This session explores innovative approaches to science engagement, including youth training, farmer outreach, AI awareness, public engagement networks, gamification in cybersecurity, and social media for underserved audiences. Speakers will share strategies to bridge the gap between science and society.

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Effective public engagement requires strong facilitation, strategic leadership, and sustainable funding. This session explores key approaches, including training communities, evaluation tools, and education’s role in addressing global challenges. Speakers will also discuss leadership strategies and funding models to support impactful science outreach.

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"Where is Wilson" is an engaging board game-style activity (available in English) designed to enhance teamwork, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Developed in 2023 through the Nordplus-funded MathBusters project by partners from Estonia (including AHHAA), Norway, and Iceland, the game features a world map with locations marked by magnets and a suitcase full of clues to be solved within 60-90 minutes to discover where the mysterious Wilson has traveled.

Improvised theatre, or improv, is a popular form of entertainment where performers use prompts from the audience to create scenes and narratives around characters, locations or concepts. Improv is widely associated with comedy, but the tradition of forum theatre shows that improv can also be used to enact social change. While improv training has long been used as a general science communication tool, we recently toured a fully improvised show focused on climate change focusing on coastal and island communities, where both scientists and improvisers created a show on the spot based on written audience suggestions about the climate crisis. The project was called “We Built This City on Rock and Coal”, and in this workshop, we will explore directly how improv can create science engagement grounded in collaboration, emotional response, and our shared humanity. This methodology is especially valuable for societal challenges, and we will explore how it can be adapted to a variety of contexts.

This workshop offers a unique, hands-on exploration of AI, centred around the ethical challenges it presents. Drawing inspiration from improvisational theatre techniques, the session encourages an interactive, question-driven methodology, empowering participants to critically reflect on AI's outputs.

Discover how the University of Glasgow (UofG) is making waves in public engagement with communities in Scotland’s biggest city. Join the discussion to share insights from your home institution and co-create a map for success.

Engagement professionals play a crucial role in ensuring universities work meaningfully with communities for mutual benefit; however, staff often work in isolation with limited resources or support. How do we ‘equip the crew’ and build a strong peer network among this under-valued group of professionals?

Does the Field of Science Matter for Knowledge
Co-Production in Citizen Science? Comparing Practices from Freshwater to Urban Sociology in Australia
Navigating the science TV interview
Small Projects can make big waves - Tales from the IMPETUS journey
Citizen Science: how to mainstream climate change nature-based solutions in local communities
Land in sight - What skills do PEPs need next?
Collaborative Environmental Compliance Assurance: citizen science and national authorities supporting pollinators’ conservation and sustainability in Portugal
Crush the Bugs!
FISALAB-ELX: sharing experiences in implementing a health living lab to boost co-creation solutions with the whole stakeholder’s ecosystem in the health sector

Innovative approaches are reshaping public engagement in health and well-being. This session explores citizen science adoption in healthcare, the impact of digital community health coaching on noncommunicable diseases, and the importance of inclusive, gender-sensitive communication in health. Speakers will share insights on fostering collaboration, improving health outcomes, and ensuring diverse voices are heard in healthcare discussions.
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Creative and participatory approaches are key to successful public engagement with science. This session explores innovative strategies for crafting impactful engagement initiatives, evaluating patient involvement in science education, and fostering direct interactions between researchers and the public. Speakers will share insights on co-design, collaboration, and creativity in making science more accessible and meaningful.

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Science communication plays a vital role in addressing climate challenges. This session explores innovative approaches, including teaching science communication through public transport initiatives, using art-science to foster a deeper connection with nature, and empowering citizens through climate assemblies. Speakers will share strategies for enhancing public engagement, inspiring action, and fostering resilience in the face of climate change.

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After 7 years of coordinating MACARONIGHT at LPRC, we’ve found that traditional impact assessment methods, on-site and online, are becoming obsolete. Exchanges within the European Researchers’ Nights (ERNs) network, have proven these challenges extend beyond local and regional contexts, posing obstacles for large-scale science communication initiatives. Evolving public needs, shorter attention spans, and the immediacy of modern lifestyles hinder gathering diverse perspectives, as participants now require simplified and streamlined data collection processes, while young generations are eager to have their say.

EQUILAB - an innovation citizen lab to reduce health inequities: Keys to boost citizen science from Primary Care Centres
MULTI-stakeholders ENGAGEment programme to create inclusive R&D ecosystems around Cancer EU Mission – Sharing the experience of the MULTI-ENGAGE project
Biodiversity, Science, and Community: The Impact of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Contexts
A Compass for Impact: Evaluations in Science Engagement
Building Science Capital in Schools: Evaluating the Impact of 'Fantastic DNA in a Box' Outreach activity
How to engage? The experience of the University of Turin's Law Department
The Dwejra Lines Citizen Science project to preserve a national, natural heritage site
A multi-intervention approach to engagement with students from low socio-economic areas
Making the Invisible Visible: The Use of Art in Scientific Communication of qualitative research for people experiencing Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Public trust, media influence, and inclusive engagement shape the future of science communication. This session explores how scandals impact trust in science, the role of social media in information dissemination, and public opinion’s influence on science policy. Speakers will also discuss large-scale engagement strategies, the challenges of maintaining science communication’s purpose, lessons from citizen science initiatives, and ethical approaches to community-led research. Together, these talks offer insights into fostering credibility, inclusion, and public participation in science.

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-Crossing Boundaries, Bridging Desires: The Science of Sex as an Interdisciplinary Conversation- Autumn Brown and Amelia McConville

-Navigating Public Engagement: Setting Sail with Buses- Miha Kos

-Public Engagement for Sustainability, biodiversity and climate action: what’s the value of local solutions in addressing global challenges? - Sheila Donegan, Eoin Gill and Nollaig Healy
-Setting sails for connection - Navigating stakeholder engagement in communication- Mariam González Debs

- Navigating Climate Crisis Locally: Empowering Communities to Address Climate Anxiety through Effective Engagement - Jadranka Jezeršek Turnes

- Science communication for greater impact – from policy to practise - Anna Maria Fleetwood and Thomas Evensen