Outreach
Public Engagement Toolkit
In collaboration with Science Communicator Sai Pathmanathan and three of our members Lizzie Hill, Lydia Hanna and Soraya Meftah we have put together two hands on activities for you to download and use at your own public engagement events (they are perfect for Physiology Friday)! They come with instructions and resources and you don’t need to be an expert in the science of sleep to run them. There is also a template available with the Race to Sleep board game so you can adapt it for your own research.
Please do let us know if you use the activities by emailing outreach@physoc.org. We love to hear about all of the public engagement and outreach projects that our members are getting involved in!
I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here!
Sign up to get involved with public engagement that you can do from your own computer in the office or your own home!
What is it?
An online event where school students meet and interact with scientists. It’s an X Factor-style competition between scientists, where students are the judges.
Students challenge the scientists over fast-paced online text-based live chats. They ask the scientists anything they want, and vote for their favourite scientist to win a prize of £500 to communicate their work with the public.
How do I sign up?
We have funded a Sleep Zone for members which will take place in November 2018. If you have expertise in the field of sleep then sign up to take part.
Physiology Friday – Friday 12 October 2018
Every October we ask physiologists to unite in celebration of Physiology Friday, an annual event falling on the last Friday of Biology Week.
We call on all our Members to help showcase the important and amazing world of human and animal bodies through outreach and public engagement activities. Hold an open day in your lab, put on an exhibition, organise a public lecture or debate, visit schools or local community groups, bake a cake, write a poem, start a social media campaign, do all you can to spread your passion for the science of life.
Dates for the diary:
Physiology Friday 2018 – Friday, 12 October 2018
Physiology Friday 2019 – Friday, 11 October 2019
There is also a limited amount of funding available to support our members to go into schools to promote physiology and for members to host activities to promote physiology and The Society at their institution.
If you are interested in putting on an event for your school or community group and/or in getting some financial support for an event, please email outreach@physoc.org.
Biobakes 2018- August-October
Get those mixing bowls and cake tins at the ready as we are delighted to bring back our annual physiology baking competition for its fifth year. Using creativity and originality to rise to the top, entrants should produce a baked good representing physiology, the science of life. If you are able to use sugar craft to show cell division, or shortcrust pastry to demonstrate muscle function, savoury or sweet, we want to see it! Find out more.
The Naked Scientists - scriptwriters and/or narrator physiologists needed!
Based at Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), the Naked Scientists are a team of scientists, doctors and communicators whose passion is to help the general public to understand and engage with the worlds of science, technology and medicine.
We awarded the Naked Scientists a public engagement grant to create a series of short videos on a head to toe journey of the human body which will be broadcasted to their huge following via their radio show and on Youtube.
They are looking for expert physiologists in the following fields to do some script writing:
- Hindbrain & midbrain
- Forebrain
- Autonomic nervous system
- Blood vessels & blood pressure
- Blood: gas carriage & clotting
- Digestion: oesophagus and stomach
- Uterus & placenta
- Skeleton and bone
- Speech
- Ribcage (diaphragm)
- Homeostasis
- Heart failure
- Cold
- Space (microgravity)
- pH balance
- Overeating & obesity
- Infection & fever
- Growth
- Drug Use
If you or anyone you know might be interested in this opportunity or would like to find out more then please email adam@thenakedscientists.com or outreach@physoc.org.
Call for proposals: 2018 – The Physiology of our Body Clocks
The Physiological Society is committed to supporting our Members in communicating their work to wider audiences. We believe an engaged cohort of young people and a well-informed public is key to ensuring a new generation of high quality physiologists and continued excellence in physiological research. Each year we aim to shine a public spotlight on different areas of Member research and show its relevance to people’s lives. Our call for proposal to be involved with focus on The Physiology of our Body Clocks is now open! Please email outreach@physoc.org for more information.
Future focus:
2019: Extreme Physiology
2020: Regeneration