We are now delighted to be welcoming bursary applications for this year's BIG Event, which takes place at Cardiff University from 24th-26th July.
For full details and to apply, head over to our Bursaries page
BIG offers a handful of bursary places which will:
Applicants must
Following attendance of the BIG Event, you will need to submit an article (approx. 400 words) for BIG’s e-newsletter about your conference attendance or a related topic which would be of use and interest to the BIG community. Expenses will be issued following receipt of this article. If writing an article isn't your thing, we are also happy to accept photos of the event; blog posts; vlogs of your experience; or other creative content you can produce. Let's discuss event@big.uk.com
We also hope you will be willing to give a hand at the conference where required; this gives you a great opportunity to create links with other delegates.
Book your place now for The BIG Event 2024, taking place at Cardiff University from 24th-26th July.
For full details, visit www.big.uk.com/BIG2024
Early bird booking is open from Monday 1st April until 20th May, so don't delay! This is the very best time to book if you are attending the full 3 day conference. Payment can be made by card or you can request an invoice.
Full price conference booking, individual day booking and hybrid booking all open on May 21st.
You can view the current draft programme here: http://bigevent.info/
The final programme will be announced very soon.
We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff!
Team BIG
THE BEETLESTONE AWARD
For leadership and legacy in Communicating Science
Apply now for the 2024 Beetlestone Award
Beetlestone Award
Professor John Beetlestone was one of the pioneers of ‘informal learning in science’ of the 20th century. Are you, or someone you know, a leader in this field?
Since first starting in 2018, this Award is to recognise a leader who has already made or is clearly creating a significant impact in communicating science
The Prize
UK-wide recognition amongst your peers in the ISL field.
The ingenious Beetlestone Award trophy, to keep.
A personal award of £500
Access to a bursary of up to £500 to facilitate dissemination (see below)
Your conference fee paid to this year's BIG Event, a 3-day conference to network with and present to a diverse range of STEM engagement professionals from across the sector.
If you decide to nominate someone, you only have to complete a very short online form here https://forms.office.com/e/FF5cy2mKhN. References are not required.
How to Apply
Applications can be accepted in person, or through nomination by a third party. In either case the nominee will be asked to complete a written application.
Nominations are limited to leaders working in the UK who are still in post; the Award is not offered to retirees.
Detailed guidance notes are available within the Application Process here Beetlestone Application & Guidance Notes
How to Nominate
If you decide to nominate someone, you only have to complete a very short online form here https://forms.office.com/e/FF5cy2mKhN References are not required.
The closing date for completed applications for this year’s Award is Friday 10th May, so don’t delay!
The Selection Panel will not enter into correspondence with applicants. Submitting an application constitutes an acceptance that the Panel’s decision is final.
Awardee Responsibilities, if a bursary is claimed
To present – through a creative contribution to a conference, workshop or online resource – a description of the work for which the Award has been made, explaining its relevance and application to the wider field of ISL.
To share this information with the field, duly recognising the Beetlestone Award, in a relevant publication – whether in print or online.
The above presentation to take place within 12 months of the announcement of the Award, and the publication to appear no later than a further 12 months thereafter.
Selection Panel
The Selection Panel will include the Awardee(s) from the previous year, representatives from the Organising Committee and BIG, and Leonardo Alfonsi from PsiQuadro, Perugia, Italy. It will be chaired this year by Harry White.
Organising Committee
Colin Johnson OBE - (Chair) Director, Techniquest, 1997-2004
Ian Hall -Treasurer
Wendy Sadler MBE, Director, science made simple
Debbie Syrop, Public Engagement Officer, School of Engineering, Cardiff University
Harry White, Science Centre Consultant, HW Consult
Previous winners of
The Beetlestone Award
Our previous Beetlestone Award winners, from L-R, Top to Bottom, Bridget Holligan, Fran Balkwill, Helen Featherstone, Ian Russell, Karen Davies, Lewis Hou, Stephen Pizzey.
Find out more about previous winners of the prestigious Beetlestone Award here.
Professor John Beetlestone
Professor John Beetlestone (1932-2017) was the founding director of the UK’s first purpose-built science discovery centre, Techniquest in Cardiff. The centre was his idea, and he led it through three phases of development until his retirement in 1997.
In partnership with BIG, a small group of John Beetlestone’s former colleagues set up this Award scheme in his name in 2018. This Award has been made possible through the generosity of the Beetlestone family and other private donors.
Applications for the 2024 Josh Award open on 24th February
What is the Josh Award?
The Josh Award is a national prize for early-career science communicators who are passionate about continuing to work in this field in the future, including students, volunteers, researchers or creatives.
The Award is inspired by and named in memory of Josh Phillips, who was the first Science Communication Officer at the Manchester Science and Industry Museum. He proposed and ran the first Manchester Science Festival.
Josh was a much loved, much respected and highly talented science communicator, whose outstanding career is commemorated with this Award. Josh was the Chair of BIG at the time of his death.
The Award is for Science and Showmanship, targeted to help stimulate and lead to a better future: fun with a purpose!
