people and this work continues. I am passionate about open knowledge initiatives and believe firmly that there is no expertise that can’t be cultivated by anyone. I am really excited about the trend towards citizen science and in my own production of science communication programmes, I want to enable more people to find a way into nurturing their own scientific expertise. Programmes like the maker movement, FameLab, and hackathons do so much to make science and technology meaningful to people again, in a world where it can become even more difficult to grasp. Having worked in Manchester now for just 8 months, I’ve been amazed by the spirit of collaboration in the city and region, and the ambition of the people around here.”

“Over the last year, I’ve been working a lot with drones, experimenting with their creative possibilities, working with scientists to explore their potential as data capture tools. It’s an area that is completely exploding now and I’m not sure the world is ready for it. I’ve always been attracted to that kind of problem. Whether it’s genetic modification, stem cell technology, or wearable devices, what interests me is the ethical dilemmas they create and what they say about our future. Science communication through ethical debate has been a hallmark of my work and I’d love to foreground this during my year as Josh Award winner.”

New pages for freelancers

Tue, 19 May 2015 12:59:46 GMT

Many BIG members are freelance show presenters, workshop providers, exhibit developers and builders, trainers, coaches, evaluators, project managers, facilitators, consultants.

Whatever we call ourselves, freelancers are the people who generally get paid on a daily or sessional rate. We are working on adding new pages to the site to support freelancers.

See what we've done so far - click here

BIG Event bursaries now available!

Mon, 06 Apr 2015 10:46:01 GMT

BIG is offering 3-4 bursary places to attend the BIG Event 2015, taking place in Norwich between 22-24 July.

The bursary covers conference registration fees and gives limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

To apply for a conference place through the bursary, please download the form and guidelines here BIG Event 2015.

Deadline for application: 5pm on Wednesday 29th April 2015. Late applications will not be considered.

Submission of a review article of around 200 words for BIG’s enewsletter related to your conference attendance is a requirement of the bursary scheme and expenses will be issued on receipt of the article. We also hope you will be willing to give a hand at the conference where required; this gives you a great opportunity to create links with other delegates.

Early Bird registration closing soon

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 19:33:48 GMT

Early Bird registration for the BIG Event 2015 – with £50 off the standard conference fee – closes on 5 April 2015. Of course, you can still register for the BIG Event right up to the week before, but why not save some pennies by planning ahead? To view the latest draft of the programme, find out more and register, click here

BIG Event registration now OPEN

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:30:25 GMT

Registration is now open to join more than 150 STEM engagement professionals at the BIG Event 22-24 July 2015 at the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

Find out more and register here

Josh Award 2015 for outstanding sci-comm talent

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 19:36:24 GMT

Do you know an amazing science communicator? The application process has opened for the Josh Award 2015. The award aims to recognise one outstanding contributor to science communication each year by means of a defining moment in their career. BIG is working jointly with Manchester Science Festival and you can find out more here.

Working in University Outreach – Skills for STEM Engagement

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 16:50:57 GMT

A BIG Skills-day

Working in University Outreach – Skills for STEM Engagement

20-21 April, Edinburgh University.

£45 for BIG members. Click here for more information or to book.

Edinburgh SciComm Social

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 12:47:10 GMT

In or around Edinburgh with not nearly enough friends and contacts in science communication?

Get along to the Hemma Bar, 75 Holyrood House, Edinburgh EH8 8AE

Mon 26 Jan 2015

7pm onwards

Friendly BIG member Fiona Ross can tell you more if you need it.

BIG Event - call for session proposals OPEN

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 14:47:29 GMT

The BIG Event is delighted to be supported and hosted in 2015 by the John Innes Centre in Norwich on Wed 22 - Fri 24 July.

Get more information about the BIG Event generally here

Your session ideas can be put forward now until around the end of January on the BIG Event session site www.bigevent.info

Bring a show, a workshop, something needing tweaking, something you think is fab; bring your skills in evaluating, managing, developing, presenting, fettling; bring your planetarium, your STEM tap-routine, your busks, your… well, your stuff. But make it hands-on, make it collaborative, make it a truly sharing contribution. BIG members really don’t like to be spouted at – we like to have a go at a thing so bring the thing, not a picture of the thing.

The John Innes Centre will be fab, but different for BIG. It has a fantastic theatre for shows (pretty much perfect for the kind of work we do), lots of outdoor space, plenty of other breakout spaces – big meeting rooms, wee nooks and this year we will be offering the chance to book your overnight accommodation (at UEA across the road) through BIG’s website.

As a research facility, what the centre doesn’t have is a public area – a collection or an exhibition – so this year we’d like to change things around a little so we create something of a temporary exhibition ourselves during the three days. But what it does have is research and as such offers BIG members a chance to reflect on injecting current science into our daily bread-and-butter work and make new acquaintances to help do that together.

Right now, we particularly welcome offers to bring along shows and ideas to contribute to making a temporary exhibition. There’s lots of space for this; please get in touch with me if you’d like to have a chat about what might work.

Rachel Mason

BIG – STEM Communicators Network

event@big.uk.com

Little Event Registration OPEN

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 13:54:13 GMT

Thanks to generous support from Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, The Little Event will take place again this year.

