BU Research Blog

The deadline for proposals for the Festival of Learning will soon be upon us (31st July) and we’re already seeing some fantastic ideas on how to engage with a public beyond the walls of BU come into the Research Development Unit. But I know that a lot of people are still thinking about what they could do to contribute to the Festival, so between now and the deadline I will be posting ‘flagship’ public engagement activities from many different disciplines to help get the creative juices flowing.

FameLab, established in 2005, was set up by Cheltenham Science Festival in-conjunction with NESTA. After the competition was adopted by the British Council as a flagship project, FameLab has gone global with 20 countries participating and 4,000 science communicators.

But what does it entail? Scientists get rid of their powerpoint and instead explain their research in three minutes in an informative and entertaining way. Far from ‘dumming down’, FameLab has gained an international reputation for showcasing some of our brightest scientists and making their work accessible to a far wider audience.

A great introduction to FameLab can be found via YouTube here, with examples of award winning science communication here and here.

This leads me to ask, what could you do? We are encouraging proposals for the Festival of Learning to be as creative and imaginative as possible. FameLab demonstrates the power of communicating your research, could you do something similar? We have the scope to create events that are appropriate for your discipline and your research.

If you would like further information with regards to the Festival of Learning, or any support in developing your proposal, please do not hesitate to contact Becca on redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961206.