The BIG event - Science Communication Conference
Our Widening Participation team member Lucy Eckersley won a bursary to visit the BIG conference this year, after submitting an application detailing what our team would get out of the experience.
The BIG event is a three day conference covering aspects of science communication, a skill which is vital for public engagement. This year the event was held in Winchester planetarium, and so Lucy arrived to take part in activities.
The Winchester science centre and planetarium itself offer a huge range of exciting ways to learn about science, from space suits, to star arrays, optical illusion rooms, and even a fully interactive anatomy model touchscreen
The sessions were varied and the schedule was packed so sadly some had to be missed, but some of the most interesting an exciting ideas came out of the session 'Craft in STEM', where we created badges, hama bead pieces, origami and even soft electronics, all with a Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) theme.
Lucy made an anatomically correct feline skull badge out of shrink plastic for a badge.
Another fascinating session was called 'Building a diversity toolkit', and comprised of groups of discussions all focused around the issue of diversity. They included 'Having difficult conversations' and 'LGBT+ community in STEM'.
There was also the demo competition, where science presenters tried to get across a concept in a fun and engaging way in under three minutes. The winner created a loop of flame circling a track of referee foam, which was pretty exciting to watch.
The winner of the demo competition was announced at the BIG barbecue, next to Winchester cathedral it was a fantastic opportunity to network and meet new collaborators.
