Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
At BU we promote and celebrate the work done to engage public audiences with our research.
The public engagement with research team in Research Development and Support can help promote your event to relevant audiences. Through regular newsletters and via social media channels.
Share your upcoming public event or activity
If you have any questions, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
The next meeting of the Public Engagement with Research Network will be a bit different.
Instead of our usual structured meetings we’re holding a social networking gathering to provide the opportunity to meet and connect with other network members.
The PER Network has so far been a great way of sharing experience and best practice with you, its members, but the real strength of a network is in how its members work together.
There is a wealth of experience, skills, and possibilities for collaboration amongst our members, but we know it’s difficult to keep up with the work happening in your own department, let alone across faculties, especially when opportunities to meet other academics are rarer than they used to be.
This will be a networking mixer, held on Wednesday 14 December, 4-5pm at Dylan’s Bar, Talbot Campus.
To join this meeting and find out about future ones, join our BU Public Engagement with Research Network. Check under ‘Meetings’ for upcoming sessions.
If you have any questions, please email the team.
Introduction to Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) for Researchers
Date: Tuesday 10 January 2023
Time: 10:30 – 12:30
This event is aimed at people who are new to PPI or setting up their first PPI project, and is free for students and staff from the NIHR, NHS, UK universities, public sector institutions and registered charities based in the UK.
It will help them to discover the support available to plan, deliver and build PPI into their research, and highlight how PPI improves research for patients, services users and carers.
ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022
Using gamification and play to reduce anxiety related to patient medical appointments and hospital admissions
What’s on offer?
A playful workshop aimed at children aged 7-11 and their guardians, to explore strategies to reduce patient (children) anxiety around medical appointments and admissions. Featuring specially designed sessions of Jenga, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and virtual reality experiences to explore and address personal anxieties around medical appointments.
What is it about?
Anxiety around medical appointments and admissions can affect children in different ways, from preventing them from seeking the medical attention they need to causing distress and worry. It can be difficult to know how to help these anxieties.
Evidence shows that structured play can empower people to discuss and examine their feelings, to help understand and address them. Virtual reality can help ease anxiety through providing an immersive distraction, or by creating a virtual ‘practice run’ for appointments. In this session, you and your child/ren will try out these fun techniques, led by expert facilitators and hopefully leave with a few new tricks and strategies.
Participants will receive a bag of LEGO® to take away with them, along with a google cardboard headset.
Please note, this is an opportunity to explore new techniques for managing mild anxiety, this is not a medical or psychiatric intervention or treatment.
Who is leading the event?
Who is this event open to?
Children aged 7-11 years to be accompanied by an adult (parent or carer) at all times.
Event details
Saturday 12 November, 10am
Bournemouth University Gateway Building
For enquiries about the activities and ‘medical monsters’ project please contact: medicalmonsters@bournemouth.ac.uk
If you have any questions about the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team: email the public engagement team.
Join this free online, day-long, practical workshop on evaluation, developing sustainable engagement practice, and evidencing the value of engagement.
‘Evaluation, sustainability and making a case’ is the second event in the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s online Environmental Engagement in Practice programme and will take place on Thursday 12 January 2023 at 10am – 4pm 
During this workshop you will be supported to develop a strong evaluation plan and ethical evaluation practice, hear from experienced speakers on the tools they have found most useful, and explore how to advocate for the value of engagement. This will include sessions on how to write engagement into funding applications, and evidencing impact through case studies.
The day will include talks, interactive workshops, and networking, with opportunities for you to join breakout discussions with fellow practitioners and reflect on your own practice. It is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Is this event for me?
This event is intended for anyone working with environmental research with an interest in engagement and knowledge exchange, particularly those who are keen to develop or enhance their public engagement practices.
This includes:
This event is for those working in the UK or with projects linked to UK funding or collaborators.
Find out more and apply
Follow this link to find out more and register for this event.
Registration will close on Thursday 5 January or when the maximum capacity is reached. It is recommended to book early to secure your place.
If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa Chafee at alyssa.chafee@uwe.ac.uk.