Thursday 15 January 2015, 10am - 4.30pm

Thinktank, Birmingham

This one-day conference is for early-career STEM communicators who are keen to suck the knowledge and experience out of those who have been at it for ages. It is also an excellent opportunity to make professional and friendly relationships with others in similar work, or to update job-hunting skills for those hoping to take a next step in their careers.

- Develop your presentation skills
- Find out more about working in the business
- Gather evaluation tit-bits
- Pick up neat ideas
- Begin to turn your own ideas into actual public engagements

Go to the Little Event page

The Little Event was devised by BIG member Toni Hamill (Centre for Life, Newcastle) who wanted to create a useful event that she would want at the beginning of her own science communication career. Something to give her access to lots of expertise, something to help her establish professional networks, something like the BIG Event – only little!

If this event doesn't suit your needs, create your own.

Contact event@big.uk.com

BIG - a rebrand

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:25:18 GMT

Earlier this year, the Exec consulted with members about whether it was time for a BIG rebrand and over 95% of them agreed that the Exec could proceed. The case for looking at a rebrand was multifold:

• To reflect our evolved membership – we are no longer simply about ‘interactivity’

• The name was limiting and may alienate potential new members and reinforce the false perception that we are about science centres

• The 'OOC' logo was not representative of what we do and confusing

• There were always inconsistencies in typeface and logo reproduction.

We were aware that we had established brand, which is well-regarded and that the BIG name runs across other sub-brands (BIG-Chat, BIG Event etc). Many refer to us as simply “BIG” and the perception of this acronym is favorable. The full name is more misleading and alienating than the initials so we decided to retain some of the original brand and become simply, BIG, as this is how we are referred to colloquially anyway.

The name 'BIG' alone needed to sit with some kind of 'descriptive strapline' so we decided to shorten our existing mission statement to "STEM Communicators Network" and thus the design of a new logo and a visual identity refresh was commissioned.

After discussing various concepts, the Exec eventually settled on the new logo, which we know could be seen as a 'nurturing embrace' or 'a person lugging equipment' (Boxes and Gear). Whatever you see in the design, we are encouraged by the positive feedback we've had so far. The logo is here to stay and the new brand is being rolled out across our various media and literature over the coming weeks.

Event registration now CLOSED

Wed, 16 Jul 2014 08:51:40 GMT

Due to reaching the maximum number of delegates we can easily accommodate, registration for the BIG Event 2014 is now CLOSED.

Call for Committee Members

Sat, 05 Jul 2014 18:48:27 GMT

We are inviting current members of BIG to stand for a position on the 2014/15 Executive Committee.

ANY member can apply for ANY position on the Committee and no prior experience of Committee or Board work is required. It's always helpful to have a cross-representation of the entire membership on the Committee so we actively encourage applications from freelancers, science festivals, science centres, academic institutions, zoos, museums, funding and research bodies etc.

We are a friendly bunch, we meet about 4 times a year somewhere central to all committee members (for which your expenses will be covered) and you'll be fully supported in your role by BIG's Administrator. You will receive a cost-only place at the BIG Event 2015 (currently £70).

We are looking to fill all roles but in particular we are looking for a new Secretary and Treasurer as our current committee members are standing down this year.

All positions will be subject to an online vote and the results will be revealed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Oxford on July 24th (you do not need to be present).

To find out more about the positions, you can visit this page - or you may contact admin@big.uk.com to arrange an informal and confidential chat.

Nominations are to be received by 10am on 17th July by downloading the form here.

Keynote Speaker Announced!

Sun, 08 Jun 2014 11:59:46 GMT

Steve Crabtree, Editor of BBC Horizon is announced as Keynote Speaker for the BIG Event in Oxford next month. Steve took the position of Editor of Horizon at the BBC this year, so he probably knows a thing or two about creating ways to engage folks with current and relevant science. And he knows how to paint a submarine.

Josh Award 2014 - Applications

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 12:07:12 GMT

Manchester Science Festival , in conjunction with BIG, are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for The Josh Award 2014.

Established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award recognises a defining moment in the career of a science communicator; a person who is a practicing scientist or someone who has chosen science communication as their profession. This defining moment could be a game changing project, piece of work, way of working or a key moment of change, creativity, innovation or passion. A defining moment in a career that has transformed science communication practice, inspired others or changed the landscape of science communication.The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2014, developing and delivering a new project or event while show-casing best practise in the field of science communication.The winner will receive support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from both the Festival team and the British Interactive Group (BIG), the skills sharing network for individuals involved in the communication of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Applications are welcomed from science communication practitioners who can be full-time, part-time, or practising science communication through various aspects of their jobs, e.g. as a researcher at a University. We welcome applications from individuals and groups. The Award is open to anyone involved in science communication in the UK (and is a UK resident).

About Josh

The Award is inspired by and named in memory of Josh Phillips who was Science Communication Officer at the Museum of Science and Industry. Josh was a much loved, much respected and highly talented science communicator whose outstanding career is commemorated with this award. Josh was also Chair of the British Interactive Group.

For further information, and to download an application form, please visit www.big.uk.com/josh

BIG Ideas for Little People: Skills-Sharing for Early Years

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:28:24 GMT

Monday 19 May, 10am-5pm, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

A BIG skills day designed inspire and develop the skills of those who work with early years groups in a science centre, museum or similar.

