Science Uncovered Manchester

Science Uncovered Manchester

European Researcher’s Night at Manchester Museum

Friday 29 September 2017

11- 2pm – School visits

5-10pm – Adult social

What is it?

Friday 29 September is European Researcher’s night and for the third time Manchester Museum will be hosting Science Uncovered Manchester – a special late opening showcasing Manchester’s finest researchers and their work for an adult audience. There’ll be research on show, music, drinks and a lively atmosphere. Our participation in Science Uncovered event is funded by the Natural History Museum, who’ve hosted this event successfully for several years in London and Tring. European Researcher’s Night is a Europe wide initiative, in which thousands of researchers all across Europe meet the public and share their work in a social setting.

Get Involved

We want 50+ researchers to join us at the Museum to share research with our curious audience. You can share research on whatever theme you are working on and we are especially keen for research that connects to our collection, as we would love to get objects out on the night. So if you’ve got something interesting to share, get in touch, information is below.

What will happen on the day?

During the day, there will be two sessions 11am – 12pm and 1pm – 2pm, where researchers can present to invited primary and secondary school groups.

The Museum will then open later than usual, and Science Uncovered will be open to the public at 5pm.

As the Museum has an established A-Level audience, we want to offer them a chance to participate in this one off event. 5-6pm students will be encouraged to visit research stations and may quiz you about how you found your way into research. A great engagement opportunity to inspire researchers of the future.

There are a 5 ways you can participate:

1) Research Stations – Host an interactive table top activity to get a conversation started. The focus of our research stations is to get chatting to the public – so leave the poster boards behind and bring your best conversation starters, objects, equipment and demonstrations. The smallest practical station would be two researchers at a time and researchers would need to work in rotation for the duration that a station is running. A limited number of large, flagship stations are possible on the night and these may have 10 or more researchers.

2) 3 minute talks in the Study – got something interesting to say in 3 minutes? The hop on our soapbox and give us an entertaining 3 minute insight into your work. Our study is the perfect space for research, learning, activities, temporary exhibitions, or just to take time out in the city.

3) Film Reel – If youwant to screen your new documentary, or showcase some behind the scenes footage of your process then apply to be part of our film reel. Films must be sent in advance and must be no longer than 20 minutes in length. Films will be played on loop throughout the day.

4) Story telling – has become a popular activity and with researchers spending time in the field, at sea or in other unusual circumstances has the potential to captivate otherwise “Science reluctant” audiences with compelling stories. 15 minute stories based around your experiences as a researcher. Short training exercises available to help you prepare.

5) I Love Research Q&A (daytime only) – This is a chance during the day to talk to school groups in the Museum. A great opportunity for school children of all ages to interact with active research, share your knowledge, experiences and advice. Sign up and prepare a 5 minute talk to engage pupils about why you love research. Prepare for a few probing questions.

We are open to you trying your hand at any of our activities but bear in mind, if you are on a research station, you’ll need to find a colleague to keep the conversation flowing while you’re away.

Is this for you?

Science Uncovered Manchester is open to a wide array of researchers including:

Research leaders

Research groups

Postgraduate students

Early career researchers

What do you get from it?

A fun night of conversations around your research. We will evaluate the event and include questions around the impact of research for you to use to evidence your public engagement activities. We are hoping to get a significant audience so you could reach lots of curious adults and students.

Thinking of applying?

Fill out our Science Uncovered Manchester application form (LINK) by 10 July 2017. The form isn’t too long and it helps us get a feel for what you might be interested in.

Sharing your work

We want the event to be as accessible as possible and for the audience to really engage with your work, so we might ask you more questions after you’ve submitted your application, or ask you to modify your idea – we hope you won’t mind collaborating with us.

To Register please follow this link

https://goo.gl/forms/gWuKrDcJPdmSWt083

Got a question?

Contact Alice Thickett at thestudymcr@manchester.ac.uk