What is an NFT, what does it mean to ‘own’ one? Join this online talk as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 to learn about technology, law of ownership & how they’re being used
NFTs or non-fungible tokens have captured the public imagination over the past year. But what are they and what does it mean to ‘own’ one?
Join this online talk to learn more about this new frontier from experts on their underlying technology, the law of ownership and how they’re being used. We’ll also explain how a limited edition NFT collection was created, that you’ll have the chance to win and own.
Who is leading the event?
Professor Dinusha Mendis, Professor of Intellectual Property and Innovation Law
If you have any questions about this event, or any of the other events in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team: email the public engagement team.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Dr Laura Renshaw-Vuillier on Tuesday 6 December from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
Understanding emotional wellbeing
Society tells us that we should always try to be happy. But life isn’t perfect and expecting constant happiness can actually be unhealthy.
Negative emotions, like sadness or anger, are a normal part of life – we all experience these. The problem arises when we try to suppress them in order to only feel ‘happy’ emotions. In doing so, negative emotions paradoxically become more overwhelming, and we might turn to harmful behaviours to make us feel better.
In this talk we’ll explore practical tips, based on research, to help us better understand, accept and manage our emotions. This talk will also briefly touch on eating disorders and the role of emotions on these conditions.
Please note: this talk will explore research in the area of emotions, but it is not an intervention or treatment. You should seek advice elsewhere if you think you need help.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early, so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
Attendance is free but booking is required
Should you have any questions about this event, or if you would like to get involved with a future Café Sci talk, please contact the Public Engagement Team; publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
At BU we promote and celebrate the work done to engage public audiences with our research.
The public engagement with research team in Research Development and Support can help promote your event to relevant audiences. Through regular newsletters and via social media channels.
Share your upcoming public event or activity
If you have any questions, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, but entrepreneurial skills can not only help young people to start their own businesses, they can also help boost their employability. This exhibition and set of activities look at how a new project can help young people to build an entrepreneurial mindset to open up diverse career opportunities.
This event is an audio-visual exhibition to showcase a project to develop entrepreneurial skills in young people. It will share the work and voices of young people who have taken part in the project in communities similar to Boscombe across 4 countries. It will also share the experiences of people in business or local organisations who set up the project.
The exhibition is on for 3 days, you can drop in to look around the exhibition at any time while it’s open or join activities such as talks, tours and workshops held each day. Please register even if you just want to pop in for 5 minutes, or you will be asked to do so on arrival.
Activities
Tuesday 25 October – young people can join us for a taster workshop session of the entrepreneurship skills project.
Wednesday 26 October – we’ll welcome local organisations and business to discover the potential of the scheme for their future.
Thursday 27 October – we will invite local policymakers and education representatives to learn how the project might be supported more widely.
If you have any questions about this event, or any of the other events in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team: email the public engagement team.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Dr Danni Liang and Dr Daisy Fan on Tuesday 1 November from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
How volunteering can boost your wellbeing
Engaging in community activities not only helps others but can help you too. Bournemouth University researchers Dr Danni Liang and Dr Daisy Fan measured the impact of engaging in the work of Grounded Community, a local Boscombe charity, on volunteers and discovered that being involved in community activities boosted their health and wellbeing.
Join us to learn more about this ongoing research, the Grounded Community project and what engaging in other community projects could do for you.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
Attendance is free but booking is required
Should you have any questions about this event, or if you would like to get involved with a future Café Sci talk, please contact the Public Engagement Team; publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
What can research tell us about our society? We’ll be holding free events for the public featuring discussions on how young people can build an entrepreneurial mindset and discover how play and gamification can reduce anxiety in children around medical appointments.
Which one of us is human?
Saturday 22 October
Bournemouth Library, Bournemouth
Imagine a future where robots and humans looked identical: how would you know who is human? Join this interactive event to identify the ‘robot’ from live performers. Discuss your tactics and explore the mystery behind the experience.
