Project description
Inspiring young people to pursue careers in science
The European Researchers’ Night 2019 event themed ‘World Wild Webs’ has been inspired by the 50th anniversary of the internet and aims to explore today’s interconnectivity and how research can help us understand it. The EU-funded NHM Night 7 project will build on past experiences of delivering successful European Researchers’ Nights. The Natural History Museum in London is leading the partnership, delivering a dozen inspirational events at six locations involving six partners. The collaboration also involves an extensive impact-rich awareness campaign about how science is an integral part of culture and heritage. The project aims to engage directly with young people between the ages of 18 and 35, and to inspire students to pursue careers in science.
Objective
Building on our experience in delivering successful European Researchers Nights, the NHM led partnership aims to deliver 12 inspirational events at 6 locations involving 6 partners (3 new to ERN). The collaboration will deliver an extensive impact-rich awareness campaign, which over two years will make over 10 million aware of ERN and its objectives.
NHM and 5 subcontractors’ objectives beautifully align with ERN’s:
• Increase awareness of the importance of research and innovation to society and our lives now and in the future
• Directly engage public audiences with researchers, specifically targeting 18 – 35 yrs
• Inspire school students to aspire to a career in science through engagement with researchers demonstrating the variety of exciting careers in science, targeting 11 – 18 yrs
• Challenge the perceived stereotype of scientists and their work through awareness
• Demonstrate the value of the EU and EU funding structures for collaborative research projects bringing benefit to society
• Demonstrate science is an integral part of our culture and heritage
An inspirational schools programme, with direct engagement with scientists, targeting those students least likely to engage will open eyes to career opportunities in science. Events will entertain, astound and challenge the 18,000 attending, and will range from dialogue to didactic catering to learning preferences and motivations to attend. Each event will include an EU Corner with assured representation of Horizon 2020 Framework projects and MSCA researchers. Researchers’ will have clear messages to communicate to the audience. They will all receive remote training which will cater for the 500 plus researchers that will be involved in activities, 50 % of which will be female at NHM.
In 2018 the museum hosts will connect with European Year of Cultural Heritage. In 2019 Citizen Science will feature heavily in the programme.
Evaluation methodology will be shared and results collated by NHM.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom