Public Engagement
Uncertain World Summit (Nov 2015)
The Cabot Insitute explored The Uncertain World as part of Bristol's European Green Capital year in 2015. Specifically this addressed the topic of what the world could be like if greenhouse gas concentrations were twice what they are today. The Cabot Institute and Advanced ERC Award T-GRES funded the the Uncertain World Summit to discuss uncertainty around the effects of climate change on society, our systems, our economy and the environment. There was a mix of scientists, philosophers, policy makers and industry leaders and there were contributions from a range of sectors including health, defence and agriculture as well as from climate researchers on topics such as sea level rise and land use change. I was asked to present on the topic of future sea rise through 2100 and beyond. You can read more about this summit here.
Bristol Ice Explorers: An outreach event between the Bristol Glaciology Centre and Room 13 Hareclive (Jul-Sep 2014)
During the months of July and September I took part in and co-organised (with Tamsin Edwards -lead organiser) an outreach event between primary-age school children from Hareclive Primary School and the University. This was a really exciting opportunity to engage with children from the local area about higher education and science through discovering the wonders of Antarctica! We ran two workshops in July with Room 13 Hareclive. Room 13 is an independent art studio within the grounds of Hareclive primary school. It employs a professional artist-in-residence who works with the young artists exchanging skills and experience across age groups. Children can attend Room 13 where they are free to follow their own ideas and work on creative projects. What makes this so unique is that it is democratically run by the young people with their very own elected management committee. When we visited we were inspired so much by the good work of Room 13 and the children themselves. To read more about this amazing scheme click here.
The workshops [TUES JULY 08] involved discussions about the Polar regions, the animals that live there, the Ernest Shackleton expedition in 1914, women in science and so much more. The children got to try on polar field kit, explore the Poles using interactive polar puzzles and grow their own food! In September Room 13 acted as judges for the Polar photo competition as part of the International Glaciology Society and Antarctic Research Symposium conferences hosted in Bristol. The photos were submitted by Polar scientists. Likewise, Room 13 produced polar artwork which was voted for by the scientists and displayed all week at the conference! The children had the opportunity to attend the conference where they were presented with prizes and got to visit the Ice Labs at Bristol and the beautiful Wills Memorial Library! We hope to keep our connections going with Room 13 Hareclive.
The Royal Society Pairing Scheme with Parliament (Dec 2013)
In December 2013 I took part in the annual Royal Society Pairing Scheme, which aims at building bridges between Parliamentarians, Civil Servants and Research Scientists in the UK. More information about this worthwhile experience can be found in this University Press release and the blog part 1 and part 2 which I wrote during my week in Westminster for the Cabot Institute (see also a mention in the 2015 Cabot Institute Magazine! In addition there is also a Case Study about my pairing with Alan on the Royal Society website showing the two of us in a cold laboratory and visiting the supercomputer at Bristol University!
Carbon Capture and Storage Public Talk, Bristol (2009)
Presentation on Carbon Capture and Storage presented to the Bristol Radical History Group as part of the the Enemy Without: Coal, Class & Climate Event. [pdf]
