| Photonics for the next generation
Outreach and public engagement brings photonics research to diverse audiences outside academia, from pupils and teachers in schools, to community groups like the Girl Guides and the general public. We aim to: ■
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i ncrease public understanding of photonics and its vital role in everyday life; r aise the number of people studying STEM subjects; and,
In 2019 we have reached nearly 5,000 people at 37 events. Our key audiences were members of the public at festivals and large-scale events (3,390), and school pupils (900 in 27 schools), predominantly in Key Stages 3 (11-14 years) and 4 (aged 14-16 years).
2019 Outreach and public engagement audience groups
1%
Professionals
1% Teachers
We have taken photonics to schools, colleges, sciences fairs and arts festivals, a cathedral, and even a pub. With support from the European Commission, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the University of Southampton’s Widening Access Team and the Public Engagement with Research Unit (PERu), we have delivered a highly differentiated suite of activities, engaging a wide variety of audiences.
elp our own researchers h develop valuable skills, such as communication and project management.
Nearly 1,000 school pupils and teachers have taken part in our hands-on workshops. These include the Photonics Music project, designed by Hub PhD student
710
Other Audiences
20
900
School children
5%
Key Stages 5
19% 14% Key Stages 3
Andrei Donko, and ‘Phablabs 4.0’, which draws on the growing network of ‘Maker’s Labs’ to provide space for young people to develop practical skills. Outside of the classroom, we have worked with thousands of members of the public at festivals such as Southampton Science and Engineering Day, Winchester Cathedral Science Fair, ‘Light Up Poole!’ and the ‘Pint of Science’. All of our activities are designed to spark an interest in photonics amongst people of all ages and backgrounds. Our goal is to inspire
Key Stages 4
60% General public
people either to personally consider pursuing STEM subjects or to encourage others in their lives who may be thinking about further study. We evaluated our activities to see how much participants had enjoyed them; what they had learned and whether the activities had wider impact. Participants gave our workshops an average of 8/10 for enjoyment; over 70% agreed that they had learned something new about physics and photonics; and more than 60% said they would share the experience with their friends and family. Participants learned new skills with electronics and computer programming during our workshops.
3,390
General public
21
