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- Session Proposals 2026
BIG Event 2026 Below is a list of our current sessions. This is not fully finalised as some of our speakers will be working together to update and potentially combine their sessions, but will allow you to see the range of topics being included. This will soon be organised into distinct strands of content. This year we were overwhelmed by the excitement and number of proposals we received, and want to thank everyone who submitted. You made our committee think long and hard about their decisions! Also not listed below are exciting sessions from the Josh & Beetlestone Awards, the Best Demo Competition, an exciting keynote and the return of I Saw This and Though of You! If you are interested in being part of any of these sessions, please reach out to event@big.uk.com, and we can link you with the proposers.
Hannah Hagon This session will immerse attendees in playful, sensory, screen-free activities that teach the principles of computational thinking through the power of embodied cognition. Participants will actively engage in challenges that demonstrate how children learn to decompose problems, spot patterns, and design simple algorithms—all through hands-on play. The session will also explore ways to embed these approaches into schools, family learning, and community programs, giving attendees tools to transform their own practice. Expect laughter, lightbulb moments, and tangible takeaways you can use the next day.
James Piercy We will hear stories, not direct or critique technique but learn power by listening and telling in this lunchtime activity with James Piercy and others.
Lizah van der Aart This will be a guided session where attendees will create their own science comic. No experience needed, only pen and paper. This workshop will walk you through the same steps we take when we create YouTube videos for a general audience and will share tricks that you can use for any project that tells a story.
Lets face it. Everyone wants a fantastic podcast! You might be just thinking about ideas for format or structure. You might be thinking about how you can edit and record clean waves and the kit involved. You might even be a podcast veteran who has that edit that you just cannot clean. Well Dr Pods Podcast surgery might be able to help! in this lunch time drop in session you can bring ideas for discussion, talk about formats and what works best, get a recording done for your channels, have a tutorial about getting started in Adobe Audition, have a go at multitrack editing, explore spectral editing and even bring those pesky edits for some treatment.
Gareth Campbell Have you ever sat through a conference and thought "I can't take one more slide with data on it"? Well, this could be just the lubrication that prevents your talks from being drier than solid CO2. In this gig-style workshop you will learn about the transferrable skills that 3 chancers who do stand-up as a hobby have utilised in their jobs as science communicators.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus said in 60 BCE said; 'Let they speech be better than silence or be silent!' We could translate this to 'if you haven't got anything interesting to say keep quiet'. In this session we will show you that this is never true and everyone with some simple rules and enough practice can present to an audience like the best TEDx speaker. In this interactive session, we will introduce you to two simple sets of rules to make presentations amazing, explore a few practical skills and perform an experiment as a group to show you why you are more important than your words or content.
Sotiria Boutsi The session will begin with a brief overview of the benefits of outdoor learning. We will then explore specific examples of activities for diverse audiences, such as BioBlitz events, stargazing nights, and more. Participants will discover practical ideas and will familiarise themselves with some tools (including digital resources) to enrich these experiences. The session will conclude with a discussion, providing opportunities to exchange ideas and share personal experiences.
Jo Montgomery During this session we will discuss and showcase research, outcomes, strategies and resources to improve accessibility, inclusion and building science capital - empowering every science learner. - We will explore a range of strategies and ‘tweaks’ that can be successfully used in public engagement, outreach, curriculum design and teaching and learning to promote science identity and build science capital, and why it is essential that this happens before the age of 10 to tackle social justice and equity. Children's examples, pupil and teacher voice will be used from a variety of schools and events to show the impact of some of the strategies trialled to promote equity and inclusion. I am an Accredited Trainer of the Primary Science Capital Teaching Approach and will share reflections on the evidence of the impact of strategies that are exemplified.
Playing towards a better future: hope-punk game design Khalil Thirlaway The year is 2026. Intersecting crises of environmental collapse, economic decay and resurgent fascism combine to make hope a rare and precious commodity. The knowledge provided by science seems to mostly tell us we’re doomed, or is that our fear and cognitive bias coming into play? Science is an integral part of our way out of these crises, but we can’t create a better future without first envisioning it. We have to believe it’s possible to make it possible.
Magne Hognestad Who doesn´t like freestuff? This will be a workshop with stations where people can build different science themed make-and-takes to bring home. If you have some interesting make & takes feel free to bring them along (so we also can bring some stuff back home). Usually when we do this at teacher workshops, the teachers refuse to take breaks, and keep building after the end of the workshop, so expect an enjoyable session.
Honest Conversations About Money Dr Katherine Holmes We love science, it’s why we involve ourselves in science communication, but if we want to make a career in science, we’re going to need to tackle that pesky thing called money. Whether you work for an organisation or are full time freelance, you will likely run into a situation where you need to manage money. But how do you value your work in a negotiation? Is that value a variable or a constant? How do you respond when asked for a day-rate? How much money do you need to survive? How much are others charging for the same work? Deposits? Pensions? Expenses? Tax? How do I balance all of this without underselling myself and undercutting others, but also managing the worry that high-fee requests will scare off clients?
