Abstract
Cardiff sciSCREEN is a public engagement programme that brings together local experts and publics to discuss issues raised by contemporary cinema. Since 2010, Cardiff sciSCREEN (short for science on screen) has exhibited more than 50 films alongside short talks and discussions that draw on a range of disciplinary perspectives to explore the broad repertoire of themes found within different film genres. The aim of Cardiff sciSCREEN is to increase the local community's access to university research, while enabling university staff and students to engage a variety of publics with their work. In this paper, we first describe our method of public engagement, and then draw on data from a research survey we administered to sciSCREENers to discuss the relationship between the theory and practice of public engagement. Using research from public understanding of science (PUS), public engagement with science and technology (PEST), science and technology studies (STS) and film literacy, we discuss the ways in which our flexible characterization of science has made the programme inclusive, attracting a wide and varied audience. We consider the benefits of cross-disciplinary perspectives when communicating and engaging contemporary developments in science, where the term 'science' is taken to stand for the breadth of academic research and not merely the natural sciences, as well as discussing the importance of space in public engagement events.
Highlights
While still peripheral, relative to the other academic activities such as research and teaching, public engagement has become more prominent in higher education institutes
Public communication is described as the flow of information from the sponsors of the initiative to the public; public consultation is defined as the transfer of currently held views and opinions from the public to sponsors during an exercise organized by the sponsors; and public participation is characterized as the exchange of information between members of the public and the sponsors
We report on a programme that is located towards the communication end of public engagement activities, but with dialogue and discussion woven into its fabric
Summary
Relative to the other academic activities such as research and teaching, public engagement has become more prominent in higher education institutes. Affiliated to the British Science Association (BSA), “sciSCREENs” have traditionally been organized with a single ‘scientific speaker’ talking after a typically ‘scientific’ film to a public audience These sciSCREEN events are described as a ‘film ... Cardiff sciSCREEN is multidisciplinary, with a variety of experts (usually four) speaking at an event from different disciplinary standpoints Another critical difference from traditional sciSCREENs is that Cardiff sciSCREEN’s topics of interest extend beyond the natural sciences to include wider academic research and the lived experience of people engaging with situations where university research is relevant. We describe the process of organizing a Cardiff sciSCREEN event, from securing funding through to uploading speaker essays on to our website (see Figure 1)
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