°×С½ãÂÛ̳

The annual awards ceremony recognises the hard work of °×С½ãÂÛ̳ staff, students, and their community partners in making the university's research and teaching accessible to the wider world, which is a principle theme of °×С½ãÂÛ̳'s 2034 strategy.

In 2018, the Provost awarded seven prizes and commended more than 50 teams and individuals for their efforts and achievements: from students to established academics, professional staff and community partners.

The award-winning projects illustrate °×С½ãÂÛ̳'s distinctive approach to public engagement, characterised by a focus on collaborative models of engagement, the involvement of diverse and often underrepresented public groups, and a spirit of experimentation to encourage wider learning.

Among the award winners was Extreme Citizen Science (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Geography). This research group received an award for empowering citizens to explore and experiment with the world around them through more than 500 innovative workshops and events organised in nine European countries. The Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) was recognised for 'Know Your Normal', a research project focused on understanding the experiences of mental health in young autistic people.

Also awarded was Dr Andrea Rigon (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Development Planning Unit), who co-founded the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre to support the development of wellbeing initiatives for residents in informal settlements, and Dr Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Migration Unit) who was recognised for her outstanding commitment to promoting social justice for refugees.

Annabelle South from °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Professional Services was acknowledged for her work communicating the results of the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit's studies, focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Doctoral researcher Nicola Anataki (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ School of Architecture) was awarded for her work with primary school students in India, where she involved them in the construction of their learning environments. The Eve Appeal won the Community Partner Award, for enabling the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Institute for Women's Health to pursue its mission of reducing the burden of women's cancer.

The full list of winners is:

• Community Partner Award - Athena Lamnisos and Angus MacLennan (The Eve Appeal, a gynaecology cancer research charity)
• Early Career Researcher Award - Dr Andrea Rigon (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Development Planning Unit)
• Established Award - Dr Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Migration Unit)
• Institutional Leadership Award - Extreme Citizen Science (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Geography)
• Professional Services Staff Award - Annabelle South (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Policy & Research Impact Coordinator)
• Student Award - Nicola Antaki (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Bartlett School of Architecture)
• Team Award - Know Your Normal (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Centre for Research in Autism and Education)

The 2018 awards ceremony is part of a special anniversary year for °×С½ãÂÛ̳, which marks ten years since the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Public Engagement Unit was established. The celebration formed an occasion for the Provost to call on the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ community to reflect on how we can further develop public engagement over the next ten years.

Laura Cream, Head of Public Engagement (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture), said, "The more diverse the communities we listen to and audiences we engage with, the richer °×С½ãÂÛ̳, its research and teaching, will be. I think the past ten years have shown our commitment to dialogue and conversation, but there is still a lot more that we could and should be doing.

Now we want to hear your thoughts about how we can develop public engagement at °×С½ãÂÛ̳ in the future, and what stepping stones can help us on the way to 2028. We hope staff and students and our external partners will all join our conversation this year."

Staff, students and everyone connected to °×С½ãÂÛ̳ are invited to share their thoughts about the future of public engagement at the university. °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture will share its findings with the Provost and the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Senior Leadership Team in 2019, and look forward to announcing the outcomes publicly.

Join the conversation online at ucl.ac.uk/culture/future. Those involved in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ community are also invited to join a free event: Public engagement at °×С½ãÂÛ̳: Stepping stones to the future on 20 June 2018 at 12.30. More information is available on the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture website.

Read the full list of award winners and nominees via the link below.Ìý

Links

• Provost's Public Engagement AwardsÌý2018
• °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture

Images

• °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Provost's Public Engagement Awards 2018. Photos courtesy of °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture and copyright Matt Clayton.

Contact

Anna Cornelius, °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture

Tel:Ìý+44 20 3108 9722

Email: a.cornelius@ucl.ac.uk