Engaging Academics With Outreach

STEM Connections was a funded project designed to position academics at the forefront of outreach activities. It drew on the experience of outreach-focussed professional services staff to bridge the gap between the public and the academy, to train and support academics in the skills of engagement, and to support the design of the activities. Two cohorts (11 in 2022 and 12 in 2023) of academics were trained through this project, creating 20 interactive activities linked to active research and teaching at the University of Warwick. Four academic departments were represented across the two cohorts. This paper explores the background literature of outreach: why do institutions feel a duty to engage the public? Who delivers the outreach? What are the benefits on the institution? Most importantly, how can outreach projects be designed to complement academics’ skills, rather than over-burden their already burgeoning workloads? Can outreach projects create tangible benefits for the academics who take part? The paper concludes with reflective statements from the involved academics. Funding Acknowledgement STEM Connections was funded by the Enhancing Research Culture Fund through Research England. Jose Ortiz Gonzalez, Xinkai Tian, Umair Paracha, and Robin T. George were additionally supported by the WELD (Warwick Electrification Deployment) project. The WELD programme is funded by Driving the Electric Revolution, an ICSF Challenged delivered by UK Research and Innovation. Project Number: 10033186.