Our latest Skills Day, developed and delivered in association with the National Museum of Scotland, will be a relaxed environment for the sharing of ideas and experience. We have three experienced Speakers who will develop your confidence and give you a fresh outlook on early years activities and what they can achieve.

For just £30 for BIG Members including a light lunch.

Book your place NOW here

One week left for early birds!

Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:48:23 GMT

Registration is open for the BIG Event 2014 in Oxford. You can save £50 on the full conference rate now if you book and pay before 31st March!

Register here

BIG Event 2014 bursary – now open

Wed, 12 Mar 2014 19:17:07 GMT

This year BIG is offering 2-3 bursary places to attend the BIG Event taking place at Oxford University Museum of Natural History on 23-25 July 2014.

The bursary provides registration fees for the BIG Event and gives limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

To apply for a conference place through the bursary, please download the form and guidelines from www.big.uk.com/bigevent14

Deadline for application: Wednesday 2 April 2014 (late applications will not be considered – sorry).

Submission of an article (approx 400 words) for BIG’s enewsletter related to your conference attendance is a requirement of the bursary scheme and expenses will be issued on receipt of the article. We also hope you will be willing to give a hand at the conference where required; this gives you a great opportunity to create links with other delegates.

Please get in touch with me if you have any questions.

Rachel Mason
BIG Event Organiser
0776 039 5585

Save £50 on BIG Event 2014 conference fees!

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:11:07 GMT

Registration is now open for the BIG Event 2014 in Oxford. You can save £50 on the full conference rate now if you book and pay before 31st March!

Venue Announced for BIG Event 2014!

Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:48:26 GMT

From Wed 23rd to Fri 25th July the BIG Event will be poking around the collections, the nooks and the crannies of the University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

The venue for this year provides oodles of potential for trying out new ideas and is a great place for a meaningful argument and a good rootle in some weird stuff. It was here at the Museum of Natural History that the famous evolutionary debate took place between Huxley and Wilberforce; it houses the University's scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. At the Pitt Rivers Museum next door one of the world's finest collections of anthropology and archaeology is held, with objects revealing humankind's extraordinary problem-solving and craft skill from every continent and from throughout human history.

It's a wonderful building; it's not to be missed. Expect some intimate spaces; expect some super Victorian Gothic surroundings.

If that's tickled your fancy and you already have seven or eight sessions you'd like to propose DON'T LET ME STOP YOU. You can go now to the BIG Event session proposal site at http://bigevent.info/ and put your ideas down for us all to chip in on. If you need to mull it over Christmas, we'll be taking session proposals until mid January.

The BIG Event is the British Interactive Group's annual get-together where people in the STEM enagement profession get together (of course) to swap, share, give and try out. It is hosted by a different visitor centre each year and the content and style of the Event changes to suit the surroundings. It's a like a conference, but nicer.

The Little Event returns!

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 18:39:05 GMT

BIG is thrilled to announce that the Little Event returns to Thinktank in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th January. It’s for people who are relatively new to STEM communication, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences. It’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be several sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, delivered by experienced science communicators following our usual hands-on approach.

But of course it isn’t just about the sessions, it’s the people you meet there too. The Little Event presents a great opportunity to meet people from across the UK working in similar roles and sharing similar experiences. The programme for the day will include sessions on Learning & evaluation, Interacting with the public, Managing your engagement project, Presenting and careers.

The price is £45 for BIG members - or non-members will need to join BIG first for £30 for 12 months.

Thanks to generous support from Graphic Science and BIG, we are able to offer 10 bursaries to cover 1 year’s BIG membership, registration fees for the Little Event and £25 towards travel expenses.

For more information about the day - or the bursary application process visit www.big.uk.com/littleevent14

Follow BIG Event on Twitter

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:06:33 GMT

You can follow the comings and goings of this year's BIG Event at Glasgow Science Centre on Twitter from today using the hashtag #bigevent13

Final programme for #bigevent13

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:12:53 GMT

Still undecided about whether to attend this year's BIG Event in Glasgow? The time is now. With only 10 places left, the final programme is available to view and download from our website.

Vote for 2013 Exec Committee Members!

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:01:16 GMT

If you are a member of BIG, you will have received an email in your inboxes inviting you to vote for candidates standing for election to a position on the Executive Committee 2013/14. Please use your vote wisely - it will make all the difference.

Executive Committee Nominations

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:02:28 GMT

Fancying standing for a position on BIG's 2013/14 Executive Committee? ANY member can apply for ANY of the following roles and no previous experience is required: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. All positions will be subject to an online vote and the results will be revealed at the AGM in July. For more information contact admin@big.uk.com

CBeebies Production at BBC Scotland - BIG Event Keynote Announced

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:04:01 GMT

Valerie Mellon, Assistant Producer with Nina and the Neurons, one of CBeebies’ flagship science programmes is announced as Keynote Speaker for the BIG Event 2013. Val’s work takes her all over the UK to meet ordinary folks with simple science questions and puts them together into an engaging programme aimed at the under sevens and their families.

Bursary Deadline Looming!

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:33:20 GMT

The deadline for applying for a bursary to attend this year's BIG Event taking place at Glasgow Science Centre is fast approaching!

