Exploring creativity and creative thinking as an effective tool in STEM public engagement

2014年，机械工程师学会报告了工程学教育的个性化。研究表明，年轻人将自己大致分为五类(称为“部落”)，这取决于他们的价值观和信仰、他们对学校、家庭和工作的态度，以及他们对STEM作为一门学科和潜在职业的反应。报告提出了重要的问题，即我们是否应该用考虑到不同的方案来取代目前的‘像我一样’的参与方式，并为每个部落的定制参与战略提供了具体建议。达勒姆委员会是达勒姆大学和英国艺术委员会的联合研究机构，于2019年10月发布了《教育中的创造力》报告，该报告探讨了创造力和创造性思维在年轻人教育中的作用。报告建议，在教育中拥抱创意，有潜力保留许多不符合STEM明显模式的年轻人的创意才华和创新能力。我将共同创建拥抱创意和创意思维的公众参与活动，让年轻人和家庭探索和发现生物材料设计方面的创新。以利兹大学布拉格材料研究中心为平台，我将建立一种创意体育文化，并开发一个框架，将创意主导的体育嵌入研究。这将通过我的创造性体育活动的发展和评估来实现，因为所有的培训和支持都是在两组体育大使的支持下进行的，从而产生在整个研究周期中让不同公众参与的有效方法。包括学生、工作人员和公众在内的所有人的包容、尊重和机会平等的文化将是所有活动的核心。从长远来看，并从这项工作中受益，我将通过国家罗伊斯研究所影响物理学家和工程师，使他们认识到这种新方法的更广泛影响。

In 2014 the Institute of Mechanical Engineers reported on the personalisation of engineering education. The study showed that young people divide themselves broadly into five categories (termed 'Tribes'), determined by their values and beliefs, their attitudes to school, family and work, as well as their reactions to STEM as a subject and as a potential career. The report raised important questions about whether we should replace the current 'be like me' engagement approach with programmes that take difference into account, and provided specific recommendations for bespoke engagement strategies for each Tribe. The 'Creativity in Education' report published in October 2019 by the Durham Commission, a joint research collaboration between Durham University and Arts Council England, examined the role of creativity and creative thinking in the education of young people. The report recommended that embracing creativity in education has the potential to retain the creative talents and innovative abilities of many young people who do not fit the obvious STEM archetype.I will co-create public engagement (PE) activities which embrace creativity and creative thinking to allow young people and families to explore and discover innovation in biomaterial design. Using the Bragg Centre for Materials Research at the University of Leeds as a platform, I will build a culture of creative PE and develop a framework to embed creative-led PE within research. This will be achieved through development and evaluation of my creative PE activities, as all training and support of two cohorts of PE ambassadors, leading to impactful methods of engaging diverse members of the public throughout the research cycle. A culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity for all, including students, staff and the public, will be central to all activities. Longer term and informed by this work, I will influence physical scientists and engineers through the national Royce Institute to realise the wider impact of this novel approach.