Latest news

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our latest skills day HOW TO DEVELOP A TRAINING SESSION on Wednesday 17th October, 2018 - 9.30-4.00pm at ThinkTank, Birmingham. Find out more here.

Matthew Allen has been awarded the 2018 Josh Award for science communication. He is pictured here being presented with his award by Hannah Rose-Ford, a science communicator from the Museum of Science & Industry at the BIG Event in Winchester Science Centre. 

The Josh Award was 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, 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 the Festival team, the University of Salford’s Science Communication cluster, and the BIG STEM Communicators Network.

The winner of the 2018 Best Demo competition is Matthias Salewski from Physikanten.

The Beetlestone* Award Committee, in partnership with BIG,  is delighted to announce that the first winner of this prestigious Award which recognises “leadership and legacy in the field of informal science learning”, is Stephen Pizzey of Science Projects Ltd and the Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux.  

Steve was one of the very first people in the UK to be involved in hands-on science exhibitions.  His travelling Discovery Dome in the mid-1980s was a prototype for many similar ventures which have followed.  After a career in industry Steve joined the Science Museum and in due course became the Deputy Director involved in setting up what is now known as the Media Museum in Bradford.  He established his own company with charitable status, Science Projects Ltd, in 1987 and the exhibits designed and built there are now to be found in science centres and museums around the world.  Science Projects is also responsible for the science centre at the Herstmonceux, which for many years was the host to the BIG Event.  Steve was also the holder of a NESTA Fellowship to study ‘Science in the Landscape’ – a continuing passion.

Colin Johnson, chair of the Beetlestone Award Committee, says “It is no exaggeration to say that BIG itself and the science centre network as it now exists in the UK, owes much to Steve Pizzey’s pioneering and sustained efforts to ‘bring science to the people’ and to bring together those who practise that profession.  Steve’s 40+ years of devotion to informal science learning, and his important tangible legacy, are indeed worthy of this first Award.”  He adds “We received a number of other very impressive nominations for this Award, so we can look forward to the future of the scheme with confidence. The next call for applications/nominations will be early in 2019.”

The Award carries a personal cash prize of £500, an additional bursary to facilitate dissemination of the holder’s vision and legacy (which is an obligation on the awardee) and free registration for the next BIG conference.

*John Beetlestone (1932-2017) was the founding director of Techniquest, the UK’s first purpose-built science discovery centre. This Award has been made possible through the generosity of his family and friends.

Interest in attending the BIG Event has been higher than ever before and has now SOLD OUT. There is a waiting list for those who may wish to attend should any last minute places become available at www.big.uk.com/bigevent18

Bursaries to attend #BIGEvent18 18-20 July at Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium, plus limited travel and accommodation support ARE CLOSING SOON. Find out more and apply by 14 May.  http://www.hereherehere

Deadline for applications: Monday 14th May, 11:59pm 

Again this year, BIG is offering a few bursary places to attend the BIG Event in July. This is ideal for people working in and around science communication, who think they might benefit from making some more professional friends by attending BIG’s three-day conference in Winchester.  

The bursary covers registration fees to attend the BIG Event 18-20 July at Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium, plus limited travel and accommodation support. BIG members who are in the first five years of their professional career and have not attended a previous BIG Event are eligible to apply. If you’re not a member of BIG, don’t let that stand in your way – join at www.big.uk.com  

 “It was my first time and I didn’t quite know what to expect but I really found it useful… Not only useful for work, it is nice to know so many people share similar passions” - 2014 bursary winner 

If you fit this bill, then we’d love you to apply for a bursary to come along. The BIG Event is a three-day conference bringing together 150+ STEM engagement professionals from across the UK and beyond to help you build your skills, grow your contacts and explore what’s working for others in your field of work. 

You can read all the detail about the conference and the bursary application process here.

Don’t forget – you must be a BIG member to apply so leave time to join if you aren’t a member already. 

The BIG Event Team 

www.big.uk.com  

Register for the BIG Event - www.big.uk.com/bigevent18

BIG SKILLS DAY - DIVERSITY IN STEM

 Friday 1st June, 2018 11am-5pm

 Royal Institution, London

As part of BIG's role in promoting excellence in science communication we are pleased to announce our upcoming skills day: Diversity in STEM.

Diversity can mean lots of different things to different people including representation, accessibility, inclusion and more. It is increasingly being talking about within science, and science communication. 

During this day, we will discuss different areas of diversity, and how we can all make our events, activities and organisations more inclusive, accessible and representative. Topics will include:

• How we can make activities and events more accessible
  
• How we can monitor and evaluate diversity in projects 
  
• How we can feel more comfortable talking about diversity in different settings 

This Skills Day aims to better equip everyone to think about diversity within science communication. It will be particularly relevant to those working in or with organisations such as universities, museums and festivals but anyone wanted to improve their approach to diversity will benefit. 

Cost of attending is £45 for BIG members including lunch and coffee. Non members will need to join BIG first at an annual cost of £30 and then come back to register for the day as a member

To find out more or to register for the day click here

There are just four working days left to claim the early bird discount on attending this year’s BIG Event at Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium. Save a whole £40 on the conference fee if you REGISTER before 19th April (and then pay within 30 days)

The BIG Event 2018 is a three-day conference offering an unmissable opportunity to squeeze the skills and ideas out of all the STEM engagement people you can in a short space of time. The conference is relevant for designers, presenters, educators, students, front of house staff, evaluators, educationalists, funders, and anyone involved in public engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Many people working in the STEM engagement field have little opportunity to cross paths with their peers, so the BIG Event was designed with exactly this in mind.

More than 40 workshops, discussions, shows, and even a sprinkling of sessions that simply can’t be categorised. Find out more by viewing the draft programme online here.

A reminder that the closing date for the inaugural Beetlestone Award is 1st May 2018. 

The purpose of this new Award is to recognize a senior person in the field of ‘informal learning in science’ (ISL) – someone still in post in the UK, not a retiree – who has already made or is clearly creating a significant legacy for the field.  John Beetlestone was one of the ISL pioneers of the 20th century.  Who is following in his footsteps?

Find out more or apply here