At-Bristol starts dialogue and debate!
Wednesday, 14th October 2009
At-Bristol, in partnership with the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, has put Bristol on the map by co-coordinating and running a new national training scheme for professional science communicators.
The residential course, called Dialogue Academy, was the first of its kind and was attended by science communicators, science centres, Universities, and people who run science festivals. Held at At-Bristol, it investigated the ideas, tools, skills and techniques to engage audiences in dialogue and debate around contemporary science issues.
From climate change to childhood obesity, as a society we are dealing with some massive social and scientific challenges that will change our futures. This course is about giving informal educators the skills to engage with audiences on these important and challenging topics.
Participants were offered the opportunity to develop ways to get the public to debate and discuss, including how to hold debates about more controversial and ethical scientific topics, understanding what actually gets people talking, and considering the needs of different audiences.
The initial part of the course was run over two days, and the participants are now expected to try out new techniques they have learnt in venues across the UK, before coming back after eight weeks for a final day to share the results.
The course has provided a unique opportunity for training and sharing of expertise that is not usually available for science communicators.
Some of the centres involved were Techniquest in Cardiff, Explorer Dome, Cheltenham Science Festival, Science Oxford, University of Bristol, Thinktank in Birmingham and the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Matina Mitchell, from Explorer Dome said: "It was very knowledgeable and engaging; it was great to see so many experts involved and sharing experiences."
Katy McDonald, the Project Manager from At-Bristol said: "We have really enjoyed project managing the Dialogue Academy, and it's great that we've been able to launch the project here at At-Bristol. It was a fantastic opportunity for us all to get together and share the wealth of knowledge we all have in the field of science communication."
The Dialogue Academies have been developed as part of the Embedding Dialogue and Debate project supported by the Wellcome Trust who support public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. www.wellcome.ac.uk
The project is a collaboration between At-Bristol, the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, Centre for Life, Glasgow Science Centre, Thinktank and the Living Rainforest. Dr Penny Fidler, Director of the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, said: "We are delighted with the success of this first Dialogue Academy. Our long-term goal is to help the public across the UK to have a greater part in science debates and the decision-making process via science centres, festivals and other venues. By bringing together expert UK science communicators in this way, training them in small groups and giving them the opportunity to share ideas we are making progress towards this national goal."
At-Bristol has over 300 hands-on exhibits, Live Science shows and a Planetarium, and running this course is one of the many ways that helps At-Bristol meet their mission of making science accessible to all.
Further dialogue academies will be taking place throughout 2009/2010 in Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle. For more information on the Dialogue Academy go to: www.dialogueacademy.org.uk
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas.
