Oxford Brookes Researchers participate in Science Together project
Wednesday, 01 June 2022
New collaborations between Oxford researchers and community groups to be showcased at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Science Together is an exciting new programme, connecting
Oxford’s community groups with researchers from the University of Oxford and
Oxford Brookes University, to respond to major issues and questions impacting
the lives of local people.
To showcase some of the new projects and approaches being
developed, Science Together is hosting ‘Explore Science Together’ on Tuesday 7
June 2022, an interactive day of free workshops and activities at the Oxford
University Museum of Natural History, followed by an opportunity to explore the
collaborations in more depth in the evening
During museum opening hours, visitors will have to chance to
interact with the community groups involved in the programme and participate in
eight workshops, activities and demonstrations, ranging from making natural
paint from sustainable materials, exploring the evolution of hip-hop
technology, creating their own app, and much more. Each session is led by one
of the local organisations that have been collaborating with university
researchers this year, with opportunities to get hands-on, learn more and
provide feedback to help take the work-in-progress projects to the next level.
Science on the Sofa
In the evening, guests will have the chance to find out more
about each collaboration from the researchers, community groups and service
users involved, in ‘Science on the Sofa’ from 7-9pm - a candid conversation
hosted by Science Together lead, Oli Moore. Free refreshments will be provided. For those unable
to attend in person, the event will also be livestreamed. In-person spaces for
the evening event are limited, so please register (for free) in advance at
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/science-on-the-sofa-tickets-334499977437
Since September 2021, eight research projects, involving 33
scientists from across the two universities, have been developed with groups
ranging from Barton coLAB for teens, to Daybreak, an inclusive scheme for those
with dementia – and covering themes such as tackling under-reported bike crime,
facilitating communication for people with special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND), and researching the impact of freeform play on young
people’s development.
Maggie Lewis, Area Representative and Administrator at
Oxford Neighbourhood Watch, said: ‘The word 'science' used to fill me with
dread - bunsen burners, no relevance to my teenage life and totally boring
lessons at school. But Science Together, what a fantastic experience - meeting
normal people who may be highly academic but are engaging and concerned about
checking out that things are okay along the way. Science is fun and useful at
last!’
Professor David De Roure, from the University of Oxford's
Department of Engineering Science, said: ‘This has been a brilliant
collaboration – it’s inspired me to look at things in new ways, have new
conversations and get some excellent insights. I don’t think this could have
happened any other way – it’s been a unique and rewarding experience.’
Dr Clare Rathbone, Senior Researcher at Oxford Brookes
Centre for Psychological Research, said: ‘It has been a pleasure and a
privilege to work with Daybreak Dementia Day Clubs. I'm so proud of what we
have already achieved together - very much a team effort - and excited to
develop our collaboration further in the future. It has been both informative
and refreshing to step out of the office, away from the journal articles and
into the real world!’
Science Together
community groups and projects
Barton coLAB –
Young people aged 13-16 have co-created a disaster-themed immersive experience,
to bring local people in their community together around an imaginary disaster
scenario. A volcano has suddenly started emitting huge clouds of ash that are
blocking light from the sun across the globe. Barton, on the eastern edge of
Oxford, is getting cold! How will you face the coming volcanic winter? The
Barton Survival Centre features challenges, crafts and more.
Daybreak – This
project has not one but two research strands. Researchers from Engineering are
investigating how wearable technology can help people with dementia live
independent lives for longer. Alongside this, researchers from the Oxford
Brookes Centre for Psychological Research gather data on the impacts of
therapeutic art classes and how they can positively influence the wellbeing of
dementia sufferers.
Leys CDI – Leys
Community Development Initiative want an app to help the young people they work
with better connect with the services available to them. However, rather than
developing this independently they have enabled the young people to lead the
development – to prioritise collaborative research and user centred design.
Through workshops with Oxford Computer Science Department the young people of
Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys estates are co-developing and building the app
for their peers.
KEEN – Disabled
young people across Oxfordshire are working with researchers and academics to
explore challenges and enablers for communication in different settings.
Uniquely, this is being done through the development of an innovative new board
game called Game On!, which is based on challenging scenarios commonly
experienced by young people, for example going to hospital appointments.
Oxford Neighbourhood
Watch – This collaboration seeks to understand more about bike theft and
theft prevention in Oxford. A survey has been developed, in collaboration with
researchers, to gather the experiences of local residents. It focuses on
low-end or second-hand bikes, in particular, which are less likely to be
reported as stolen. Despite their lower monetary value, the theft of these
bikes can have a greater impact on the victim, for whom their bike is often
much more than just a mode of transport. When a bike is someone’s primary mode
of transport, its loss can cause not only inconvenience and distress, but also
loss of independence and significant financial difficulty.
Oxford Play Association
– The importance of sport in the school curriculum and out-of-school clubs is
well understood. By comparison, freeform play is less well researched and
funded, and multiple issues including perceptions around safety, cleanliness
and structure mean that children today often have limited scope to explore and
play outside under their own direction. To address this, Oxfordshire Play
Association are creating a research and evidence document called ‘Why Play
Matters in Oxfordshire’, to highlight to local decision-makers the importance
of play for the physical and mental wellbeing of children and young people. A
second edition of the report will be designed for parents and carers.
Urban Music
Foundation – Working with Oxford-based hip-hop artist Rawz, the Inner Peace
Records collective, and researchers in the fields of Artificial Intelligence,
Immunology, Technology and Literature, this collaboration has developed an
immersive soundscape to help the Urban Music Foundation investigate people’s
physiological responses to five epochs of popular music, from the 1950s to
today. The aim is to understand more about the interplay between science,
technology and human creativity.
Watlington Climate
Action Group – This group is finding novel uses for hedge material from West
Meadow that was felled as part of Watlington’s local habitat regeneration
project, by extracting natural inks and pigments and incorporating them into
carbon dioxide absorbing paint. The aim is to re-use the felled hedgerow
material to generate environmentally sustainable solutions for use in the local
community and beyond.
Collaborating
research departments
University of Oxford
– Departments of Archaeology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering Science,
Experimental Psychology, Materials, Oncology, and Psychiatry; Nuffield
Department of Medicine; Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and
Musculoskeletal Sciences; Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Services;
Ruskin School of Art, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health; Weatherall
Institute of Molecular Medicine; Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics; Wellcome
Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging
Oxford Brookes
University – School of Architecture; School of Education; School of English
and Modern Languages; Faculty of Health and Life Sciences; Department of
Psychology, Health and Professional Development; Department of Sport, Health
Sciences and Social Work