Annual Gathering 2022
The University of Glasgow - MVLS Engagement Team were pleased to be able to host this year’s ScotPEN Annual Gathering 2022 for public engagement professionals at our new Advanced Research Centre - ARC.
The enthusiastic greetings, laughter, and busy conversations confirmed how delighted we all were to be attending the Gathering in-person..
We enjoyed a day of presentations, networking, and sharing of good practice.
However, as those delegates who braved the travel disruption, Covid spikes, and poor weather know, we were sadly unable to deliver the programme as planned.
We wish to thank everyone for bearing with us as we made alterations and would like to take this opportunity to thank again our UofG colleagues Marie Bowers and Iain Rowe for stepping in at the very last moment.
Not only were they able to provide an excellent presentation on their Science Travels outreach project but even provided goody bags!
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Programme - Details and links to further information are below
Thank you to everyone who helped made this event possible.
We had missed seeing you all, and this was a timely reminder of the value of in person meetings.
Next year the baton will be passed to colleagues at University of Edinburgh – we are already looking forward to it.
Kindest regards
ScotPEN – Organising Committee
Programme information
Refuweegee
With the increased focus on the role of place in our work, this presentation was to focus on the challenges around the concept of place for refugee communities, how university and research communities can support refugees, and how we can involve refugee groups in our work in a thoughtful, respectful way.
Sadly, a family emergency prevented Selina Hayes, founder of Refuweegee from attending – everyone is now safe and well, and we hope to rearrange an opportunity for Refuweegee to talk to ScotPEN members.
For more details - https://www.refuweegee.co.uk/
Refuweegee video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_52280Jlpc
Science Travels
Marie Bower and Iain Rowe reprised a presentation given recently to MPs at Westminster about their Science Travels STEM outreach project with Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman, and Boater (GTRSB) communities.
Marie is a biochemist working at UofG and is also a Romany Gypsy. Explaining that only 4% of this community accesses higher education, Marie and Iain highlighted some of the issues faced by GTRSB communities and the opportunity for their project to open discussions and challenge stereotypes. June was Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month – so a timely presentation all round.
UofGEngage Blog – Science Travels
Royal Society of Biology – Science Travels video presentation
Follow @RomanyInSTEM
ScotPEN Futures Consultation 2022
Our ScotPEN Future’s working group have been exploring the remit, membership, and structure of the ScotPEN network, and seeking to identify aspects that could be improved as we look to the future. As part of this work a consultation was circulated across ScotPEN and beyond. The consultation closed in May 2022, and the group, lead by Dawn Smith, Public Engagement Manager, Edinburgh Napier University, shared the key outcomes for the first time with Gathering delegates.
Delegates were then invited to participate in an open space activity to discuss aspects of the consultation proposals in greater detail.
The full Consultation report with recommendations will be available on the ScotPEN website from mid-July 2022.
Please visit https://www.scotpen.org/futures
ARC
Ken Skeldon, University Research Engagement Manager gave delegates an overview of the £116 million University of Glasgow’s Advanced Research Centre (ARC). The ARC is set to be a vibrant, creative, and collaborative heart for our campus and when complete will house around 600 academics, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working across five themes. The ground floor - where we hosted our Gathering - will be accessible to the public and will become a forum for knowledge exchange and public engagement.
In addition to the ARC presentation, staff were on hand to offer delegates a tour of this exciting new building.
For more details and a virtual building tour visit: https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/arc/
If you would like a chance to explore the ARC and engage with some of the exciting research happening across the University of Glasgow join us for ARCadia. ARCadia is a festival that will celebrate the public opening of the ARC with an events programme between 16 - 30 September 2022, coinciding with Doors Open Day Weekend, the September Weekend and Explorathon. For more details follow us on Twitter @UofGARC or visit http://gla.ac.uk/arcadia
Share and Dare
Faye Watson Engagement & Communications Co-Ordinator at the UofG MRC Centre for Virus Research hosted a short workshop to encourage delegates to share engagement stories and the learning they offered. We were each challenged to find a take home action we could adopt or adapt for our future events.