Outreach and public engagement

Our scientists and communicators work together to take our research to the public with informative and educational activities that are fun and interactive. We have interacted face-to-face with more than 100,000 people since 2018. We have also reached more than 5 million people online and through the media.

The Biodiscovery Institute outreach and promotions group are an active and integral part of the Institute's engagement team. We are involved in local, national and international initiatives through direct and social media outlets to promote the Biodiscovery Institute and the University of Nottingham. By doing this we aim to communicate the research we do to the wider general public and to raise awareness about our work towards health and biotechnology. We hope to make science education more accessible and interactive to all, and to encourage young people to consider a career in science.

Examples of our activities include supporting school children of all ages with experiment-based ‘science packs’ that can be accomplished using common household items at home or in the classroom. Inclusivity underpins the ethos of the group who have produced a ‘STEM role models pack’ that breaks the stereotype of the classical scientist and provides a reference to previous, current and future inspirational scientists. The team promote good citizenship both within and outside of the Institute to support local charities, including the Himmah foodbank.

We actively participate in external outreach events including most recently the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2020. This exhibition allowed us to educate the general public and Fellows of The Royal Society about our research in biomaterials discovery to combat the issue of bacterial biofilms.  We also regularly engage with the media featuring on national and international news programmes on the television and radio.