Public Engagement Community Event

We are excited that we have the opportunity again to organise a gathering of the public engagement community of the University of Groningen, UMCG, this time extended to Hanze and NHL Stenden.

Who can join?

This event is for everyone involved in (facilitating) public engagement, science communication, and citizen science across the named institutions. As we would like to strengthen collaborations and exchange knowledge in the area of public engagement with the universities of applied sciences in the North, we would very much like to encourage colleagues from Hanze and NHL Stenden to also join us on the 12th of February.

What do we plan to do?

• Network: Meet new colleagues within from all the invited organisations and refresh existing ties
• Stay Connected: Share updates on developments in public engagement and citizen science across our institutions.
• Collaborate: Explore opportunities to work together in innovative ways, especially as we navigate challenging times with budget constraints.

Programme

hosted by Yorick Karseboom

In the event programme you can look forward to a kyenote presentation by Sicco de Knecht, from the Nationaal Expertisecentrum Wetenschap & Samenleving (NEWS). De Knecht will share what they can mean for PE professionals and researchers and how we can benefit from their expertise and knowledge. Rhoda Schuling, senior researcher at the HANZE, will be another keynote spekear of the day. During her presentation, Schuling will give an overview of citizen science developments at the Hanze in the last 7 years, current strategy, and mission of its flagship CS consortium Bridge2Health.

Furthermore, Sander van Lanen, co-chair of the Young Academy Groningen Public Engagement group, who will share a map of public engagement activities at the UG. He would like to invite your feedback and input to identify any missing gaps and to extend this map with activities of the universities of applied sciences.

Four diverse break-out sessions will give you the opportunity to explore several facets of PE: the position of PE in our institutions, the target audiences we strive to reach, and our competencies.

Recipients of the Open Science Seed Fund will present their inspiring public engagement projects, sharing both their successes and the challenges they faced along the way.

This informal and interactive meet-up is a chance to connect, exchange ideas, and co-create solutions to advance our shared mission of meaningful public engagement.

Timetable

To join us register below!

Team Public Engagement
supported by the Open Science programme

Break-out sessions

1. How can we strengthen the position of Public Engagement within Universities (of Applied Sciences)?

   by Dagmar Heeg and Sicco de Knecht
   In this interactive break-out session, we will collaboratively work on a strategy to enhance the position of Public Engagement. Together, we will start by envisioning an ideal future for PE and then work backwards to identify the concrete steps needed to bring this vision to life. By the end of the session, we aim to have a start of a clear, actionable plan and, in the process, have learned from each other's knowledge and experiences.

2. Essential competencies for effective communication in citizen science

   by Mohammad Gharesifard
   This workshop explores the question: What competencies do researchers need to effectively communicate in a citizen science project? This interactive session invites participants to reflect on the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to engage the public as active co-researchers. The workshop is suitable for both researchers and public engagement professionals.

3. Public Engagement Support website: train yourself in PE!

   by Eva Teuling
   Do you want to share your science with the public? Do you want to develop Public Engagement activities but don’t know where to start? Do you wonder how you can reach more impact with your activities? Science LinX has developed a support webpage for Public Engagement where answers to these questions can be found. The webpage consists of a toolkit with links to webinars and manuals where researchers can train themselves, find tools for measuring impact and more. In this workshop, the webpage will be presented and together we will do a short training that can be found on this webpage.

4. Reaching the ‘Hard to Reach’ – What Does It Take to Welcome Everyone to Your Science Festival or Activity?

   by Maaike Muller and Gabriela Matouskova
   Inclusive public engagement starts with creating a welcoming environment for a diverse audience at your science festival or activity. However, some groups can be particularly difficult to reach. In this interactive session, we will explore who these ‘hard-to-reach’ audiences are and why engaging them matters. By sharing experiences, we will identify strategies that truly work (or clearly don’t!) when reaching out to these groups.