The bursary provides registration fees for the BIG Event and gives limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

To apply for a conference place through the bursary, please download the form and guidelines from www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Deadline for application: Friday 26 April 2013 (late applications will not be considered – sorry).

Bursary announcement for BIG Event 2013

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:48:28 GMT

Can't afford to join 150+ STEM engagement professionals at the BIG Event but really, really, REALLY want to?

This year BIG is offering 2-3 bursary places to attend the BIG Event taking place at Glasgow Science Centre on 24-26 July 2013.

The bursary provides registration fees for the BIG Event and gives limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

To apply for a conference place through the bursary, please download the form and guidelines from www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Deadline for application: Friday 26 April 2013 (late applications will not be considered – sorry).

Submission of an article (approx 400 words) for BIG’s enewsletter related to your conference attendance is a requirement of the bursary scheme and expenses will be issued on receipt of the article. We also hope you will be willing to give a hand at the conference where required; this gives you a great opportunity to create links with other delegates.

Find out more about the BIG Event at www.big.uk.com

Registration now open for the BIG Event with Early Bird discount!

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:05:35 GMT

The BIG Event is a three-day conference providing an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time.

The conference is relevant for designers, presenters, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators, educationalists, funders, and anyone involved in the public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Many people working in the STEM engagement field have little opportunity to cross paths with their peers, so the BIG Event was designed with exactly this in mind.

More than 40 workshops, discussions, shows, and even a sprinkling of sessions that surpass classification; this is the place to:
share skills and experiences
develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field
hone your skills and recharge your professional batteries
pick up great ideas and show off your talents to peers

Call for session proposals: BIG Event 2013

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 15:23:41 GMT

It’s time folks! Time to put forward your excellent ideas for sessions that will plump out the BIG Event with succulent morsels of professional development.

The BIG Event, taking place on 24-26 July 2013 at Glasgow Science Centre provides an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. It’s like power juice for STEM communicators.

If you have a project you would like to share with others – because it’s brilliant, because it’s in progress or because it needs love and support from like-minded people – then get it out to your peers. This is the chance to meet people who can help you in your STEM engagement work, partner your project, solve your problem, help you get funding, teach you skills, find you a new job, or simply feel your pain. Don’t just sit in the audience – join the show by proposing a session of your own. The BIG Event is all about sharing skills and experiences so why not share yours?

To give you some ideas, really good past sessions include:

Workshops to develop themed trails or create props and simple exhibits
Training to improve presentations, like stage presence, prop handling and use of humour and emotion
Sessions inviting you to have a good play with your content and explore its potential
Sessions to help you market your wares or sell yourself to the employer of your dreams
Opportunities to get into the minds of funders
Delegates bringing their works-in-progress to get your help in refining them
Workshops to create collaborative content for an activity, like busking, outdoors, water, dialogue, U3A, 14-19, Foundation Stage, collections, you name it…

The call for session proposals is now open. Propose your session online by following the link below.

If you haven’t put forward a session before and would like to discuss your ideas first, please contact Rachel Mason event@big.uk.com

Propose a Session

If you haven’t put forward a session before, BIG is here to support you – for more information on what the BIG Event is all about and what makes a good session click here

Final Programme for Little Event

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:55:59 GMT

It's not too late to join other newbie science communicators at our Little Event at Thinktank on 7th January. We have a handful of places left at just £45 for BIG members. The full programme is now available to view online at www.big.uk.com/littleevent13.

BIG comes to Scotland!

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:38:37 GMT

Glasgow Science Centre will play host to the BIG Event 2013! It's the Event's first time in Scotland and the iconic buildings of glass, titanium and steel, the centre will provide an unforgettable backdrop.The annual British Interactive Group Conference will be held on 24-26 July.

Little Event Bursaries Announced!

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:27:11 GMT

Thanks to generous support from Graphic Science and BIG, we are able to offer 10 bursaries worth £100 each which includes 1 year’s BIG membership, registration fees for the Little Event and £25 towards travel expenses.

The Little Event returns to Thinktank in Birmingham on Monday 7 January from 10am - 5pm. It’s for people who are relatively new to STEM communication, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences. It’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be 4 sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, delivered by experienced science communicators following our usual hands-on approach.

If you wish to apply for one of the 10 free places, applying is simple. Just email Rachel Mason at event@big.uk.com to tell us in no more than 300 words why you would like the opportunity to come to the Little Event and how you think it will benefit your personal and professional development.

Deadline for bursary applications: 10.00am on Monday 26th November

If you have already registered for the Event you can still apply for the bursary, but you must send us your 300 word application.

For more information or to book, visit www.big.uk.com

The Little Event returns on Monday 7th January 2013!

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:41:16 GMT

The Little Event is like the BIG Event – only little! It's a one-day conference aimed at early-career STEM communicators who are keen to suck the knowledge and experience out of those who have been at it for ages.

Find out more or book at www.big.uk.com/littleevent13

BIG Event 2012 - Twitter Hashtag

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:49:19 GMT

Just three days left to the BIG Event 2012 in York. The Twitter hashtag is #bigevent12 - who reckons we can get it trending?

