BSGCT Public Engagement

Each year BSGCT runs a Public Engagement Day alongside the annual conference. This day offers members of the public, GCSE and A-level school children, patients, carers and scientists to come along and discuss current issues in gene and cell therapy. Participants will be given an introduction to what gene and cell therapy is and hear from a range of speakers including scientists, patients and members of the wider scientific community.

BSGT Public Engagement Day – Thursday 27^th October 2011, The Brighton Centre         

This was your chance to discover more about cutting edge medical treatments using gene therapy and stem cells from the experts doing the research.  We aimed to show you some of our work and explain the science behind these new therapies in a fun and interactive way.  A range of experts were lined up to present, discuss and debate everything and anything in this field.  We didn't lecture you all day – there was plenty of time for you to ask questions, try, probe, and challenge, so that we could also learn your perspective of what we are trying to do.

Between sessions people were available to discuss science in the media, careers options and ways to get more involved in science."

• A Guide to Getting into Science and Research Before University
• Teachers Resources
• Public Engagement Day Programme 2011

Art-Science Outreach project

In 2008, as part of the Edinburgh meeting, the BSGT embarked on a new project to engage pupils in secondary and primary schools with gene therapy. Sciencebased artist, Dr Lizzie Burns along with input from Renee Watson, came up with the idea of creative workshops to help bring to life the concepts behind gene therapy.

Lizzie together with researchers from the University of Edinburgh ran workshops in schools prior to the conference. Six schools took part in the project encouraging pupils to find artistic inspiration in the human body at the microscopic scale. Over 300 pupils from 6 to 16 took part in workshops to help spark the imagination of pupils about the aims and hopes behind gene therapy. Workshops were an opportunity for pupils to grasp a complex subject through the visual media. Pupils also met scientists and gene therapy researchers from the University of Edinburgh in their own classroom.

With thanks to the teachers and pupils for embracing this project. Special thanks also to the scientists who were keen to give up their time to help inspire the next generation.

We asked scientists to vote for their favourite pieces and to give their reasons. We’re including a selection of artwork which were highly commended together with fascinating comments from scientists…

• Download the Art-Science Outreach in a Powerpoint format
• Download the Art-Science Outreach in a PDF format

  Previous PED Programmes:

• PED Programme 2010
• PED Programme 2009
• PED Programme 2008
• PED Programme 2007
• PED Programme 2006
  

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