The Josh Award
What is the prize?
The Josh Award Winner will receive:
£500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival. This budget includes all the costs and expenses (i.e. resources, travel, accommodation) for the project, and will be controlled by the sponsoring location and by the Josh Award Committee
Non-financial support from the sponsoring venue to further develop your winning proposal, as necessary, to fit logistics and practicalities of working in their setting
Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BiG network
Attending the annual BIG Event (conference fee and annual membership provided by BIG, worth around £300) to network with and present to a diverse range of science communicators from across the sector
The 2024 BIG Event will take place on 24-26 July in Cardiff
Attending professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy
A personal prize cheque of £2,000 from the Josh Award Fund
The Josh Award trophy, to hold and to hand on to the next winner, at the 2026 BiG Event
Thus, the total prize fund can be up to £4,800 + invaluable support from sci-comm professionals
Who is it for?
Practitioners in the early stages of their career, to enhance how they engage people with STEAM.
We welcome applicants who will bring a valuable difference to our sector, either through the audiences they work with or via their own leading edge creative practice, or both! So, you may be a:-
full-time, part-time or volunteer science communicator, with a passion to grow your practice
We welcome applications from both individuals and groups, and accept initial nominations.
The Award is open to anyone involved in STEAM communication in the UK and is a UK resident.
What is the purpose of the Award?
To recognise and nurture emerging talent within contemporary STEAM communication and engagement, prioritising innovation and creative practice, so as to foster involvement in and a deeper understanding of science**, across many community sectors, including the harder to reach ones.
What are the objectives of the Award?
To strengthen and evolve the innovative and creative practice of STEAM communication
To support the development of an innovative project or event for Science Discovery Centres or at Science Festivals, or both.
To develop the winner’s professional network, via partnership opportunities and skills training
To enhance the winner’s experience and strengthen their sci-comm leadership vision through involvement in a large-scale Science Festival or with a Science Discovery Centre.
Some previous winners of The Josh Award. Top L-R Judith Beard, Frederike Gerstner, Ben Nicholson, Helen Featherstone Bottom L-R Jon Chase, Carole Keating
Read all about the previous winners at the link below
How do I apply?
You can apply at the link below or via www.big.uk.com/josh
We welcome applications from 24th February to 8th April 2024.
The winner is chosen by the Judging Panel, made up of: The Association for Science Discovery Centres, the UK Science Festivals Network, the BIG STEM Communicators Network, the Josh Award Foundation, and the previous Winner, by judging the applicant's potential and the potential of their proposed activity.
Good luck!
The Josh Award is sponsored by the Association for Science Discovery Centres (ASDC), the UK Science Festivals Network, (UKSFN), and by the BIG STEM Communicators Network (BIG).
The Josh Award returns for 2024 and applications are welcomed from February 24th.
We welcome applicants who will bring a valuable difference to our sector, either through the audiences they work with or via their own leading edge creative practice, or both!
£500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival.
Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BIG network
A place at the annual BIG Event in Cardiff
Professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy
The Josh Award trophy
Visit www.big.uk.com/josh for full details and for how to apply
Jon Chase, winner of the Josh Award in 2017, being presented with the award by Carole Keating
Ben and Fred (Juggling Science), winners of the Josh Award in 2019, being presented with the award by Helen Featherstone
Josh Phillips, who the Award is named after
The BIG Event Cardiff 2024
24th - 26th July
To the Welsh capital we go! Yes, for real this time. We did attempt to visit Cardiff back in 2020. And then again in 2021... But this time we are determined to make it happen.
Cardiff is a city with a very long tradition of songs, rugby and a vibrant Sci-Comm community. Cardiff University (one of our venues) is right in the heart of the civic centre and has a beautiful parkland, an historic castle, a world-class museum and Victorian arcades all within a 5 min walk. Cardiff is compact (much like the BIG Event), culture-packed and ready for the most hotly anticipated conference on any STEM communicator’s calendar.
The University has modern lecture theatres, labs and various meeting spaces available to host the melting pot of creative ideas that make up the BIG Event. And if all the outstanding interaction becomes too much, you can always take a little walk down the corridor in Sherlock’s mind palace and play spot the Dr Who location. Plus, we guarantee the sun will be shining.*
*There just might be clouds in the way... Joking aside, Cardiff actually has more hours of sunshine a year than the UK national average.
P.S. We’ve even reserved ensuite rooms in the student halls for those wanting cost-effective and extremely convenient B&B accommodation. Details to follow soon.
What is the BIG Event?
The BIG Event is a three-day get-together every summer to share skills and experiences, develop professional links and keep up-to-date with the STEM engagement field. This is the place to hone your skills and recharge your professional batteries, pick up great ideas and show off your talents to peers.
It provides an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. It’s like power juice for STEM communicators.
The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.
This will be a hybrid BIG Event. As many sessions as possible will be delivered as hybrid events, so if you can't get to Cardiff in-person, you can still join us online.