Best Demo Competition 2012

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:22:26 GMT

Register now for the BIG Best Demo Competition 2012! Now in its 16th year we invite you to demonstrate something that really lights your fire and you just can’t help but show off to your peers. You have three minutes, a welcoming audience and the chance to win the prestigious Best Demo Award to display on your desk, in your shed or sliding across the dashboard of your van.
www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Free entry to UK Science Centres

Thu, 31 May 2012 08:32:54 GMT

It’s that time of year for getting out and about and exploring. So I just wanted to remind you all that your BIG Membership Card allows you free entry to selected UK Science Centres and Museums. For a full and up-to-date list of participating Centres, visit www.big.uk.com/benefits.

Join the Executive Commitee

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:50:36 GMT

Fancy playing a key role in the future direction of THE skills-sharing network for STEM communicators and engagement professionals? Places on BIG’s Executive Committee are up for grabs and will be appointed at the AGM in July. A chance to hone your management skills! Find out more www.big.uk.com/agm

Latest conference programme announced!

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:02 GMT

The BIG Event is a prestigious conference that brings together 150+ STEM engagement and associated professionals from across the UK to share skills and experiences, develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field.

Three whole days of workshops, shows and discussion groups covering topics such as:

- Making the most of emotions in science communication
- Getting into teachers’ heads, universities’ heads and even your own head
- Looking after your intellectual property
- Explorations in training staff
- How to get money
- How to deal with not getting money
- Marketing on a shoestring
- Workshops on competitions, maths, dialogue, physics, Olympics, exhibits …

At just £100 a day (which includes annual membership and a nice lunch) what are you waiting for?

www.big.uk.com/bigevent

BIG Event 2012 - National Railway Museum, York 25 - 27 July

Bursaries for BIG Event 2012!

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:29:00 GMT

Announcing bursaries to attend this year's BIG Event 2012 in York. View the application criteria and download an application form here: www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Putting the M into STEM

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:08:56 GMT

Are you looking to improve and develop skills for maths outreach? Do you currently do public engagement in maths and want to improve, or are you looking to try and incorporate the 'M in STEM' into your work? BIG’s forthcoming skills day on Maths Communication will be held on 8th May in Manchester. www.big.uk.com/maths

Whet your appetite with this year's BIG Event programme...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:48:58 GMT

While you’re waiting for this year's BIG Event conference programme to unfurl, here’s something to whet your appetite:
Wednesdays get bigger - This year for the first time the BIG Event will run for a full three days, starting with a day dedicated to providing delegates with resources to expand their portfolio of activities including:
Getting sponsorship for the very first time: top 10 tips to help you understand how to approach companies to raise between £500 and £5,000 for a local project.
Marketing on a shoestring: hints and tips on how to market your event, centre or service at very low (or no) cost.
Smarter UK training: a half-day workshop that GIVES you all the resources and training to run a new facilitated discussion session for schools. Smarter UK comes to you fully developed with teachers’ resources for your organisation to incorporate into its schools offer. Smarter UK is devised by Graphic Science and funded by the Wellcome Trust.

People Power... the Science of Engaging Audiences

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:36:57 GMT

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our upcoming skills day:

People Power... the Science of Engaging Audiences.

Our one-day course will concentrate on explaining, exploring and workshopping, audience interaction and volunteer engagement techniques. This course enables even the most experienced of presenters to enhance their science demonstrations by making the most out of their audience contributions.

The day is split into a series of practical and theoretical challenges, which help participants practice techniques whilst allowing them to explore their application to their own specific presentations and workshops.

Date: Monday 2nd April
Venue: At-Bristol Science Centre, Bristol
Cost: £40 for BIG Members (includes refreshments and lunch)

Non-members will need to join BIG first to participate, at a cost of £30 for annual membership.

Delegate registration is now OPEN!

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:12:05 GMT

Prices for this year's BIG Event are as frozen as the roads! Conference fees are the same as 2011 and the "early bird" rate returns! Register and pay before 31 March to get a full £50 off! And if that's not exciting enough, this year the conference will be held over THREE FULL DAYS!

Session proposals needed for BIG 2012

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:08:12 GMT

Call for session proposals is now open! If you have an idea for a conference session, please click on www.big.uk.com/bigevent and get your form in before 3rd Feb!

BIG Event 2012 is heading to the National Railway Museum in York

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:58:22 GMT

The 2012 BIG Event is heading North to the fabulous National Railway Museum in York! Join STEM colleagues from across the sector on 25-27 July 2012. A call for session proposals will be announced in the New Year so get planning and start making links with other organisations to make this a truly skills-sharing experience.

Advanced Audience Skills - Creating Astonishment

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:35:20 GMT

Our upcoming skills day, to be held in London on 17th October is a one-day course focusing on stagecraft skills specifically for those who regularly present science demonstrations to the public. Spaces are limited to 15 participants - so book early! £45 for BIG Members.
www.big.uk.com/events

Little Event returns!

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:57:07 GMT

Not everything BIG does is BIG. Sometimes the little things matter too, and we announce the return of The Little Event to Thinktank in Birmingham on Monday 5th September. And we have 10 bursaries available to cover your costs! Aimed at those relatively new to STEM communication, it’s a lot like the BIG Event, but a bit smaller, and all crammed into one busy day. There will be 4 sessions, each focusing on developing a different skill, delivered by experienced science communicators following our usual hands-on approach.

www.big.uk.com/little

What's going on in his head?

