Free events for the public, organised by BU researchers, taking place online and in person throughout November. Book your places below.
![ESRC Festival of Social Science 2021 banner](https://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/files/2021/10/Large-Header-ExploringStrapline-2MB-1024x361.jpg)
The ESRC Festival of Social Science 2021
Coming up this week
Connecting with nature: for wellbeing, sustainability and the environment
Monday, 15 November & Wednesday, 17 November
Online
Connecting with nature can have benefits not only for our own wellbeing, but for the environment too. Join BU researchers and local nature organisations for a selection of talks over two days, to learn more about forest bathing, volunteering for nature, sustainable living and other ways to engage with and protect the natural environment.
We’ll also discover what social science research tells us about the sustainable choices people make throughout their life. Set against the backdrop of COP26, this event will explore how the choices we make could address the climate and ecological crises, and how Bournemouth University targets and supports these.
Spot the greenwashers
Monday, 15 November
Online
How can we tell when companies are lying to us about how environmentally friendly they are? In this workshop, our media experts will explain how you can see through the tricks used to miscommunicate climate science in the media, bust dodgy claims and spot misinformation.
We won’t just deconstruct media techniques either, we’ll also learn how to construct better communication. Using innovative techniques such as storytelling, text adventures and choice-based games, we’ll learn how play can be a powerful tool for creating imaginative stories.
Demystifying ‘mental capacity’ – what you should know
Tuesday, 16 November
Online
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is relevant to everyone working with individuals aged 16 or over who have difficulty in making informed decisions. However, many are unsure of how it is used in practice, for example in making ‘best interest’ decisions, or in relation to end of life care and Advance Decisions to Refuse Treatment.
This online event will provide an opportunity for members of the public (including experts by experience) and health and social care practitioners to learn from one another about how to best support vulnerable members of society who lack capacity.
Collaboration for better outcomes in criminal justice
Thursday, 18 November
Online
Many of the people who offend most frequently are also some of the most vulnerable, who need support from a number of different local agencies. There is huge potential for these criminal justice, health and social care services to work together for better outcomes across the board.
Join us to learn about how integrating these services is done around the world, including Nordic models, and how BU research is improving collaboration between correctional and mental health services.
Later this month
Nursing in times of crisis: Covid-19 & WW2
Wednesday, 24 November
Bournemouth Gateway Building, Bournemouth University
This event will look at nursing during Covid-19 and during another period of crisis in which nurses played a key role – World War II.
We’ll explore personal stories of nursing during WW2 and from Bournemouth University’s own student nurses who worked during the pandemic, as well as considering what objects and uniforms from these different eras can tell us. This event is also an opportunity to share your own thoughts and experiences.
The face under the mask: what Covid-19 has taught us about face perception
Thursday, 25 November
Online
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed a great deal about how humans communicate and interact with each other, part of which is the wearing of face masks. But faces are our most important social clues and provide a great amount of information, so what happens when they are partially covered? We’ll discover how masks affect how we perceive faces, but also what this effect can tell us about how face perception works.