Centre for Dementia PhD student Tom Goddard shares his recent experience of presenting research at the public engagement event, Pint of Science.
Public engagement
Scientific research is involved in almost every aspect of our society. It has allowed us to fight against the most devastating of diseases, send cars around a racetrack at over 200 miles per hour, and make a cup of tea in less than two minutes. Science is all around us and, to my surprise, the appreciation for science is also widespread.
I recently presented my work in Nottingham at a Pint of Science festival, which is a public-engagement event designed to bring researchers and the general public closer together. I was stunned to learn that people were actually interested in my research. I am a second year PhD student, and I am investigating the molecular pathology of Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Throughout my previous five years of university study and research, science has been a concept that is to be explored within a lecture theatre or laboratory, and published online for other researchers to read. This festival was my first public engagement event, and three things particularly resonated with me:
- Science communication - The general public is very interested in research, and I need to make it easier for them to read and interpret it.
- Direction of research - My research, which intends to improve public health, should be directed by the needs of the general public.
- Public engagement opportunities - I, and other researchers, should jump at future opportunities to present to members of the general public.
1. Science communication
I was surprised to discover that people were interested in my research. However, information about the second most common dementia had not been well communicated. I was met with shocked faces when I recited statistics commonly found in scientific journals. I realised then that information in the scientific domain, does not equal information in the public domain. The general public are more likely to receive scientific information in news reports and social media posts. Yet, research often bypasses these steps and skips straight ahead to the paywall of a journal. I aim to communicate more of my work on social media and that being considered, please read this shameless advertisement and give me a follow on Twitter!
2. Direction of research
Part of my research looks at predicting cases of Lewy body dementias. Following my presentation, I was asked: “If there is no cure, why would I want to know?”. This is an excellent question, and strangely, not one that I had really considered. I had a scientific reason for my research, which was to improve my model and maximise predictive ability, but I realised that my research had partly become a scientific exercise. I had been so focussed on whether I could predict dementia, that I lost sight of whether I should. The end-users' needs had been placed behind scientific discovery, and this is something that I must swap around. Instead, I should perhaps be phrasing my research as: can we stratify the individuals most at risk of dementia for further screening and more effective disease management? Public health research should consider society’s needs at the very beginning of research, and structure projects accordingly.
3. Public engagement opportunities
The Pint of Science festival and other public engagement opportunities offer many benefits to researchers. They are a chance to gain perspective on their research. They promote networking with other researchers and interested members of the public. Above all, they are extremely fun and exciting events. These events allow researchers to present their work in an environment that is free of academic scrutiny. Presentations for a scientific conference or for any other academic event come with a certain level of stress due to the formality of the situation. With events like Pint of Science, you can be as creative as you wish with your presentation. Do you want to add animations to every slide? Go right ahead. Do you want to give out sweets to members of the audience to grab their attention? See if you can put it on your research budget. I will be jumping at the chance to present my work in this way again, and I encourage any researcher to do the same!
To summarise, public engagement opportunities are great, and they have changed the way that I view science. The Pint of Science festival is excellent and if you want more information then please follow this link: https://pintofscience.co.uk/. Please feel free to get in touch with me personally and ask any questions you wish. My email is:
Thanks for reading!
Image credit: Bryony Waters