The mysteries of medieval Irish literature, book making, influenza and particle physics were explained by a group of future Cambridge research stars this week.
The four young research students - Ed Hutchinson, Ben Collie, Lisa Mullins and Geraldine Parsons - are part of the innovative Rising Stars programme run by the University to identify young students who are the future Simon Schamas and Robert Winstons, expert in getting the public enthused about their subject.
The students follow a public communications programme over four half days spread across several weeks. It teaches them everything they need to know about how to engage the public in their subject and is the first of its kind in the UK.
The launch event for this year's programme, introduced by Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Kate Pretty, was held at the Scott Polar Research Institute on Wednesday 6th February and was attended by around 70 people. The event also celebrated the wealth and diversity of outreach being conducted at the University.
The Rising Stars programme, which was piloted last year, covers a range of subjects from working with ‘hard-to-reach' communities, how to engage different audiences, clear communication of technical subjects and getting your message across to print and broadcast media. It is multidisciplinary, integrating the sciences with the arts, humanities and social sciences. The programme ends with participants organising a public activity.
One of last year's activities involved graduates smelling out their future mates as part of a Science Festival Schools masterclass. Another looked at the ‘science of love' – the biology behind attraction.
At the launch event, the four research students had to do their presentations in 60 seconds and the audience got the chance to vote for the one they would most like to hear more from. They opted for Ed Hutchinson's talk on influenza.
All those who have participated in the programme so far said they would continue to make efforts to engage the public in their research work and over 90% found the programme useful for their professional development.
Nicola Buckley, Festivals and Outreach Co-ordinator said: “Underlying the scheme is the real need to create dialogue between the University and the wider community, and communicate what goes on at the University and its contribution to society. It is early career academics who make the best ambassadors for the University for many audiences, and it's they who will become the more established names of the future – and, in their turn, role models for the next generation.”
Source: By University of Cambridge
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