Samantha Durbin Try out or share a STEM-related craft while chatting with your fellow event attendees at this informal networking session. All welcome, regardless of crafting experience - you can bring something to work on, share, or simply have a go at some of our favourite STEM craft activities.
You Don’t Need to Become an Influencer to Be Visible, Trusted, and Booked Emma Harper This session would focus on helping STEM educators understand that visibility doesn’t have to mean shouting on social media or doing everything everyone else is doing. Instead, it would explore a range of visibility strategies beyond social media, such as partnerships, speaking opportunities, community engagement and word-of-mouth, and help attendees identify what feels realistic and right for them.
Outdoor Bubble Mayhem Ian Russell (AKA 'Bigbubbleman') This is a spectacular outdoor bubble performance, of the kind that attracts huge crowds and drives children into a total frenzy of excitement and joy. It is likely to have a similar effect on BIG Event delegates.
More Than “Make It Pretty”: Creative Visual Practices & Tools for Science Communication Scarlett Li-Williams You don’t need to be a visual designer or illustrator, and you don’t need to master any specialty software or use generative AI. This session will guide you through using creative thinking to make science visually clearer, more engaging, and more accessible. Visuals aren’t just for making scientific information “pretty”; they’re a powerful tool!
Alice Fraser How can we design a public engagement strategy that works for research and the public? In an interactive session, we will share lessons learned from creating a public engagement strategy at our Institute, exploring what we considered and how we balanced our Institute's goals with what our audiences want. We will use citizen science as a case study to explore how we can embed public engagement into research culture. And together we will map out our thoughts on what researchers want from engagement versus what the public want, discussing how these insights can shape our strategies.
Two-minute Public Speaking Clinic: Practical Tools for Science Communication Isabel Pazmino-Mayorga Two-Minute Public Speaking Clinic is a hands-on, supportive workshop designed for scientists and science communicators who want to sharpen how they talk about their work. Through short, two-minute talks, participants will explore body language, vocal delivery, structure, and how small changes can make scientific messages clearer and more engaging. The session emphasises constructive peer feedback and self-reflection, giving participants practical tools they can immediately apply to talks, outreach activities, and public engagement settings.
Creative Science & Scientific Art Amelia Doran While some see science and the arts as two sides of a coin, this session aims to demonstrate that the two can not just co-exist, but inform and shape the other. With perspectives from science museums, engagement projects, festivals and artists themselves, this session will explore what makes for a harmonious relationship between science and the arts, and where clashes could take place - plus how all of that could feed into your next activity, funding bid or project. So grab some magazines, get collaging; and get some creative ideas flowing!
Joel Webster (Jokey Joel) Working with live audiences is fun. "Oh no it isn't!" Pantomime may seem a world way from STEM communication however there a LOT of transferrable skills. Everything from how to hold your body, use the diaphragm, use syllable emphasis to make a point, use silence to your advantage, read an audience, adapt to audience comments/heckles/questions. At Sublime Science we love talking about science but it can be challenging. Even if you've got your content and topics organised, where do you start in getting you audiences attention and setting a positive tone?
Stephen Summers
Howie Firth The Orkney International Science Festival offers a unique model of STEM engagement rooted in community, culture, and a strong sense of place. Rather than positioning science as something delivered to an audience, the festival is shaped with its audience and draws on local arts, heritage, landscape, and lived experience to make science meaningful and relevant. Participants will take part in an interactive workshop, sharing their own experiences and collaboratively developing ideas for place-based, audience-led science activities that could be adapted to different communities.
Faye Watson Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is no longer a “nice to have” in research - it’s an essential part of doing work that is meaningful, relevant and ethical. But for many researchers and science communicators, knowing where to begin can feel daunting. This session offers a practical introduction to PPI, led by three people who are supporting and undertaking PPI from different lenses within and outwith Universities. By delving into some case studies and applying participants own knowledge to these scenarios, attendees will learn what PPI is, how it differs from sci comm and public engagement, how their existing skills translate naturally into involvement work, and how to navigate common challenges.
Naomi Foster Each of our panel of presenters will share an activity or method that they use to connect people with the outdoors, such as to teach a particular concept to children, get people noticing the nature around them, or using nature to understand ourselves better. These could range from how you can use bugs to dismantle exclusionary narratives to why everyone should have a pet rock. Participants will be involved in the activities and have opportunities for discussing them in small groups. Some activities will be hands-on and others will be more discussion-based.
