Name: Discussion tables
Start: 2024-11-19T16:00:00+0000
End: 2024-11-19T17:10:00+0000

ASDC Conference 2024: Shaping the future of science together
18-19th November, The Royal Society, London

Welcome to the ASDC Conference 2024, a vibrant inclusive event for everyone in the science engagement community and wider STEM sector to come together for collaboration, inspiration, and growth. The conference programme of talks, workshops, networking sessions and discussions will explore how we shape the future of science in our rapidly changing world.

Take a virtual tour around the Royal Society to see what it’s like inside before the conference starts.

We’d love to see your photos, videos and thoughts on social media, please share with us using #ASDC24.

Tuesday November 19, 2024 4:00pm - 5:10pm GMT

Wellcome Trust Hall

Join our lively round table discussions: sharing ideas, learning and practice. Please sign up for your table of interest during the conference in advance of the session. Sign up sheets will be located in the City of London Rooms.

Please sign up for one table per session. There will be two rounds of discussions, with the following tables in each:

Round 1: 4:05pm - 4:30pm

1. Anuschka Miller, Scottish Association for Marine Science: How to provide for rural and remote communities

2. Louise Archer, University College London: Top tips for an equitable and inclusive makerspace/ tinkering space

3. Mark Bishop, Dynamic Earth: Dialling up, not dumbing down

4. Chris Dunford, We The Curious: Biting off more than you can chew: The struggles of setting and hitting a decarbonisation target

5. Kimberley Freeman, The Royal Society: Updating the 1985 Bodmer Report: What has changed, and what hasn't?

6. Andy Lloyd, International Centre for Life: Are We The Baddies? - Making the failings of STEM the responsibility of 14-year-old girls

7. Hassun El-Zafar, Edinburgh Science: What does decolonisation look like in science engagement?

8. Brendan Owens and Stephanie Bevan, Institute of Physics: How do we invest in our volunteers for inclusion and positive impact?

9. Dominique Sleet, Royal Academy of Engineering: The value of role models in outreach and public engagement

10. Lisa Smith, We The Curious: Creating Connection: Why belonging matters

11. Eugene Gilkes, Include Me Consulting: Do you have the “Right People” the “Right Actions” and the “Right Why” for EDI

12. Ben Littlefield, University of Southampton: Participatory Research – what can Universities and the Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprise sector learn from each other?

13. Rebecca Hill, Campaign for Science and Engineering, and Clio Heslop, British Science Association: The data on current public opinion of STEM: Discovery Decade (2023) and Public Attitudes to Science (2025)

14. Jacob Watson, The National Space Centre: Are Large Language Models suitable for your Science Centre?

15. Steven Franklin, Royal Institution: Why digital is no longer the work of junior staff

16. Becca Gooch, EngineeringUK: The Science Education Tracker: young people’s experiences of STEM inside and outside of the classroom

Round 2: 4:35pm - 5:00pm

1. John Bull, Independent and Formerly Cambridge Science Centre: The ups and downs of running a smaller science and discovery centre

2. Kirsty Hayward, BIG, and Sarah Bearchell, Independent: Your career: Recognition and skills development

3. Jack Monaghan, Wellcome Connecting Science: Sharing modern DNA science better

4. Eileen Kinsman, Centre for Alternative Technology: Inspiring, informing and enabling humanity to take action on the climate and biodiversity emergencies

5. Hannah Caswell and Deborah Taylor, Soil Association: ASDC members feed curious minds: Does your café reflect your sustainability goals?

6. Andy Lloyd, International Centre for Life: Are We The Baddies? - Making the failings of STEM the responsibility of 14-year-old girls

7. Hassun El-Zafar, Edinburgh Science: What does decolonisation look like in science engagement?

8. Brendan Owens and Stephanie Bevan, Institute of Physics: How do we invest in our volunteers for inclusion and positive impact?

9. Dominique Sleet, Royal Academy of Engineering: The value of role models in outreach and public engagement

10. Lisa Smith, We The Curious: Creating Connection: Why belonging matters

11. Eugene Gilkes, Include Me Consulting: Do you have the “Right People” the “Right Actions” and the “Right Why” for EDI

12. Ben Littlefield, University of Southampton: Participatory Research – what can Universities and the Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprise sector learn from each other?

13. Rebecca Hill, Campaign for Science and Engineering, and Clio Heslop, British Science Association: The data on current public opinion of STEM: Discovery Decade (2023) and Public Attitudes to Science (2025)

14. Jacob Watson, The National Space Centre: Are Large Language Models suitable for your Science Centre?

15. Steven Franklin, Royal Institution: Why digital is no longer the work of junior staff

16. Becca Gooch, EngineeringUK: The Science Education Tracker: young people’s experiences of STEM inside and outside of the classroom

Chair

Bridget Holligan

Trustee, The Association for Science and Discovery Centres

I have worked in the informal science learning sector since 1993, following a BSc. in Chemistry and an MSc. in Science Communication. I was the Science Officer at The Exploratory science centre in Bristol before moving to The Oxford Trust in 1996. I became Director of Education and... Read More →

Speakers

Anuschka Miller

Head of Communications, Scottish Association for Marine Science

A marine biogeochemist by background, Dr Anuschka Miller has been specialising since 2001 in how best to communicate with different audiences about the marine environment, research and conservation.She has developed and now leads the SAMS communications team that delivers web development... Read More →

Louise Archer

Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education, University College London

Louise Archer (FBA, FAcSS, Ph.D) is the Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education at University College London (UCL). Her research focuses on educational identities and inequalities, particularly in relation to social class, gender and race/ethnicity. She has authored over... Read More →

