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Public Engagement


HE STEM logoThese case studies include engaging the public with research such as a pathway to impact. In addition to communicating research findings to the public, researchers should also consider two-way engagement - interaction and dialogue with the public to inform their research. The National HE STEM Programme have also provided support for these case studies.


Dr Ceri Lewis: from the University of Exeter has used tweets, blogs and podcasts to disseminate her research and create impact. This has enabled end users of research, other researchers and even the public to provide feedback, comments and questions to influence her research. Communicating her work to a young audience through her work with schools has also developed her skills.


Professor Nick Tyler: from University College London researches how people interact with the environment which has led him to set up the Pedestrian Accessibility and Movement Environment Laboratory (PAMELA). To maximise the impact of his research he has engaged with users and the public which has led to a collaboration with Thameslink2000 train link in London which has had national impact for train design in the UK.


Professor Frank Sengpiel: from Cardiff University is inspired to tell people about neuroscience and as the lead for public engagement at Cardiff University’s new Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI) organises events such as public lectures. He hopes that explaining his research clearly will help the general public, and other potential users such as the research and clinical communities understand the relevance of his work.


Professor Robert Logie: is group leader at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE). He has worked with the BBC on a cross-media science season to explore the fascinating world of memory, on radio, television and the web including an on-line memory test which has been completed by more than half a million people. Professor Logie believes that interaction with the public is vital as it helps to identify ways in which basic research can be applied to society.


Professor Rhodri Williams: from the University of Swansea changed the direction of his research from the rheology of industrial engineering fluids to rheology of blood coagulation through a chance meeting. As a result, Swansea is now seen as a world-leading centre in this field and him and his colleagues have two spin-out two companies, and are having a clinical impact in local hospitals. He now regularly engages with a wide variety of users including the general public, as the feedback he receives from them has been invaluable to his research.