Developing & Enhancing STEM Communicator Models > Project Report

Project Report

The Developing & Enhancing STEM Communicator Models project compared, shared, evaluated and developed a series of models for involving undergraduate students with STEM communication activities. The project also disseminated good practice to a broad audience (with a view to helping other universities set up similar schemes), through: 2 events - Student Involvement in STEM Activities and Share, Improve, Develop; a guide to student involvement in STEM activities; and an evaluation of the experiences of students in STEM communication activities.

The project has exceeded its original targets in meeting all of these objectives. As a direct result, STEM communicator models are now much more firmly embedded in the project host institutions of UWE, Bristol, UCL and Bath, and there are a number of new schemes starting up.

The final report for the project can be downloaded below:

STEM communicators - Final Report

Project Highlights

1. A big highlight of the project has been observing the development of the students going through the various programmes. In particular the students at Bath, Bristol and UWE participated in Science Festivals (Big Bang Fair, Bath Taps into Science, Discover, local school festivals) with many thousands of attendees alongside specific highlights such as participating in a Bath workshop for visually impaired students. The students have all benefited from the enhanced training that resulted from the implementation of the project findings in the first year.

2. Exploring the results of the careful evaluative study, and sharing them with the community in the two workshops and disseminating them via the Guide. Through this careful evaluation process, we were better able to learn from the students’ experiences as to how to embed and improve the nature and delivery of the STEM communication activities.

3. The recognition of the Maths Communicators course at the University of Bath as a formal unit and the simultaneous creation of a similar unit in the Department of Physics at the University. The course was included in a successful application for Catalyst (public engagement) funding from the RCUK and will be included in the work package of deliverables for this project.

Staff involved

Professor Chris Budd
Project lead, University of Bath

Dr Alison Rivett
Science Learning Centre South West / Institute of Physics

Dr Helen Heath
University of Bristol

Dr Karen Bultitude
University College London