Where did you come from, where are you now and how do you interact with others around you? And where will you go after this? Resources and training to build on the successes of AskForEvidence.org Sense About Science is building on the momentum of its ‘Ask for Evidence’ initiative – working with early and mid-career researchers across the UK – to engage new sectors of society, including WI groups, local allotment societies and cycling clubs. This award provides investment for face-to-face interactions and to develop the AskforEvidence.org website, to enable it to become the best place online to get practical help with questions about science and evidence in everyday life.
In Milford Haven Waterway in Wales there are many marine creatures which are bioluminescent and fluorescent. This marine discovery workshops project enables post-16 students to examine, record and identify local marine species using microscopes. The team is also holding research days for smaller groups, several glow-worm hunts and two celebration events to share the workshop outcomes. This year, Arts and Science festival Shuffle is taking a multi-sensory, multi-faceted look at Movement, Migration and Place. What does it mean to be a human in London in 2015? What Tammy needs to know about getting old and having sex Tammy WhyNot, performance persona of Lois Weaver, claims to be a trailer park survivor who ditched a career in Nashville to become a lesbian performance artist and embark on a late-in-life quest for knowledge. Now 65, Tammy is exploring sex and ageing in her latest show. The performance, which collaborates with the audience through interviews, interventions, workshops and public presentations, is touring to connect with older people around the UK. Rehearsal and tour of ‘I AM BEAST’ by Sparkle and Dark Theatre Company I AM BEAST is a new play by Sparkle and Dark about what happens when the wilder and darker parts of our mind take control and transform our realities. Where do we draw the line between a socially acceptable relationship with our inner world and mental illness? And how are personal relationships affected by grief and loss? The play, involving puppetry, is touring to London, Buxton and Edinburgh alongside a variety of compelling public engagement events designed to ignite conversation. This project aims to provide participants and audiences with the information and research skills to explore relationships between their natural and cultural environment, and nutrition in the food they eat. Through public foraging, cooking and eating workshops in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, the team are creating culinary experiments that explore processes of environmental change. Led by artist Fran Gallardo and environmental chemist and food scientist Mark Scrimshaw, this participatory investigation involving fishermen, wildlife enthusiasts and berry pickers, will culminate in a published 'recipe book'. Rich Pickings: Inside Out is a programme of film and discussion events exploring elements of the human experience through science. The series includes eight events in partnership with high-profile festivals across the UK and Ireland, including London Comedy and Cork Film Festivals. Each event includes a programme of short film and moving image artwork curated around a single theme. This is punctuated by discussion from filmmakers and researchers who can offer a scientific perspective on the theme. For Richer, For Poorer, For Better, For Worse This award is supporting the expansion of the science programme across Latitude Festival, making it an integral part of the festival’s cultural offer. From talks in the Literary Arena, to interactive workshops in the Faraway Forest and new work in the Theatre and the Little House, all explore this year’s theme ‘For richer, for poorer, for better, for worse’.
Headlining are neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, psychologist Stephen Grosz and GP Gavin Francis. Level Up Human is an entertainment podcast recorded in front of a live audience about advances in biomedical science and technology. With the help of our guests and audience, we’re seeking a design spec for the next step of human evolution. Each event will be produced and hosted by science presented Simon Watt and feature two to three guests from the world of science and comedy. The results will be made into a podcast series produced by Rachel Wheeley. This includes topics such as the science behind our impulses and needs, medical care, mental health and diet, as well as superfoods and food poverty. Doc/Fest Ideas & Science is a major programming strand within the UKs biggest Documentary Festival: Sheffield Doc/Fest. It is an inspirational programme of knowledge, ideas, forgotten archives, collections and curiosities.
The British Science Association is committed to supporting, growing and diversifying the community of people who are interested in science. An important way to achieve this is through live events, which bring people together to discuss, discover and debate new ideas. The Science Live website will diversify the pool of event organisers and develop their capabilities to deliver more events, and support event organisers by giving them access to scientists, connecting them with local volunteers and ensuring their events reach the right audiences. Faclan: The Hebridean Book Festival takes place annually (28-31 October) in Stornoway at the time of the Celtic festival of Samhainn. The 2015 theme is ‘blood’ and incorporates medical and forensic science, psychology, symbolism, crime and family. It is a seedbed of great stories and an exploration of compelling films. The programme includes live pitches, animated panel sessions, film screenings with Q&A, plus fantastic opportunities to network with some of the country’s leading thinkers. The Time Travelling Operating Theatre constructs three simulations from different eras of surgery;1884, 1984 and 2014 - during one audience viewing (a sequential simulation). Each two-hour event comprises a comparable re-enactment of surgery from each of these three dates, performed by medical professionals from our wide range of contacts. In-between each performance there are opportunities for discussion between the audience, the performers and a small panel of experts, including historians, ethicists and medical professionals. Scientists and the consumer press - Media Fellowships pilot This is a pilot extension project to the British Science Association's established and successful Media Fellowships programme, which sees scientists undertaking placements at the heart of mainstream consumer media outlets. The programme has traditionally placed Fellows at national media outlets to work alongside science and environment correspondents and editors, or with specialist titles. This pilot project seeks to expand the reach and broaden the impact of the programme, increasing and improving the amount of biomedical content in consumer media outlets, by giving non-science journalists access to scientific expertise and thinking. Why You’ll Never Catch Smallpox – JAMES film primary school outreach A unique and innovative project to create a free package of teaching materials for primary schools to accompany JAMES, a short drama film funded by the Wellcome Trust, based on Edward Jenner's discovery of the smallpox vaccination. Led by the film's producers and the Association for Science Education (ASE), the project brings together an exciting combination of organisations and individuals including filmmakers, science education professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and museums to develop and trial a package of engaging teaching resources for Key Stage 2. Mayfest 2015: Developing Compassionate Communities - Death, Dying and Palliative Care The Fourth Annual Public Health and Palliative Care Conference ( (opens in a new tab)) takes place in Bristol in May 2015 with the theme Community Resilience in Practice, involving up to 600 international delegates. MAYK leads a group of arts organisations in the city to present a cultural programme alongside the conference. Mayfest 2015 presents a series of performative and participatory artworks that engage the public and interrogate the social, biological and cultural aspects of death and dying. These artworks form part of the festival programme and are open to conference delegates and the general public. Nobody's Home - UK Theatre and Military Veteran community tour 'Nobody's Home' is a theatre production developed by Theatre Témoin in response to soldiers' homecomings and reintegration after combat. The piece was developed through consultations with Dr Edgar Jones alongside 4 American Vietnam war veterans who participated in forum -style scripting workshops as part of its first US tour.
Designing Illustrations for Visually Impaired Students (DIfVIS) Much of our experience and culture relies on vision. Incidental learning is continuously bolstered by what we see around us. In schools, biology lessons often involve the use of illustrations, drawings and diagrams (IDD). This puts pupils with a visual impairment at a disadvantage as their limited sight may prevent them from absorbing all the information communicated through IDD encountered in lessons. If we want to stimulate sight-impaired pupil interest and debate about biology science then we need to focus on how we can help visually impaired students make better sense of IDD used in biology topics. 'Nobody's Home' has been critically acclaimed for its imaginative staging and nuanced exploration of reintegration in both the USA and UK, and commended by military veterans for its sensitive and accurate treatment of the subject. Working with Salisbury Playhouse, we'll redevelop 'Nobody's Home' for a national tour, focusing on areas with high military and ex-military populations. The 'Science of Death' theme forms a key part of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery's 'Death' exhibition 'Science of Death' focuses on topical debates in bio-medical ethics relating to death and dying.