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:58:34 GMT

"What's going on in his head?" is an exciting addition to the BIG Event programme. At the end of January, James Piercy was involved in a car accident. Find out where he is on the road to recovery and what he's learned along the way. With scary pictures, some swearing and even a few laughs the show is James' thanks to the BIG community for its support and a way of explaining any unusual behaviour you might witness!

Join our Executive Committee!

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:40:53 GMT

BIG is seeking members for a position on the Executive Committee. If you think you have something to offer us and to get a lot back in return, please visit www.big.uk.com/agm. The closing date for nominations is 1st July and all positions will be subject to an online vote by members.

VSG Summer Seminar at BIG Event!

Wed, 25 May 2011 08:54:11 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the Visitor Studies Group's summer seminar has been arranged to coincide with the first morning of the BIG Event - and delegates can join the seminar for the concession rate of just £30.

Wednesday 20th July 2011 - 9.45am - 2.00pm
Find out how Visitor Studies have informed the development of two new exhibitions, visit the galleries and discuss new methods in an interactive workshop.
•Join in on a tour of the newly-opened M-Shed and discover the formative work conducted in process of redeveloping this important local museum.
•View a showcase of the formative work undertaken in the development of 60 interactive exhibits for At-Bristol’s All About Us exhibition.
•Share your latest and most innovative Visitor Studies tools and techniques in a creative workshop. Bring along an example of a tool, device or question that you’ve recently discovered to discuss in the workshop.

You can find out more and register online: http://www.visitors.org.uk/node/434

Or register for the BIG Event here: www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Keynote speaker announced!

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:32:15 GMT

Taking on the role of delivering BIG’s annual high profile keynote speech this year will be Miles Bullough, Head of Broadcast and Executive Producer at Aardman Animations. Miles is responsible for the development, finance and production of Aardman’s television series and specials including Shaun The Sheep, Timmy Time and Wallace & Gromits World of Inventions

Miles will talk about the challenges of running creative projects, the highs and lows of managing creative people, and experiences from Aardman on balancing quality, innovation, and the needs of audiences. These are daily endeavours for BIG delegates, and we look forward to a lively discussion and debate!

Prior to joining Aardman, Miles was MD at Absolutely Productions Ltd; the producers of Trigger Happy TV, The Jack Docherty Show, Meg and Mog, Armstrong and Miller, Stressed Eric and many more comedy and entertainment shows. Miles started his media career as a runner on the Michael Caine film ‘The Whistle Blower’ before joining ‘After Image’, a small independent based in Brixton, South London which specialised in making arts programmes for Channel 4 where he multi-tasked his way up to production manager. He then became Head of Production at IPH Westhall Ltd, a company that provided production, legal, and financial services to independent producers such as Charlie Parsons’ Planet 24 for The Word, The Walt Disney Company for Disney Time and the GMTV Saturday morning shows Rise and Shine and Saturday Disney.

There is still time to register for this year's BIG Event - from just £60 - at www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Bursary Announcement - BIG Event 2011

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:54:18 GMT

BIG is delighted to announce that it is offering 3-4 bursary places to cover registration fees for the BIG Event and give limited travel and accommodation support to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

To apply for a conference place through the bursary, please click here: www.big.uk.com/Default.aspx?pageId=984913

If you have already registered and paid to attend the BIG Event, you are still eligible to apply for a bursary. If you are awarded a bursary, your fees will be refunded.

The deadline for completed bursary applications is Friday 29 April 2011.

"Voice Coaching" and "Improvisation Skills" announced for Event!

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:41:52 GMT

Two new skills-enhancing workshops for Presenters: "Voice Coaching" and "Improvisation Skills" are announced for the BIG Event 2011.

Delegates will also have an opportunity - for the first time ever - to sign up for one-on-one surgery sessions with experts from inside and outside the field on matters such as insurance, business development and marketing. To see the full range of really exciting programme updates for the BIG Event 2011 - including brand new shows - please visit www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Event Coordinator required!

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:49:07 GMT

The BIG Executive Committee are now recruiting for an Event Coordinator for the BIG Event and Little Event 2012 on a part time, freelance basis.

The contract period will be 1 October 2011 – 31 October 2012 and a fee of £3000 is offered.
The workload fluctuates considerably throughout the contract period and will equate to a maximum of 30 days.

For a full job description and application requirements, please visit the jobs page.

Save £50!

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:41:40 GMT

There is still time to save £50 off the full conference package if you register and pay by the end of this month.

The BIG Event is the most exciting event in the STEM Communicator’s annual professional and social calendar. This year's event in Bristol will feature its trademark mix of professional development, opportunities to debate the future of the sector through targeted discussion, the best science shows currently travelling the UK circuit and a range of sessions designed to strengthen delegates and their organisations.

BRAND NEW for 2011...

• Experience cutting edge science show development – using magic, incorporating ‘play’, developing production values, and learning from commercial theatre.

• Increase your impact across STEM: including a focus on maths engagement, working on and offline, using formative evaluation

• Debate the current issues in learning and influence educational research – including primary science, curriculum changes and the link between informal and informal learning.

