Engaging teenagers in science by the 'back door'

通过“后门”让青少年参与科学

• 批准号: EP/F066368/1
• 负责人: Andrew Clark
• 金额: $ 7.08万
• 依托单位: University of Warwick
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2008 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FF066368%2F1
• 关键词: Engaging; teenagers; science; back; door

We have chosen to address the issue of communicating the excitement and value of UK scientific research to the general public (primarily 13-18 years olds currently 'turned off' by science) by training 40 young PhD scientists with public engagement skills and providing a supportive structured programme in which they will undertake TWO follow-up public engagement events either in groups or individually. To test the feasibility of the planned approach we were awarded an EPSRC grant ('Explaining the Chemistry/Biology Interface: Networking and Evaluation Phase,' EP/D504503/1) to prepare for this current proposal. This grant provided funds to construct and deliver a customised training course in 'science communication'. The award holders consulted widely and ultimately developed the course in collaboration with the Science Communication Group (SCG) at Imperial College. Two successful prototype courses have been delivered to 2nd year PhD students registered at the Imperial and Warwick Doctoral Training Centres. The ingenuity and enthusiasm exhibited by the PhD students on our prototype training programmes was remarkable and is reflected in the quality of the output. We are therefore confident that we have a successful template that can be developed for a wider audience of young scientists near the beginning of their careers. SCG has readily agreed to partner the applicants in expanding the course to include two specific public engagement tasks as a follow-up for each participant and support them as they execute it. The coupling of the existing training course with this second phase of public engagement is the focus of this current proposal. On the 28th of November 2007 we staged a pilot 'CSI event', staged at the Ricoh Coventry City Football Club, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, the Coventry Business and Education Partnership, Warwick University Chemistry Department and Finham Secondary School. We chose to focus our event on children who were currently not 'turned on' by science but were more interested in other areas such as the media. All twenty children could name three footballers but not name three scientists! The event was run by staff who had had previously undertaken the Imperial 'Science Communication Course'. The primary aim was to determine if the Imperial Science Communication Course would prove adequate training to stage this type of public engagement event. The school children were arranged in two groups of ten and given a role (e.g. Policeman, Reporter, Scientist) and were exposed to a mixture of analytical science via presentations, film and hands on experience. They were then introduced to a 'murder scene' and had to collect appropriate evidence (DNA, trace-residue etc.), interview suspects, analyse the evidence, work as a team, solve the murder and construct a newspaper article. Thus children whose main interest lay outside of science were able to take an active role during the event (i.e. taking the role of journalist). These children were exposed to the science 'clandestinely' as they needed to play an active role in understanding the science in order to make their relevant newspaper article. The success of this event has proved to us that we can deliver successful public engagement events based upon the training obtained from Imperial media course.To this end we propose a two phase programmePhase 1: Deliver two training courses (following the successful model already piloted under EPSRC grant EP/D504503/1);Phase 2: Set TWO specific public engagement tasks for each participant and support them as they execute it. These will include 7 days of events with the Coventry Business and Education Partnerships, 10 events with the Imperial Researchers in Residence Scheme, 3 events with the Royal Society of Chemistry, 40 science blogs and press releases and 8 students focussing on the preparation of short videos and pod-casts to support these events.

我们选择通过培训40名具有公共参与技能的年轻博士科学家，并提供一个支持性的结构化计划，他们将以小组或个人的形式进行两次后续的公共参与活动，来解决向公众（主要是目前对科学“不感兴趣”的13-18岁的年轻人）传达英国科学研究的兴奋和价值的问题。为了测试计划方法的可行性，我们获得了EPSRC拨款（“解释化学/生物学界面：网络和评估阶段”，EP/D504503/1），以准备当前的提案。这项资助提供了资金，用于构建和提供一门“科学传播”的定制培训课程。获奖者广泛咨询，并最终与帝国理工学院的科学传播小组（SCG）合作开发了这门课程。两个成功的原型课程已经交付给在帝国大学和华威大学博士培训中心注册的二年级博士生。博士生在我们的原型培训计划中表现出的聪明才智和热情令人瞩目，并反映在产出的质量上。因此，我们相信我们有一个成功的模板，可以为更广泛的年轻科学家在他们职业生涯的开始阶段开发。SCG欣然同意与申请人合作，扩展课程，为每位参与者提供两项具体的公众参与任务，并在他们执行时提供支持。将现有的培训课程与第二阶段的公众参与相结合是当前提案的重点。2007年11月28日，我们与阿斯利康、考文垂商业与教育合作伙伴、华威大学化学系和芬汉姆中学合作，在理光考文垂市足球俱乐部举办了一场试点“CSI活动”。我们选择将我们的活动重点放在那些目前对科学不感兴趣，但对其他领域（如媒体）更感兴趣的孩子身上。所有20个孩子都能说出三个足球运动员的名字，但不能说出三个科学家的名字！这次活动的组织者是之前参加过帝国理工学院“科学传播课程”的工作人员。主要目的是确定帝国科学传播课程是否能够证明足够的训练来举办这种类型的公众参与活动。学生们被分成两组，每组10人，分别扮演一个角色（如警察、记者、科学家），并通过演讲、电影和实践经验接触到分析科学的混合物。然后，他们被带到一个“谋杀现场”，收集适当的证据（DNA、痕迹残留等），采访嫌疑人，分析证据，作为一个团队合作，解决这起谋杀案，并撰写一篇报纸文章。因此，那些主要兴趣在科学以外的儿童能够在活动中发挥积极作用（即扮演记者的角色）。这些孩子“秘密地”接触科学，因为他们需要在理解科学方面发挥积极作用，以便撰写相关的报纸文章。这次活动的成功向我们证明，基于帝国传媒课程的培训，我们可以提供成功的公众参与活动。为此，我们提出一项分两阶段的计划：第一阶段：提供两门培训课程（按照EPSRC拨款EP/D504503/1的成功模式进行试点）；第二阶段：为每个参与者设定两个具体的公共参与任务，并在他们执行任务时给予支持。这些活动将包括与考文垂商业和教育伙伴关系的7天活动，与帝国研究人员居住计划的10场活动，与皇家化学学会的3场活动，40个科学博客和新闻稿，以及8名学生专注于准备短视频和播客来支持这些活动。