General event registration (non-speakers)
Full conference (all 3 days including conference dinner) - £330 early bird rate* (£380 after 20th May, 2024)
2-days only - £290 (conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)
1-day only - £150 (conference dinner not included but can be added to your basket for £80)
Hybrid - £70 (a link to all hybrid sessions will be sent to you nearer the time)
Speakers registration (Want to be a speaker? Why not propose a session then?)
Full conference (all 3 days and including the conference dinner) - £240 early bird rate* (£310 after 20th May, 2024)
2-days event only - £170 (conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)
1-day event only - £40 (on the day of your session only; conference dinner not included, but can be added to your basket for £80)
Travel and accommodation is not included in any of the conference rates, however, we are in the process of securing University en-suite accommodation very close to the BIG Event location. More information to come in the new year.
*Early Bird requires full payment on or before 20th May, 2024. If full payment isn't received by 20th May, your registration will be honoured at the Full Price until 3rd June, 2024. After this point, if we still haven't received full payment, your registration will be cancelled.
Applications and nominations are now open for this year's Beetlestone Award.
For full details of the award, and how to apply or nominate, visit https://www.big.uk.com/Beetlestone
We have been very busy behind the scenes and can now announce that booking is open for both The Little Event and our next Skills Day, both taking place in January 2023.
Visit our Event Calendar page, found under 'BOOK AN EVENT' to learn more about the fantastic programmes and wonderful speakers that we have in store for you.
Additionally, applications are now open for our bursary places at The Little Event.
As always, we need our Members to help spread the word about our Events, so please share amongst your networks.
Sign up here https://www.big.uk.com/event-4971942
The Public Engagement Trainers (PET) Network are having our second event on the 13th October 2022. It will be an online swap shop where a panel of professionals share some training tips and insights gained from their experiences of working in Public Engagement and Science Communication.
* What are the experiences of a University PE training manager? * What are some of the current theories and best practices in training? * How can we incorporate experiential learning opportunities? * How can we involve different ‘publics’? * What can be done to help public speakers be more engaging?
In swapping/sharing our diverse experiences, lessons and top tips, we aim to help grow and fortify the collective knowledge and skill base of the PE training community.
#training #share #network Come along to listen, learn and share amongst colleagues with varied but overlapping interests in PE training. This session is for science communication and PE trainers, whether in Universities or external, such as freelancers or training companies. It will also be valuable to University PEPs (PE practitioners), and anyone interested in finding new areas in which to target improvement of their Science Communication and PE practices.
Your Speakers are:
* Dee Davison, Public Engagement Manager, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh * Sarah Sisson, Sphere Science Public Engagement training * Jon Chase, Project Scientist, GlobalSCAPE project, Leiden University, Netherlands * Dr Lorraine Coghill, Science Outreach & Engagement Specialist, Durham University & The Ogden Trust * Martin Khechara, Associate Professor for Engagement in STEM, University of Wolverhampton
Date: 13th October 2022 Time: 13:00-15:30 UK Time Location: Online via Zoom Cost: Free
Details and registration can be found here - https://lnkd.in/e9vuRVcz
The PET network is a member-led network, currently being supported by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagment (NCCPE) in collaboration with the BIG STEM Communicators Network.
Now is the time to throw your hat in the ring - enter this year’s Best Demo Competition while you're at the BIG Event.
The Best Demo Competition is put on by the members, for the members, and presents a lighthearted look at some of the demos you think are worth sharing. It invites you to demonstrate the maths, science, engineering and so on that really lights your fire and you just can’t help but show off to your peers. You have up to three minutes, a warm and welcoming audience and more eager volunteers than you could ever wish for.
Maybe you’ll be going home with the prestigious Best Demo Award to display on your desk, in your shed or sliding across the dashboard of your van.
There's no money to win; it's not an Oscar; and it's not a Nobel Prize. But within BIG we think it's worth having because it’s worth joining in.
The Competition takes place 5pm Thursday 14 July in the Lecture Theatre as part of the BIG Event at W5 in Belfast. Anyone attending* the BIG Event can join the running order. The competition is not scary, intimidating or harsh in any way – the main purpose is to enjoy what we do.
It’s very simple: demos presenting STEM subject matter must be no longer than 3 minutes**; you must bring all of the equipment you need; you must provide a risk assessment and you must sign up in advance.
HOW TO ENTER:
Please email Ashley Kent event@big.uk.com with
your name
short demo title
50-80 word description of the demo
a brief list of the equipment you intend to use
a completed risk assessment
This information is for the venue and event organisers only and will not be published. Your entry is not considered final until all of the above has been received and acknowledged via email.
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRIES: 11.59pm, TUESDAY 12 JULY
More detail about the BIG Event can be found on BIG’s website at BIG Event 2022
If you have any questions about the format, structure, or need a bit of support in putting your entry together, please contact:
Ashley Kent, BIG Event Organiser, event@big.uk.com
* Have you not signed up to come to the BIG Event yet? Don't worry, there is still time! See details here: BIG Event 2022
**Don’t drag it out - if it's a 30 second demo, take 30 seconds
Contact BIG: admin@big.uk.com
