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Parallels Sessions III – 3.2: Horizon Talks

May 14, 2025 @ 2:45 pm - 3:30 pm

Faciliator: Kenneth Skeldon

Andrea Brunello, Arditodesio, Italy

Engaging the Engagers: the Open Mike Experiment

The Open Mike, a weekly workshop at the University of Trento, teaches researchers storywriting and storytelling skills. Since its inception last year, it has led to engaging Open Mike events where scientists share personal, witty, and poignant science stories with theatre audiences. This format has become a cornerstone of the university’s outreach activities. I’ll outline the format, methodology, and discuss its impact on both the audience and researchers. While scientists excel at discussing their work, they often lack experience engaging broader audiences emotionally. I’ll explain how we address this gap, empowering scientists to become compelling science storytellers. We’ll examine the results and challenges of this approach and highlight its positive effects on the storytellers, fostering their artistic identity and societal awareness.

 

Emma Clarke, University of Malta, Malta

Can citizen science be an effective platform for social integration?

Project Poseidon, funded by IMPETUS, aims to break social barriers through citizen science, focusing on Posidonia Oceanica, a crucial Mediterranean seagrass. Partnering with Spark 15, we engage migrants and locals in monitoring and cleaning plastic pollution and reforesting seagrass meadows. Our goal is to foster community ties while conserving a shared resource. Collaboration with Blue Ecotech revealed a need for Anchor free zones in Natura 2000 sites, prompting efforts to mobilize the community for seagrass protection. Addressing the EUSEA theme of cultural boundaries, our project actively includes often-excluded migrant populations in citizen science, overcoming participation barriers and adapting our approach. We’ll discuss challenges and lessons learned, highlighting our innovative approach of fostering ownership within underserved communities.

 

 

Joana Bordalo, Native Scientists, Portugal

Circularity in science engagement: a new concept to tackle inequality

Our presentation introduces a program that is based in the concept of Circular Science Engagement and it aims at humanizing science and addressing education inequalities. Launched in 2021, it brings scientists back to primary schools to conduct hands-on workshops with 4th-grade students, reaching over 1,500 students in underserved areas of Portugal. Impact analysis reveals increased science engagement and vocabulary among participating children, with 66% meeting a scientist for the first time and 93% expressing high levels of interest. This innovative approach combines evidence-based education methodologies with the concept of Circular Science Engagement, fostering community involvement and promoting equity by bringing science education directly to underserved communities. Our talk will delve into program development, implementation, and its potential impact, highlighting the transformative power of science engagement in marginalized areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details

Date:
May 14, 2025
Time:
2:45 pm - 3:30 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Room T 303