BIG is a membership organisation run by and for its members. We have a committee in place to steer the future of BIG and to keep it relevant to the needs and requirements of you - our members. 

The Executive Committee comprises of the following positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and two General Officers (without portfolio). All positions are open to nomination each year and we are now looking to appoint for 2022/23.

All nominees must be current BIG members. You can see our current committee members here.

To apply for a position, members are required to complete a nomination form.

You can nominate yourself for more than one role. In the event that a candidate  is elected to more than one position, the candidate will be encouraged to accept the more senior position and withdraw from the other so that the person with the next highest vote can fill the then-vacant position.

You need a member of BIG to second you for your nomination. We can help you with this if required.

In July, voting opens up to the BIG membership with the results and appointment to each position being announced at the AGM, which will take place at The BIG Event on Thursday 14th July. You do not have to be present at the AGM to take up a position on the Executive Committee. 

More details of the roles can be found here https://www.big.uk.com/volunteer

If you want to know more about any of the roles please email Helen Nightingale via admin@big.uk.com and she will put you in touch with the relevant person.

To nominate yourself please complete this form and email it to admin@big.uk.com

"I originally ran for the Exec Committee because I thought it would be a really great networking opportunity, and it was. But it was more than that. Not only did I get to see how a small, yet professional organisation ran from the inside, but I also got a lot of experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I was pretty new to science communication but was working at an experienced science centre. Being on BIG’s Executive Committee allowed me to spread my wings and stand on my own two feet – faster than I would have been able to otherwise.

Secretary was a great position, too. Taking the minutes means you are responsible for keeping the actions of meetings clear and concise. Meetings only happen a few times a year, so it’s never too much work at any time. It was a great experience for me and I really can’t recommend it enough." 

- Ashley Kent, former BIG Secretary and current Event Manager

"Having been a BIG member for a long time and gained a lot from the networking opportunities I was keen to stand on the exec committee to give something back to the organisation. I acted as a General Officer, Vice-Chair and Chair and always enjoyed the experience. 

Working with colleagues to produce a programme of events and hearing the insights of others was personally and professionally rewarding. Clients are impressed that I know and have worked with so many people and have a good understanding of the challenges and delights of working in science communication. 

Commitment to the exec was never too onerous and I’d encourage others to get involved. Make BIG work even harder to do what you want it to do by being part of the team running it!"

- James Piercy, BIG Chair

As we prepare to return for our first in-person BIG Event since 2019, we are more than just a little excited to now reveal the full programme.

From Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th July, we will be presenting and hosting more than 30 sessions across a variety of topics and themes.

As ever, we are very proud to have contributions from many BIG Members, making this an invaluable, not-to-be-missed event!

You can view the full programme here:

https://big.uk.com/2022-Programme

We're hosting this month's Sci Comm Social on 21st April. Sign up to receive the Zoom details here https://www.big.uk.com/Socials/
Besides our general socialising, we'll also be chatting about the Josh Award.
Anyone is welcome to join, so why not introduce someone new to join in this month. The more the merrier!

Volunteer in the MakerShack at Cheltenham Science Festival

Cheltenham Science Festival are looking for a whole host of volunteers to join the MakerShack 2022 team, from makers, designers, hobbyists to complete making novices.
If you have an activity you would like to run in the MakerShack, or even if you can only volunteer for a day, please show your interest by filling out this form. If you have any questions, please contact Olivia at oliviaalicedesign@gmail.com

The dates for this year's festival are Tuesday 7th to Sunday 12th June, 2022. 

The MakerShack is open from 10am to 5pm, volunteers usually start 9:00am and finish at 6pm at the latest, usually you finish at 5:15pm. You might be running a making station, helping a maker or researcher run a making activity.

If you are based far from Cheltenham, fear not, accommodation will be available for all successful applicants, along with a tasty daily food allowance.

The Festival also needs some general festival volunteers too, which you can apply for here: https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/news/2022/02/cheltsciencefest-volunteers

As a volunteer you get brilliant backstage access to the festival, meet loads of great people, and gain experience in festivals/events. 

The BIG Event 2022 is the annual STEM Communicators’ conference, this year in-person and hosted by W5, Belfast, Northern Ireland from Wed 13 - Fri 15 July 2022.

Early Bird booking is now open: https://www.big.uk.com/BigEvent22

The in-person BIG Event is back!

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 talent to your 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. You can read all the detail about the conference and book you space here https://www.big.uk.com/BigEvent22

Don’t forget – the Early Bird rate is cheaper, but it doesn’t last forever, so book your place now and save some money! BIG’s also arranged discounts on some Belfast hotels, see the offers here: https://www.big.uk.com/Event_hotels

Any questions, just ask Ashley on event@big.uk.com

*Malcolm Love would like to offer BIG Members the special price of £500 for his mid-week training retreat, which includes food and accommodation alongside this very beneficial course.* 

Simply select the BIG Discount button at checkout.

Public engagement skills training retreat by the sea 23rd - 24th march 2022

Who will benefit from this course? 

The course is very suitable for engineers, researchers, academics, explainers and others who need to engage more effectively with the public - whether in front of a live audience or via the media.  

How is the course designed?  

The 2-day workshop retreat is deliberately limited to 12 delegates.  This allows for an interactive style of training, more intensive feedback on exercises, and more focus on individual concerns.  The course will run from 11am to 6pm on the 23rd and 9am to 3.30 pm on the 24th.