Mark Bishop

CEO, Dynamic Earth

Chris Dunford

Sustainability and Science Director, We The Curious

As Sustainability and Science Director, Chris Dunford has been responsible for ‘Sustainable Futures’ at We The Curious since 2011. During that time, he has introduced a sector-leading programme of environmental best practice, innovative technologies, and organisational change... Read More →

Kimberley Freeman

Head of Public Engagement, The Royal Society

Kimberley Freeman joined the Royal Society as Head of Public Engagement in 2024. She is responsible for flagship engagement programmes including the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition, the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize and Young People’s Science Book Prize, the... Read More →

Andy Lloyd

Head of Development and Partnerships, International Centre for Life

Andy Lloyd is Head of Development and Partnerships at the International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne.  Having led capital exhibition projects over the last 20 years, Andy now works on the development of new strategic projects and raising the funding required to deliver them... Read More →

Hassun El-Zafar

Director & CEO, Edinburgh Science

Emerging into the international art, heritage, and science engagement scene in the late 2010s, Hassun El-Zafar has become a dynamic force in multi-disciplinary art and public engagement. His work spans curating festivals, directing theatre, producing world-leading factual content... Read More →

Brendan Owens

Public Engagement Manager, Institute of Physics

Brendan holds a BSc in Physics and Astronomy and an MSc in Science Communication, from Dublin City University. With a rich professional journey spanning a decade at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, he has dedicated himself to igniting curiosity through various public and school engagement... Read More →

Stephanie Bevan

Public Engagement Manager for Wales, Institute of Physics

Steph Bevan graduated in Physics and Music at Cardiff University before training to be a Physics Teacher at the Institute of Education, London. After several years of teaching she joined the Institute of Physics as a Gender Balance Coach for Wales, advising school clusters on inclusive... Read More →

Dominique Sleet

Public Engagement Manager, Royal Academy of Engineering

Dominique works as Public Engagement Manager at the Royal Academy of Engineering where she manages the Academy’s public engagement activity as well as managing the Ingenious public engagement grants scheme. Dominique began her career working in the interactive galleries of the... Read More →

Lisa Smith

People and Places Director, We The Curious

Lisa, the People and Places Director at We the Curious, is a transformational leader dedicated to enhancing the financial resilience and well-being of employees. Her passion lies in turning creative plans into tangible realities, both within her organisation and further afield. With... Read More →

Eugene Gilkes

CEO, Include Me Consulting

Eugene is an experienced consultant and coach, and the creator of the TIDES of CHANGE™ inclusive culture model framework, dedicated to empowering leaders across a wide range of organisational sectors to leverage inclusion as a strategic asset with the potential to drive substantial... Read More →

Ben Littlefield

Head of Public Engagement, University of Southampton

Dr Ben Littlefield (he/him) is Head of Public Engagement at the University of Southampton, and has nearly 20 years experience in science communication, outreach, widening participation and public engagement at both Universities and Science Centres. He leads initiatives that drive... Read More →

Rebecca Hill

Advocacy and Engagement Manager, Campaign for Science and Engineering

Clio Heslop

Head of Policy, Partnerships, and Impact, British Science Association

Jacob Watson

XR Lecturer and Head of the Immersive Academy, National Space Centre

Jacob Watson is the XR Lecturer and Head of the Immersive Academy at the National Space Centre in Leicester. He works as a member of the NSCCreative team, helping run community programs and educating the next generation of creatives, both in the form of short workshops with visitor... Read More →

Steven Franklin

Former Social Media Manager, The Royal Institution

Becca Gooch

Head of Research, EngineeringUK

Becca is a researcher with 10 years’ experience researching education, skills, employment, and diversity. She is currently Head of Research at EngineeringUK, a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be inspired, informed and... Read More →

John Bull

Independent

After an ancient history degree and an ill-advised (and short) dabble in the corporate world of insurance, John began his career in museums and science centres. His first position was as an Explainer at the Science Museum, and from that time onwards he looked to build my understanding... Read More →

Kirsty Hayward

Chair, BIG

Kirsty is the current Chair of the BIG STEM Communicators Network. In her day job, Kirsty is a freelance science communicator, based in the North East of England. She specialises in enquiry-based science workshops and community engagement. Find out more about her work here: htt... Read More →

Sarah Bearchell

Inclusive Science, Freelance

Sarah Bearchell is the first person to win both The Joshua Phillips Award for Innovation in Science Engagement (2014) and The Beetlestone Award for Leadership and Legacy in Science Communication (2024). These are for her long term work developing, delivering and promoting Inclusive... Read More →

Jack Monaghan

Science Engagement Manager (Publics and Communities), Wellcome Connecting Science

Jack leads genomics-focused community engagement projects in the Wellcome Connecting Science team. Based in South Cambridgeshire on the Wellcome Genome Campus, Jack has focussed on building relationships with groups in East Anglia with low science engagement opportunity. He is... Read More →

Eileen Kinsman

Co-CEO, Centre for Alternative Technology

Eileen has been Co-CEO of CAT since January 2022 and was previously Head of Development. She has over 30 years experience in national brand name charities in leadership, fundraising and marketing roles. She is passionate about engaging children and young people with nature and... Read More →

Hannah Caswell

Food for Life Served Here Manager, Soil Association

For over twenty years Hannah has been supporting caterers across the industry to make changes to the food they source and serve. With sustainable catering certifications Food for Life Served Here, Green Kitchen Standard and Cool Food Pro.Hannah works with pioneering organisations... Read More →

Deb Taylor

Project Manager, Soil Association

Deb has worked for the Soil Association for 7 years, initially supporting Leicestershire schools with their work on Food for Life awards, then as Project Manager for Cool Food Pro, a European funded project to support caterers to work more sustainably with an innovative carbon calculator... Read More →

Tuesday November 19, 2024 4:00pm - 5:10pm GMT
Wellcome Trust Hall

Discussion tables

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