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Early Bird registration for the BIG Event 19-21 July 2017 at Life Science Centre, Newcastle UK is now open. Early Bird prices offer a significant reduction on standard so if you know you're coming, it's worth registering now.

Go to BIG Event 2017

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Every year, BIG members get together for a three-day bash to exchange ideas, compare disasters, find their next employer and have a grand time with the work and the colleagues they love. STEM engagement professionals from all over the UK (and some more besides) take this opportunity to step out of their offices, museums and science centres, vans and sheds, universities and research institutions, to plan their next career steps, pick the brains of like-minded people or just have a bit of a professional think.

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.

Now is your chance to fling your session ideas into the ring. Once we have a ring-full we flirt the programme together, put people together who might like to work together, and ask a few people to do something a bit different. Your session ideas can be put forward now until 19 February on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info

Bring a show, a workshop, something needing tweaking, something you think is fab; bring your skills in evaluating, managing, developing, presenting, fettling; bring your planetarium, your STEM tap-routine, your busks, your IPad session. But whatever you do, make it hands-on, make it collaborative, make it a truly sharing contribution. BIG members really don’t like to be spouted at – we like to have a go at a thing so bring the thing, not a picture of the thing or a talk about the thing.

The Centre for Life is a wonderful venue – lots of space and lots of spaces. Indoors, outdoors and fantastically placed for access to the airport, rail station and city centre. You might even give some serious thought to using the BIG Event to take your summer holidays in beautiful Northumberland

As ever this time of year, we are very much looking forward to seeing your session ideas gush on to the proposal site www.bigevent.info

If you’re not sure what the BIG Event is or if it’s for you, go to big.uk.com/bigevent17

BIG needs a  Conference and Events Coordinator

BIG is looking for a self-employed contractor to join its small-but-perfectly-formed team of supporters of BIG’s aims and activities, to improve its service of training provision to members. You will develop and deliver BIG’s Skills Days and – over time – take over the coordination of the BIG Event too.

Find out more on our jobs page

Welsh Support Coordinator (Fixed Term)

Department: Outreach and Engagement
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Salary: £21,500 – £22,575 pro rata

We are looking for a proactive and dependable individual to join our Outreach and Engagement department as a Welsh Support Coordinator.

Go toLatest Jobs

Results of election of officers to the Executive Committee 2016-17

Chair - Bridget Holligan (Science Oxford) with 97% of the vote

Vice Chair - Karl Byrne (Cheltenham Science Festival) with 55% of the vote

Treasurer - Lucy Moorcraft (Newcastle University) with 100% of the vote

Secretary - Natalie Ford (Science Oxford) with 49% of the vote (4 candidates)

General Members - Andy Miah (42%) and James Bamford (40%) 

Members of BIG are invited to stand for a position on the 2016/17 Executive Committee.

ANY member can apply for ANY position on the Committee and no prior experience of Committee or Board work is required. It's always helpful to have a cross-representation of the entire membership on the Committee so we actively encourage applications from freelancers, science festivals, science centres, academic institutions, zoos, museums, funding and research bodies etc.

We are looking to fill all roles but in particular we are looking for a new Chair and a General (Ordinary) Committee member.

We are a friendly bunch, we meet about 4 times a year somewhere central to all committee members (for which your expenses will be covered) and you'll be fully supported in your role by BIG's Administrator. You will receive a cost-only place at the BIG Event 2017. All positions will be subject to an online vote and the results will be revealed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Belfast on July 21st (you do not need to be present).

To find out more about the positions, email for an informal and confidential chat. Nominations are to be received by 10am on Monday 4th July. Please contact me for a nomination form: admin@big.uk.com

Mathematician  Katie Steckles has won the 2016 Josh Award. She plans to turn the Museum of Science and  Industry into a giant hand-made, crowd-  sourced image during this year’s Manchester  Science Festival.

 Katie's winning application suggested festival  visitors help colour thousands of individual  ‘pixels’ that will make up a picture in  one of  the museum’s windows representing  how  digital devices such as computers, tablets,  and  phones display images.

 The project will also look at the mathematics  behind how devices store images as a series of  numbers that create the different colours on  screen. There’ll be a close-up look at the pixels in your own phone’s screen and a photo booth that transforms you into an Excel spreadsheet of colour values.

The Josh Award is the UK’s national award in science communication, established to recognise and support up-and-coming talent in science communication. The award provides the opportunity to become the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016, in partnership with the University of Salford, Manchester developing and delivering a new project or event while showcasing best practice in the field of science communication. The winner receives support to nurture their development in the field and their involvement in the Manchester Science Festival from both the Festival team, the University of Salford’s Science Communication cluster, and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

Katie said of winning the award, ‘I'm delighted to have received this award, and I'm very much looking forward to the project in October. I've worked on events with Manchester Science Festival many times in the past, and am extremely proud to be Science Communicator in Residence with such a great organisation.’

Antonio Benitez, Director of Manchester Science Festival, said, ’We are delighted that Katie will be the science communicator in residence at the Manchester Science Festival 2016.  Katie is a very inspiring science communicator and a great ambassador for Manchester Science Festival. The Festival team is looking forward working with Katie to develop and deliver this exciting new project showcasing best practise in the field of science communication for this year’s festival’

The is the third year that BIG has been co-organising the Josh Award. We saw some very strong entries and choosing a winner was not easy. The award panel were impressed with Katie’s plan for an event at the Manchester Science festival and with her commitment to bringing mathematics to the fore in everyday life.

This year BIG is offering 2-3 bursary places which will pay registration fees for the BIG Event in Belfast and give limited travel and accommodation support. This is open to BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event.

The Bursary scheme is now open for applications until Fri 6 May

Find out more