• Learn how to work with unique partners: festivals, nightclubs, and corporates.

View the programme and register for your place by clicking here: www.big.uk.com/bigevent

Event Registration LIVE!

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:14:25 GMT

Registration for the BIG Event 2011 is now LIVE! Be sure to take advantage of our special early bird deal – a full £50 off the conference fees – available only until March 31st.

The first draft of the programme can be viewed at:

http://www.big.uk.com/bigevent

This year's event is going to be BIGGER and better than ever with some brand new, exciting sessions in the pipeline. Check the site for updated programmes that will be available regularly until the event.

The BIG Event is relevant for artists, presenters, archaeologists, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators and anyone involved in STEM communication whatever their field.

@bristol confirm free entry to members

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:29:51 GMT

Explore @bristol are the latest centre to sign up to offer free admission for BIG members producing a valid membership card. This latest offer will save members £12.50 each time they visit for the next 2 years!

Volunteers Needed - Lab in a Lorry!

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:36:00 GMT

Smash a wine glass with sound, generate power for a house, make a digital camera – volunteers needed…!

Do these things sound intriguing? Are you interested in communicating science to a young audience? Lab in a Lorry needs volunteers with a scientific background for events across the country this academic year.

Lab in a Lorry is an interactive mobile laboratory which gives young people (11-14 year olds) the opportunity to explore science through open-ended experiments. Volunteers guide the students through the experiments (oil and viscous liquids, sound and resonance, light scattering and colours, climate change and energy sources, optoelectronics) and makes sure everyone gets to be involved through hands on experience.

What would I have to do?
You’d be asked to oversee an experiment for the day. On the morning of an event, you’d receive training on the Lab and we send you all the background material in advance.

We ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of one full school day but you are welcome to come along for as many days as you like - we have plenty of freebies for you, such as
T-shirts, magnets and your very own Lab in a Lorry, see the picture below! You also receive free affiliate membership to the Institute of Physics.
More information?

To find out more about what’s involved in volunteering for Lab in a Lorry and where we will be touring, visit our website: http://www.labinalorry.org.uk where our tour schedule is always up to date and contact me on the details below to sign up. Volunteers are the key to the success of Lab in a Lorry and I hope that you will become part of the team.

Free entry to science centres!

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:35:31 GMT

Most UK science centres have been kind enough to offer BIG members a free visit on production of their valid membership cards. Please get in touch if your Centre is not included. Members very often bring their paying families with them and Centres get a full listing and a link from our website.

Science in School seeks involvement from BIG members!

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:04:39 GMT

Science in School, the European journal for science teachers, covers not only biology, physics and chemistry, but also earth sciences, engineering and medicine. The contents of this free journal include teaching materials, recent discoveries in science, education projects, interviews with young scientists and inspiring teachers, book reviews, and European events for teachers and schools. Science in School welcomes the involvement of BIG Members in a number of ways.

To list your events for teachers and schools in the Science in School calendar (www.scienceinschool.org/events), email the editors with brief details: date, location, title, abstract, price, language, registration deadline, website, contact email address, and any restrictions on who can attend.
As a science communicator organising events for teachers, you might like to distribute flyers or free copies of the print journal. Just let the editors know how many copies you would like and where to send them.
If you are involved in an education project that science teachers can join, that could serve as a model for others, or that has produced innovative teaching materials, why not consider submitting an article about it? See the author guidelines and ask the editors if you have any questions.

Finally, if you know other ways to tell science teachers about the journal –please do so.
For more information, visit www.scienceinschool.org or email editor@scienceinschool.org.

10% off Masterclass in Science Communication course fees for BIG members!

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:42:42 GMT

BIG members get 10% off the course fees for UWE's forthcoming Masterclass in Science Communication to be held 11-14 October 2010 in Bristol.

UWE's Masterclass is a hugely popular short course created to provide intensive professional development in science communication. The masterclass draws on the existing expertise of the team that delivers UWE's popular and practical Masters in Science Communication.

Topics covered include: historical and social contexts plus current drivers for science communication; different ways of communicating science; engaging with the public; facilitation; fundraising; project planning; print and new media; and evaluation.

To register as a participant, or to find out more about the course before their imminent closing date of 17 September, please click here: www.scu.uwe.ac.uk/index.php?q=node/199

New website!

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:19:44 GMT

The brand new BIG website is now LIVE! There's loads of new stuff on the site including information about training
courses, career development and a summary of the exciting discussion which
took place at this year's Event about Freelancers' daily rates.

We're going to be adding new content over the Autumn and the new site allows
us to run forums and blogs and we'll be introducing those as we go along.

If you are a member of BIG, your old login will no longer work and you will
have received a separate email asking you to follow three simple steps. If
you have not received this, do please let me know.

Science for All Action Plan

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:47:37 GMT

Currently it’s all go putting the 60-plus action points from the Science for All Action Plan into life.

Based on recommendations from (and informed by) various consultations including the recent Science Communication Conference organised by British Science Association, the working groups are beginning to bear fruit. Here are a couple of highlights that you can expect to be coming your way soon.

The Science in Society team from the British Science Association led a session introducing the jazzily-named ‘Collective Memory’ at the BIG Event 2010 about how the entire community can share our expertise (all for free) and learn from each other.

