The University of York has a strong and long-standing commitment to public engagement in research, helping to encourage knowledge dissemination and exchange, inform and educate the public about the work of universities and the University of York in particular, and inspire the next generation of researchers.
As part of this engagement, members of our research community have worked successfully in partnership with the public as ‘co-producers’ on a wide range of projects across different disciplines. This event will provide a great opportunity to find out more about these projects and how to get involved as an active participant in research at York.
The benefits for participants in research are summarised in Stronger Together, a guide published last year by our Centre for Future Health:
The Centre for Future Health funds Involvement@York, the University’s patient and public involvement (PPI) network which aspires to provide a community of support to those involved with our research teams. We will be joined by Hannah Gray, Involvement@York Network Manager, who will talk more about the network and opportunities for public involvement in York research.
There has also been a surge in popularity for participatory research during the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of online citizen science projects, which provide opportunities for active and meaningful involvement. Such projects are often linked with research on conservation action or environmental policy, and it is no coincidence that our event coincides with this year’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow (read more about the University of York’s involvement in COP26 here).
The Stockholm Environment Institute at York have led many studies that tackle environment and development challenges incorporating citizen science approaches, as well as research studying the diversity of participants and engagement in such projects. We will be joined by Dr Sarah West, Centre Director & Senior Research Associate and colleague Dr Rachel Pateman, Research Associate who will talk more about their work in this area and opportunities to get involved.
Participatory research has also taken a key role in addressing social issues during the pandemic. Covid Realities, a collaboration between the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, the University of Birmingham and the Child Poverty Action Group, has helped parents and carers to share experiences of life on a low-income during Covid-19 to shape policy decisions in the future. Dr Geoff Page, Research Associate will join us to talk about this participatory, rapid-response research programme.
Our host will be Dr Katherine Brookfield, Lecturer in Human Geography and ECR Representative on the University Open Research Strategy Group.
This event will be hosted on Zoom and is aimed at members of the public over the age of 16 (attendees under 16 are also welcome to attend with adult supervision; please note that you must be over the age of 18 to register for events using Eventbrite unless supervised – see terms of service). You are not expected to have any prior knowledge of our research in order to attend.
Attendees will receive Zoom joining instructions by email one day before the event.
This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2021 and was made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual celebration of the social sciences and a key element of ESRC’s commitment to promote awareness of UK social science research to new audiences. This year the festival will be held from 1-30 November 2021 and will feature exciting and creative events run by our 34 partners.
The events shaping our world, from climate change to Brexit and coronavirus, to geopolitical tensions and civic protests, reveal how social science is more important than ever to understanding the world. From big ideas to the most detailed observations, social science affects us all every day – at work, in school, when raising children, within our communities, from the personal and local, to the national and global level. The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives – both now and in the future.
Discover how it shapes public policy and contributes to making the economy more competitive, as well as giving people a better understanding of 21st-century society. 2021 will be the 19th Festival of Social Science. There will be a mix of virtual and face-to-face events, held across the UK, which will allow everyone to take part in and hear about social science research at the festival’s many engaging events.
Read more about the ESRC Festival of Social Science here.
The University of York is committed to the long-term development and support of an open research culture, including research which arises from public participation and is made openly accessible at all stages of the research cycle.
Open research practice enables a wide range of audiences to freely discover and engage with our excellent research. It makes the research process transparent and creates new opportunities for outputs and methods to be reused, reproduced and credited. It generates an environment for more effective and efficient research, and a culture where open is the default.
Open research embeds values of inclusivity, diversity, integrity and accessibility in the research process. It is based in the belief that knowledge produces the greatest benefit when it exists in a commons, and that research produced through public funding should belong to and exist for the benefit of all.
Read more about Open Research at York here.