we are a community of #scicomm practitioners
spanning academic staff, professional services, students and external collaborators. Here are some of the people who make #scicomm a way of life at Salford.
During the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, one of its Worldwide Partners, Intel, put together a world record breaking drone show. It was supposed to take place during the Opening Ceremony, but poor weather conditions meant that they had to use pre-recorded footage in the Ceremony broadcast.
Part of Manchester Science Festival 2015 Film shot by Quays News Edited by Alicia Garcia Produced by University of Salford
Professor @andymiah
Andy is Chair in Science Communication and Future Media, and is renowned for his research into emerging technologies. His work on human enhancement, biodigital design, bioethics and digital health has been published across 9 books and over 200 papers. He curates the Salford contribution to the Manchester Science Festival, is creative director of immersive art-science experiences including The AquAIRium and has been investigating and reporting from the Olympics for over 16 years.
PROF ChlOE James
Chloe is a microbiologist and programme lead on our MSc Science Communication and Future Media. In 2018 her immersive experience, The Microbihome, which involved artists and scientists working together to creatively convey inside our gut.
She makes frequent TV appearances, talking about her research into bacterial pathogenicity and the spread of antibiotic resistance.
An insight into extraordinary building acoustics including the science behind these remarkable sounds which usually occur by chance. Often the accidental by product of geometry but what if these acoustic aberrations were actually designed deliberately for even more extraordinary sound effects.....
Professor @TrevorCox
For 15 years Trevor has been communicating acoustic engineering to the public working on projects worth over £1 million. He was given the Institute of Acoustics award for promoting acoustics to the public in 2009. He was a finalist at Famelab, a ‘Pop Idol’-style competition to find science communicators for television.
@DrMikeWood discusses the use of time, distance and shielding in radiation protection. This stage show was filmed at the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne as part of the Society for Radiological Protection (SRP) Schools Event (May 2015).
Dr Mike Wood
Mike is an expert in applied ecology and his research takes him all over the world. Most recently, he won the THE Research Project of the Year 2016 for his research exploring life in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Mike has appeared on Channel 4, BBC, and many other programmes, while also presenting at schools events on radiation.
Diary
Creative Design
Our academic Staff work closely with our world class creative technologists to design and deliver remarkable art/science/tech installations.
Puzzles, problem-solving and PlayStations: it's all about experimental gaming at GameLab, taking place annually at the University of Salford's MediaCityUK campus. Video by our BATAR Students
@MediaCityUK
The Creative Content and Events Team @UoSMediaCity have been central to our flagship #SciComm partnership with Manchester Science Festival, working with world-leading artists to design remarkable experiences at the sci-art interface. It also works with us to produce media training, special events, and to drive creative, digital innovation across the university
THINKlab have developed a virtual reality experience that allows users to ‘visit’ Chernobyl to see and learn about the animals who live in the radioactive ‘exclusion zone’ in Ukraine and Belarus.
‘Virtual Chernobyl’ helps communicate findings from an ongoing programme of research on the wildlife of Chernobyl, which is being led by Dr Mike Wood from the University of Salford.
Chernobyl has been a no-go area since the nuclear disaster nearly 30 years ago yet many animals from bears and wolves, to elk and wild boar have made it their home and a recent study suggests that large mammal populations in the Zone have increased significantly since the accident.
Dr Wood, Prof Nick Beresford (NERC-CEH) and Prof Andy Miah (Salford) secured funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the University of Salford for an exciting project that capitalises on the University of Salford’s scientific, technical and communication expertise. This public engagement project, “Alienated Life? The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 30 Years on”, makes the Chernobyl wildlife research accessible to everyone and ‘Virtual Chernobyl’ is a core component of that engagement activity.
“Advances in photographic and acoustic recording techniques mean we are now able to estimate the number of animals by observing them directly rather than looking at their tracks. We have embarked on a project using motion-activated cameras and sound recorders to investigate wildlife in different areas of the exclusion zone and evaluate the influence of radiation on animal populations. Through ‘Virtual Chernobyl’ people are able to get a real sense of the truly unique Chernobyl environment, from which people have been excluded for nearly 30 years.” Dr. Mike Wood
The Chernobyl wildlife research has been featured on the BBC and Channel 4 News, with ‘Virtual Chernobyl’ being showcased at the Manchester Science Festival, Museum of Science & Industry, various scientific meetings and at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. ‘Virtual Chernobyl’ has also been used to support research-led undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at Salford.
@ThinkLab
The University's Think Lab conducts research in advanced technology platforms for smart city applications, collaborative engineering, multi-agency collaboration environments, serious game applications, interactive learning and training environments and community spaces. Its team work with us to produce compelling digital experiences for #SciComm events.
Students
Students from all over the university get involved with our science communication work. Here are a few highlights.
Our students are deeply involved with community and public engagement and independently and with us as creatives, event organisers, patient health activists and digital reporters.
Amorance
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Quays News
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CREATIVES
We value and actively support the creative science communication community, whose skills and imagination inspire our staff and students. These amazing people include scientists, artists, designers, communicators, and technologists, all of whom are excited by the possibilities of sharing ideas. Here are some of the people we have worked with.
Science Communicator, Dr Marieke Navin, shows us how we'll know when our sunflowers are ready to count.
Join your heroes Zing and Zong, a brother and sister team from planet Jaahrgon who have crash landed on Earth, as they discover the science that holds the key to saving their threatened civilisation. Fresh water has disappeared on their planet so they've travelled across the universe to investigate its composition so they can try and make some for their home.
Langton's Ant - starring Katie Steckles (and Audrey).
Professional Speakers Association annual speaking competition.
Dr Ginny Smith
Performance poet Dr Sam Illingworth performing his poem "Unknown Pleasures" at Evidently in The Eagle Inn, Salford. Evidently is Greater Manchester's premier spoken word and poetry night. Providing a platform for both established performance poets and up and coming spoken word artists. Taking place every second Monday of the month at the Eagle Inn, Salford, UK.
Find out about Alan Turing's life and discoveries in this short performance by Craig MacFarlane and Nicola Shepherd from Eureka Edinburgh, who spent a whole week performing in the streets of Manchester as part of the European City of Science 2016 'Science in the City' Festival.
Mark Lorch is a senior lecturer in biological chemistry at the University of Hull. The University lets him out on a fairly regular basis to communicate science to anyone who wants to listen. He also writes a fair bit for newspapers, science magazines and blogs.
Industry
We work with some of the world's leading organisations in science, engineering, technology, communication and the arts, including Siemens, The Alzheimer's Society, Cancer Research UK, The Science and Industry Museum, and many more. Like us they have a commitment to making science communication central to their values, vision and mission.