However, for those who didn’t manage to make it, we need your help. Have a look at www.britishscienceassociation.org/ CollectiveMemory to see what the pilot scheme looks like and have a go adding an evaluation or two. Does it work for you? What would you find most useful? Have your say, and shape a tool that can help us all to learn from each other and plan and evaluate future activities.

Coming up in the near future will be some scoping work into exploring the networks that Sci-Commers use and find really helpful – what works for you? Also, a complete beginner’s guide to Social Media – how’s it being used to engage people with the sciences?

BIG Bursary Winner Announced!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:31:03 GMT

Congratulations to Jenny Dockett, Public Engagement Manager at the Centre for Life in Newcastle who has been awarded this year’s BIG Bursary.

Jenny will be finding out what science centres and outreach providers can learn from the Forest School ethos and will attend a 5-day training course. Both Forest Schools and Science Centres take learning outside of the classroom and engage children in a different way to schools. Forest schools are becoming increasingly popular, the key to their success is engaging children to learn through fun activities and hopefully when they go back to the classroom they take their new found confidence in learning back with them.

BIG STEM Communicators Network Latest news

Josh Award 2026 open for applications

DR MELANIE QUIN 1958 – 2025

BIG Event 2024 - Thaddeus Papke (speaker and bursary recipient)

Nominations for the BIG Executive Committee

Beetlestone Award open until 1st May

Family Fun Day at The Royal Institution. A BIG opportunity

BIG Event 2025 at The Royal Institution

The Little Event 2025

5 things you should know before you attend your first BIG conference, by Amelia Doran

Congratulations to Chenying Liu, Josh Award winner 2024.

Booking now open for The BIG Event at Cardiff University, July 24th-26th

From the BIG event to the RI: How informal conversations created collaboration.

Bursary Applications for The BIG Event are now welcomed (and encouraged!)

Eligibility

Other assessment considerations

What will you have to do in return?

Early Bird Booking now open for The BIG Event 2024 in Cardiff

The Beetlestone Award 2024 - nominations now open

Applications for The Josh Award 2024 open on 24th February

The Josh Award

The BIG Event 2024

Beetlestone Award 2023

The Little Event and our next Skills Day are now open for booking

Free online training session, brought to you by BIG and The Public Engagement Trainers Network

Best Demo Competition is OPEN

Nominations now open for our Executive Committee 2022/23

The 2022 BIG Event Programme is now LIVE

April Sci Comm Social via Zoom

Cheltenham Science Festival , MakerShack

Early Bird booking is now open

INCREDIBLE SPECIAL OFFER Public Engagement Skills Retreat with Malcolm Love

*Malcolm Love would like to offer BIG Members the special price of £500 for his mid-week training retreat, which includes food and accommodation alongside this very beneficial course.*

Public engagement skills training retreat by the sea 23rd - 24th march 2022

New Scientist Live - Call for Speakers

Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment

ASDC National Conference 24th & 25th November: Sustainable Futures

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursary

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursarY

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING APPLICATIONS

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE TO DO IN RETURN?

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

IMA Maths Communication Resources Grant Scheme

Large-scale drug analysis reveals potential new COVID-19 antivirals

Build a startup that transforms the food system.

Arts Based Approaches to Public Engagement

Biochemical Society announces its 2022 award recipients

WE THE CURIOUS AWARDED PROJECT INSPIRE GRANT TO CREATE CLIMATE CRISIS THEMED RESEARCH RESIDENCES FOR EMERGING YOUNG CREATIVES IN THE CITY

The Innes Lecture

MSc in Science Communication at UWE Bristol

Spanish National Research Council and Portland Press sign Read & Publish deal enabling unlimited open access in the Biochemical Society’s journals

Max Planck Digital Library and Portland Press sign Read & Publish deal enabling unlimited open access in the Biochemical Society’s journals

How to make your events and activities more accessible

BIG Partnership Bursary Announcement - Talking Maths in Public 2019

Josh Award 2019 winners

Exhibit Prototyping for Beginners - a BIG Skills Day

Freelance position available

Beetlestone Award 2019 Winners Announced!

"Real Stories Of Scicomm" open mic night

The BIG Event 2019 Bursary – OPEN

Early bird discount for BIG Event 19 closing soon!

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE BETTER EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ALLIES?

Exhibit Prototyping Skills Days - intermediate level, 2 days

Award Announcements - Josh Award 2019 and Beetlestone Award 2019

Early bird registration open for BIG Event 19

Call for newsletter contributions

Closing date - BIG Event session proposals

Financial Support for Skills Day on Training Researchers in PE

BIG Event 2019 - Call for session proposals

STFC Leadership Fellowships in Public Engagement

TRAINING RESEARCHERS IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Bursary announcement - Little Event 2019

Little Event 2019

Training in Presentation, business and storytelling

UKSFN conference 2018

National Forum for Public Engagement with STEM

Autumn edition of the BIG Members' e-newsletter

BIG SKILLS DAY - HOW TO DEVELOP A TRAINING SESSION

Matthew Allen awarded 2018 Josh Award

2018 Best Demo competition winner

Malcolm Love would like to offer BIG Members the special price of £500 for his mid-week training retreat, which includes food and accommodation alongside this very beneficial course.