Public Engagement with Science at the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is one of the world's largest charities and the largest in the UK. Established in 1936, the Wellcome Trust funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. Its many activities have included sequencing the human genome, building the Wellcome Wing at the Science Museum and tackling diseases of the developing world, such as HIV, malaria and avian 'flu.The Wellcome Trust also supports a number of centres around the country, including the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute at Cambridge. Oxford is home to one of the largest of these centres, the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG) - part of the Medical Sciences Division of Oxford University.
The WTCHG was established in 1994 to undertake research into the genetic basis of common disease. It now has over 400 members, researching areas such as how genes are involved in heart disease, speech development and malaria. The Wellcome Trust is also very active in supporting public engagement with science and technology. Last year, they allowed the WTCHG to create the post of 'Science Engagement and Communications Officer', and I was lucky enough to be given the job.
The post has three elements: public engagement of science and technology; communications; and staff training. However, the part most relevant here is public engagement. As 'public engagement' is a relatively new concept, many people aren't clear about what it involves. In 2006, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) said public engagement "should involve specialists in higher education listening to, developing their understanding of, and interacting with, non-specialists". Put simply, I find ways to communicate our research to everyone.
To try and understand people's jobs, we often ask them to describe their typical day. But for me, there is no such thing! I could be keeping on top of routine administration tasks, like responding to emails or making telephone calls. Also in the office I might be searching the Internet to find out what other people are doing, what events are on, or searching out online resources to link to the WTCHG web pages. I also do a lot of work away from the office, including visiting museums and science centres, or meeting with teachers and other people working in public engagement.
Since I started, I have organised a number of events, staffed by volunteers from within the WTCHG. These events have ranged from inviting small school groups to visit for a few hours as part of the Oxford University Museums' Study Days, to a large two-day event, involving 40 volunteers and around 300 visitors, as part of the BA's (British Association for the Advancement of Science) National Science and Engineering Week. We are also running DNA handling workshops for A-level science students, giving them the opportunity to try some of the common laboratory techniques used by our researchers.
I am always looking for new ideas and people to engage with, so if you are interested in our work, then please contact me by email: comms@well.ox.ac.uk and see the area of our website dedicated to the public: www.well.ox.ac.uk/public_resources
Annabel Cook at the Wellcome Trust Centre wrote this article for Human Genetics
Science Matters is complied by The Oxford Trust.