How to become a young entrepreneur
Tuesday 25-Thursday 27 October
The Old School House, Boscombe
Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, but entrepreneurial skills can not only help young people to start their own businesses, but they can also help boost their employability. Join this event to find out how young people can build an entrepreneurial mindset.
Medical monsters: reducing medical anxiety through play and gamification
Saturday 12 November
Bournemouth Gateway Building, Bournemouth
Anxiety around medical appointments and admissions can affect people in different ways, from causing distress and worry to preventing people seeking the medical help they need. Join this interactive session to explore how play and gamification strategies can reduce patient anxiety in children. Featuring specially designed sessions of Jenga, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and virtual reality experiences.
Closed-group activities as part of the Festival of Social Science
Some activities are organised with partner organisations or particular groups and are not open for general registration.
Are drones the future of delivery?
If predictions about the future of deliveries are correct, we might start seeing a lot more drones in our skies. But how do you feel about this? How much do you actually know about drones and how they will be used?
Join us to learn more and play a custom-designed board game, to explore how we’ll make decisions about drones in our future.
Youth in nature: escaping to the outdoors
Social science evidence suggests nature exposure benefits mental and physical health, yet teenagers have low rates of access to nature and levels of nature connectedness. Research shows youth nature engagement requires a sense of purpose; therefore, this event invites young people to experience activities centred on ‘being’ or ‘doing’ in outdoor space.
Don’t get scammed online
Being scammed online is often seen as a problem for older people, but young people can fall victim to scams too. This workshop helps young people think about their online experience and learn how to avoid being scammed.
If you have any questions about these events, or if you would like to know how you can get involved in one of our Public Engagement with Research events, please email the public engagement team.
Imagine a future where robots and humans looked identical: how would you know who is human? In this 30-minute interactive session, as a group you will enter a space that will act as a time tunnel into the future. There you will meet two actors and face the challenge of making this very decision (the ‘Turing test’), choosing from a set of questions to help you identify the ‘robot’.
You should be wary: not all responses are as they might seem, and there are many kinds of human minds.
What’s on offer? An interactive challenge in which, as a team, you will attempt to identify the ‘robot’ from live performers, using a few questions. This is followed by a ‘debrief’ with Bournemouth University researchers, where you’ll discuss your tactics and explore the mystery behind the experience and what it implies about different kinds of minds.
Who is leading the event? Dr Maxine Gee and Dr Rachel Moseley
Who is this event open to? Adults and children over 12. Particularly for those with an interest in psychology, how we communicate with each other, neurodiversity and autism, artificial intelligence and the future.
Where is this event? Bournemouth Library
If you have any questions about this event, or any of the other events in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team: email the public engagement team.
We’re excited to launch our series of free events online and in-person, as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022.
What can research tell us about our society? We’ll be holding events for the public featuring discussions on how young people can build an entrepreneurial mindset and discover how play and gamification can reduce anxiety in children around medical appointments. Find out more about our fascinating programme of events.
Which one of us is human?
Saturday 22 October
Bournemouth Library, Bournemouth
Imagine a future where robots and humans looked identical: how would you know who is human? Join this interactive event to identify the ‘robot’ from live performers. Discuss your tactics and explore the mystery behind the experience.
How to become a young entrepreneur
Tuesday 25-Thursday 27 October
The Old School House, Boscombe
Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, but entrepreneurial skills can not only help young people to start their own businesses, but they can also help boost their employability. Join this event to find out how young people can build an entrepreneurial mindset.
Medical monsters: reducing medical anxiety through play and gamification
Saturday 12 November
Bournemouth Gateway Building, Bournemouth
Anxiety around medical appointments and admissions can affect people in different ways, from causing distress and worry to preventing people seeking the medical help they need. Join this interactive session to explore how play and gamification strategies can reduce patient anxiety in children. Featuring specially designed sessions of Jenga, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and virtual reality experiences.
Closed-group activities as part of the Festival of Social Science
Some activities are organised with partner organisations or particular groups and are not open for general registration.
Are drones the future of delivery?
If predictions about the future of deliveries are correct, we might start seeing a lot more drones in our skies. But how do you feel about this? How much do you actually know about drones and how they will be used?