Fiona Travers Over the last 5 years the Public Engagement Team at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh has been working on improving the way they work with communities. Come along to this session to hear our story so far; including how we put plans into action, tips on what worked well for us and how we handled things when it didn’t quite work out.
A Short History of Nearly Everything...You Need for a Grant Application Geri Kitley Have you ever been told ‘you should apply for funding for that’, or spotted a grant call in your inbox but weren’t sure where to start? This session shares practical tips from funders, what to include in a strong grant application with plenty of space for your questions. It's designed so you'll get something out of it whether you're considering your first application or have held grants before and maybe even have your own tips to share.
Chris Hamlett This session explores different aspects of developing, and delivering, an engagement strategy that involves a range of different partners. There will be small group discussions looking at different aspects concerning developing the strategy (including the interests of the different groups involved), implementing it and then adapting it accordingly.
Hannah Ford Tomlinson What do disabled and neurodivergent people working in scicomm need to thrive? And what can we learn about taking care of ourselves and each other from our disabled & neurodivergent colleagues?
Eve Armstrong Who are the voices we hear when talking about science? How do we know that we are truly listening? Join Eve and Paula from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to experience what real listening means, and to explore why listening is the most important part of communication.
Enabling young people’s creativity in STEM engagement projects gives them agency to explore a topic in a way that is defined by them, offering the opportunity for choice-driven learning. It can also result in the young person taking ownership of both their creation and their learning, thereby building science capital that they can draw on later in life.
Sam Weston Meaningful and equitable community engagement is often difficult, and finding a starting point can be overwhelming. In this session we will work through some examples of where and how we have engaged with and co-created with different communities. We will open the discussion up to the group to share their experiences of working together with community groups too, making this a facilitated session for sharing ideas.
Sarah Cosgriff Pop-up spaces shops have great potential for engaging communities with science: they can engage underserved audiences, provide opportunities for testing activities and formats, and help build relationships with local audiences.
Matt Williamson Presentation 101 - Get the basics right and have more effective and engaging talks!
Felicity Perry This would be a Panel session / Q&A that would be facilitated by me (Felicity Perry) - I will find at least 2 other senior people to join me to talk about our careers so far, and what we wish we'd known before climbing the ladder to management and leadership.
Collaboration Skills Discussion Adam Boal Some short presentations and then facilitated group discussion on how we can develop and nurture successful STEM engagement collaborations.
Balancing Access, Equity, and Delivery in National Education Initiatives: Lessons from the Schools Geology Challenge Ashley Akingbade The Geological Society is a membership organisation and, through its Education Team, delivers a range of core programmes, alongside ad hoc activities and resources, to support primary and secondary students and teachers. A central aim of the Education Team is to build students’ interest in and understanding of the Earth, planetary science, and the interactions between the natural and built environment and the Schools Geology Challenge is a key example of this in action. Designing Online STEM That Teenagers Actually Return To Georgina Green Teenagers often disengage from online STEM activities even when sessions are well planned and well intentioned. This session explores why that happens and what actually helps teenagers keep showing up, participating, and beginning to see themselves as “science people”. Lorraine Coghill Meaningful personal connections lie at the heart of impactful science communication. This interactive session invites participants to explore how we can train and support others to develop not only their skills and practice but, critically, their confidence and comfort in creating these very human connections.
Helen Featherstone In this session we’ll take one of the workshops from our 12 month long Ogden/STFC funded Outreach and Public Engagement Leadership (OPEL) programme and condense it for BIG delegates. In the session we’ll help delegates find out a little more about the wide range of drivers that universities are influenced by before they consider how OPE can contribute to those agendas. This is a core part of successful OPE Leadership: being able to build allies by reframing OPE for different institutional leads. We’ll also help delegates identify their spheres of influence: what they have control over, what they can influence (and how), and what they can support (and how). Megan Sanders Can I Play? celebrates the power of play in preschool and early years science.
Sophia Collins The number of children home educating in England has tripled in the last ten years. Home ed groups present unique challenges but also benefits as audiences and partners for science centres and museums. This session explores how centres can build meaningful partnerships with home-educating families, offering insights from four unique perspectives: staff from two different educational visitor attractions with active home ed programmes, a home-educating parent, and a home-educated young person. Together, they’ll share practical learning, lived experience, and lessons in co-creation. Whether you're starting out or developing your offer, this presentation provides valuable guidance for professionals aiming to better support and engage home-educating communities.
Fiona Travers Over the last 5 years the Public Engagement Team at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh has been working on improving the way they work with communities. Come along to this session to hear our story so far; including how we put plans into action, tips on what worked well for us and how we handled things when it didn’t quite work out.
Gemma Longhurst Teenagers can appear another species to those of us who don't interact with them regularly. Their social and educational worlds are very different from those of many of our core audiences.
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