At the completion of this course you will have:

• Learned how to connect with your audience
• Enhanced your ‘body language’ - movement, gestures and voice
• Revolutionised your content via the power of story-telling
• Gathered many top tips from top-communicators
• Discovered effective ways to create and prepare both your material and yourself
• Learned how to give a great interview to the media
• Built your confidence and learned how to cope with ‘performance anxieties’

Who is Malcolm Love?

Formerly a senior producer (programme maker) at the BBC, Malcolm is a visiting lecturer in Public Engagement at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.  He is an independent media producer, radio presenter, and public communication skills coach.  He has more than 25 years experience in delivering skill building workshops and masterclasses around the world in over 40 countries.  His clients include NASA, CERN, ESA, British Academy, FENS (Representing European Neuroscience) and numerous universities and institutions. Malcolm specialises in public engagement skills and also coaches people in business, politics and the charity sector.  He was part of the team that created Famelab International and was responsible for developing the 'Famelab masterclass’. 

Malcolm lives in the North of England with his partner Becky and together they manage their company Solid Gold Hat Ltd.

You can read about Malcolm's key areas of training here.

You can read his testimonials here.

What are the costs?  

The total cost for the course is £800 pp. 

This includes accommodation (single room occupancy), dinner on 23rd, breakfast on 24th, lunch both days, refreshments during training sessions.

The number of places on this course are limited to ensure personal feedback. Your booking confirmation and full details of the course content and directions will be forwarded to you by email.

Do contact us at solidgoldhat@gmail.com to find out more, reserve a place or for any queries.  You can also visit the website malcolmlove.org for information and booking. 

 

New Scientist Live London is making a return to the stage in October 2022. We have been putting the same passion and energy as before into creating a new show format. It will return as a hybrid event, combining the best of our live and virtual experiences and allowing us to connect with a global audience. The first day will be exclusively for schools and home learners providing an excellent opportunity to inspire the next generation. New Scientist Live will take place from 7-9^th October 2022 at ExCeL London.  

 

New Scientist are delighted to welcome Martin Davies as Head of Event Production. You may know him already from his previous role at the Royal Institution. He will be curating our content programme not just at New Scientist Live but across all our events. We are on the lookout for inspiring speakers and performers, engaging experiences, exhibits and activities. If that’s you (or someone you know), we’d love to hear from you. We particularly welcome applications from early-careers and underrepresented scientists and communicators. If you think you have what it takes to appear at the greatest show on earth, please complete this form by 23.59 on Sunday 23^rd January 2022. If you are interested in exhibiting, please contact me jacqui.mccarron@newscientist.com.

 

Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment

The ECG Distinguished Guest Lecture (DGL) and Symposium is our annual flagship event, and focusses on a specific contemporary environmental chemistry topic. Previous DGLs have included anti-microbial resistance, fuel emissions and nanomaterials. The Distinguished Guest Lecturer is a scientist who is recognised to have made a significant contribution to the field, and is awarded a medal.

Where: The Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

When: Thursday 10th March 2022

Registration: https://events.rsc.org/rsc/frontend/reg/tSelectBookingMode.csp?pageID=831721&_ga=2.33812582.655127171.1640284725-1022990306.1616499539&eventID=2400&tempPersonID=976520

We have brought together a fantastic collection of thought-provoking speakers, inspiring keynotes with specialist meetings and discussions to participate in.  Come and enjoy time online together to learn about new approaches and ideas from our sector and beyond.  Tickets for non-members are only £50 (plus VAT).  Join us to share inspiring ideas and practice as we connect with each other for an innovative, inclusive and sustainable future.

 

You can find the programme here: Conference Programme - The Association for Science and Discovery Centres (sciencecentres.org.uk)

You can book tickets here: ASDC Conference 2021: Sustainable Futures - Nov 24 | Hopin

Back Add to my calendar Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursarY Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursaries £200 available Applications are now open and close at 11:59pm on 31 October, 2021.  Thanks to funding from the British Science Association’s Inclusive Science Engagement Network, BIG is offering ten micro bursaries of £200 each to start or enhance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practice for our members.  You can suggest anything you want that will help you with your EDI practice. This could be about how you do things as an organisation (eg to change recruitment practices) or be visitor/audience/participant facing work (eg to pilot using Makaton). So the bursaries can cover anything you want to help with this. For example, you may want to use it to visit another site; buy a suite of books for an anti-racist book club for your colleagues; pay for a training course... CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING APPLICATIONS Applicants must be BIG members Applications will be assessed on the following attributes: Demonstrable commitment to EDI work Feasibility of proposed work (remember that it’s only £200) Clear demonstration of how the bursary will lead to longer term change WHAT WILL YOU HAVE TO DO IN RETURN? Following your work you will contribute to a BIG Skills Day to share your learning with other BIG members - this will be held online, likely to be in May 2022. We will collate the learning from the 10 projects and create a short guide for other members. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? BIG will assess each anonymised application and attempt to award bursaries to cover a variety of different ideas and organisations. You will be notified either way in the w/c 22 November 2021. We will then ask you for bank details for transferring the bursary to your organisation. To apply for a Equality, Diversity and Inclusion micro bursary, please complete this form by clicking on 'register' to the left of this text. If it's easier for you to prepare your responses before completing the form, you can download it as a Word document to prepare and then cut-and-paste your responses. Deadline:Sunday 31 October,11.59 pm- sorry, late applications will not be considered. Any questions? Contact Ashley Kent the BIG Event Coordinator.