The third SEPnet Public Engagement Awards were held on Wednesday 29 November 2017. The ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to showcase amazing Public Engagement projects and practitioners from across the region.

Awards were were given out in six categories. For some awards the competition was very close, leading to other nominees being awarded a highly commended certificate.

The winners were:

Innovation Project Award
Winner – Tactile Universe, Portsmouth

Highly Commended:
SSFX, QMUL
Stargazing +, Oxford
Walk-In Quantum Computer Installation, Sussex
Collecting the award are the project team, Dr Coleman Krawczyk, Dr Nic Bonne, Dr Karen Masters and Raffles. Dr Jen Gupta couldn’t make the presentation.

Impact Project Award
Winner – Research In Schools, QMUL

Collecting the award is project lead Dr Martin Archer.

Communication Award
Winner – Dr Guillem Anglada-Escudé, QMUL

Highly Commended:
Dr Suzie Sheehy, Oxford
Prof Winfried Hensinger, Sussex

Newcomer Award
Winner – Emma Osborne, Southampton

Highly Commended:
Lucy Newnham, Portsmouth
Dr Michelle Collins, Surrey
Sophie Bashforth, RHUL

Achievement Award
Winner – Dr Karen Masters, Portsmouth

Highly Commended:
Suzie Sheehy, Oxford

Research Group Award
Winner – Centre for Particle Physics, RHUL

Highly Commended:
Optical Engineering & Quantum Photonics Group, Southampton.

Collecting the award are representatives, Sophie Bashforth, Anna Christodoulou, Dr Stephen Gibson,  Prof Stewart Boogert, Andrey Abramov

Other photographs from the event can be found here.

The panel was formed by Public Engagement experts from outside the SEPnet region, who weren’t Physics focused, and representatives from the IOP and RAS Outreach & Public Engagement teams. They were extremely impressed with the standard of nominations. There were many difficult decisions and it came down to splitting hairs. Thanks to all members of the panel for taking the time to review all the nominees.

A big thank-you to all those who submitted a nomination and hearty congratulations to all the winners.

Have you been involved in an innovative, exciting or impactful public engagement project? Is there someone is your SEPnet department who has a long history of supporting and delivering public engagement projects? Or someone who’s just started out and whose enthusiasm is infectious and encourages others to take part? Is your research group fantastic in supporting public engagement?

Now’s your chance to celebrate these achievements! SEPnet is launching their 2017 Public Engagement Awards and needs your help recognising the best of public engagement across the network. We are recognising work across three categories, individuals, projects and research groups:

Projects:

Nominations for awards in this category should be for a single project run by an individual or a team. Projects would taken place within the last two years, with some form of output, outcome or long-term impact since September 2015.

Projects nominated in this category can include researchers from outside SEPnet and / or physics research, as long as at least one member of the project’s core team is based at a SEPnet Outreach Partner, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford) and is carrying out physics research.

Innovation Project Award
This award recognises projects which have delivered interesting and innovative ways in which the public has engaged with physics research. Nominated projects will have had a target public, set aims & objectives, and an evaluation measuring outcomes and if appropriate long-term impact. Projects can include any form of engagement based on physics research with any audience.

Impact Project Award
Projects will have generated long-term impact from their research through any channel involving engaging with the public – including knowledge transfer, working with user groups, debates and many more.

Individuals:

The nominations for awards in this category should be for a single individual based at a SEPnet Outreach Partner, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford) who is carrying out some form of physics research.

Communication Award
This award recognises an individual’s ability to communicate their own research through different channels including broadcast media (television, radio or film), writing for print or online journalism and public speaking (festivals, lectures, debates or panel discussions).

Achievement Award
This award recognises an individual’s record of sustained (at least ten years) of excellence in engaging the public with research through a range of engagement activities and audiences.

Newcomer Award
This award recognises an individual who is new to engagement and have made an impact that could include any type of engagement activity or project linked to their research.

Research Groups:

For the purpose of the awards a research group is defined as a collection of academics, normally based within a single department at one of the SEPnet Outreach Partners, including the associate members (Reading, St Mary’s and Oxford), working in an emerging or established area of expertise. This should line up with how your institution defines a research group. Nominations can be written by anyone within the research group but must have the approval of their head of group. 

Research Group Award
This award recognises a research group that has a well embedded culture of public engagement based on their research.

Please note:

• School’s Outreach activities not based on research are not eligible for any award.
• Projects, individuals and research groups can be nominated for more than one award however a nomination form for each award is required.
• Projects, individuals and research groups can be nominated in successive years for the same award.  However winners will not receive the same award twice.
• Each award has their own form.
• Outreach Officers, Public Engagement staff and anyone working on Outreach or Public Engagement at 0.5FTE or higher are ineligible for the Individual Awards.
• Deadline has now been extended until midday on Wednesday 16 October 2017.

Click here for full details on the criteria for all awards.

Awards will be presented on Wednesday November 29th at Prince Phillip House in central London, following the Student Expo.

For more details please see your local SEPnet Outreach Officer or email outreach@sepnet.ac.uk