Join us to learn more and play a custom-designed board game, to explore how we’ll make decisions about drones in our future.
Youth in nature: escaping to the outdoors
Social science evidence suggests nature exposure benefits mental and physical health, yet teenagers have low rates of access to nature and levels of nature connectedness. Research shows youth nature engagement requires a sense of purpose; therefore, this event invites young people to experience activities centred on ‘being’ or ‘doing’ in outdoor space.
Don’t get scammed online
Being scammed online is often seen as a problem for older people, but young people can fall victim to scams too. This workshop helps young people think about their online experience and learn how to avoid being scammed.
If you have any questions about these events, or if you would like to know how you can get involved in one of our Public Engagement with Research events, please email the public engagement team.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Dr Danni Liang and Dr Daisy Fan on Tuesday 1 November from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
How volunteering can boost your wellbeing
Engaging in community activities not only helps others but can help you too. Bournemouth University researchers Dr Danni Liang and Dr Daisy Fan measured the impact of engaging in the work of Grounded Community, a local Boscombe charity, on volunteers and discovered that being involved in community activities boosted their health and wellbeing.
Join us to learn more about this ongoing research, the Grounded Community project and what engaging in other community projects could do for you.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
Attendance is free but booking is required
Should you have any questions about this event, or if you would like to get involved with a future Café Sci talk, please contact the Public Engagement Team; publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Join this free, online event on citizen science and participatory research – Thursday 20 October 10am–3:30pm
This event aims to inspire and support you to explore what citizen science is and the opportunities it offers, for policymakers, funders and researchers alike. A range of speakers from international research and policy areas will reflect on citizen science as a form of participatory research, and its impact on policymakers and practitioners around the world.
Meet the people behind some of the current projects funded by UKRI and Food Standards Agency, which are exploring ways of embedding citizen science across research, from the safety of infant formula to young people’s mental health. There will be opportunities to explore themes based on your interests in citizen science and its potential impacts, and network with others interested and involved citizen science.
Confirmed speakers include:
Being able to describe what you do and why is an essential skill for any researcher. This workshop will help you take your communication to the next level. Science Communicator and previous international 3MT winner Dr Jamie Gallagher will show you how to turn your research into the most interesting, engaging and memorable presentation possible.
Discover the hints and tips that will make your talk stand out from the crowd and how to banish nerves to give a confident performance.
Following this workshop, you should be able to:
| Workshop | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Talk, Lasting Impression | Tuesday, 18th October 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00 | Online |
To book a place on this workshop please complete the Booking Form.
For queries regarding the content of this session, please contact BU’s Public Engagement team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
For any other queries, please contact Organisational Development.
Tell us about your social, cultural & community events for the period 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022 – this is used to calculate our Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) award
This information forms part of BU’s annual Higher Education – Business & Community Interaction survey and it is vital we provide a full and accurate picture of all our public engagement activity.
If you’re not sure if your event is eligible for inclusion, the SharePoint site includes further details and guidance.
For the purposes of the HE-BCI survey, you must record the following:
Without this specific data, we will not be able to include your event in the survey.
The SharePoint site provides details about which data is collected and how, including calculating attendee numbers and staff time, and reporting online activities and multiple related events. If you have any further questions about the HE-BCI return, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Dr Festus Adedoyin on Tuesday 4 October from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
Digital healthcare for LGBTQ+ communities in Africa
In Nigeria, LGBTQ+ people are often criminalised and discriminated against, meaning they are less likely to seek medical help despite suffering higher rates of HIV/AIDS, mental health conditions and other problems.
To tackle this problem, Dr Festus Adedoyin is developing a digital solution to provide safer access to healthcare, working with NGOs, social workers and people across the medical field on a confidential and secure online platform.
Join us at Café Scientifique to discover the challenges and rewards of developing a digital solution in a complex social situation.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
Attendance is free but booking is required
Should you have any questions about this event, or if you would like to get involved with a future Café Sci talk, please contact the Public Engagement Team; publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
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