I’ve attended many interesting scientific conferences, but recently I was lucky enough to participate in an outstanding one. On June 7, 2024, I volunteered at the SciComm South West Conference. What set this conference apart was the inspiring enthusiasm of all participants. Speakers radiated passion for science communication and shared their energy with the audience, passing it on like a chain reaction, creating a unique atmosphere of authenticity and excitement.
The keynote speakers, Dr Lindsay Keith and Wyn Griffiths, epitomised this vibrant atmosphere. They shared their experiences with inclusion and the story of SMASHfestUK. In starting this work, they aimed to engage a young audience from South East London, a diverse area with numerous intersectional challenges. The speakers adopted a co-design approach, asking local school students what they wanted to see at the festival. The resounding answer was “Aliens and zombies”. “Okay,” – the science communicators said and made it. Of course, it wasn’t so easy. A story was needed – a good story. Balancing scientific accuracy and creativity, they created a story about a highly virulent disease with “zombie-like” symptoms that arrived on Earth via multiple meteorite strikes. They called on everyone’s help to find a cure together with scientists and engineers.
Photo credit Tom Sparey
And it worked! Despite the lack of widespread promotion, more than 1,000 people participated at the first event. SMASHfestUK brought together many different activities, including interactive demonstrations, linked together by one story. For example, one of the interactive activities was called “Survival Supermarket Sweep”. People had 30 seconds to fill a basket with everything they could bring into the bunker to survive as long as possible. At the checkout, they would get a receipt, which told them how long they would live based on the items in their basket. Since this first event, SMASHfestUK has reached 150,000 people and a lot of communities: students, artists, and scientists. By immersing themselves in the story of saving the world, young people have changed their attitudes towards science.
Dr Keith emphasises the idea of working in spaces where people are. Instead of creating an artificial environment and trying to impose structures upon people, it is easy and natural to use the structures that the audience is already comfortable with. Such an approach has been implemented in the Gene Home project Lindsay has also been working on at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences. In eight weeks, Dr Keith and her colleagues created a fascinating space in an ordinary retail unit in Westfield, a massive shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush in London. Visitors could find a typical West Indian families living room inside, and they were impressed, saying: “This is my aunt’s front room. How did you know that?”. Exploring the kitchen, bathroom, and other spaces of the Gene Home, they had their vital signs checked, read a timeline of Black biomedical science innovation, and explored how the Windrush generation and their descendants are taking control of their health. That allowed visitors to engage in work happening on prostate cancer policy, diabetes, and heart disease, which is crucial for medicine around migration communities.
Both speakers continually engage with their audience, work, and learn together, adhering to the concept of co-design. They highlighted the need for the entire science communication sector to go further, emphasising the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and community engagement. The passionate way the speakers discussed their challenges and achievements, as well as the discussion that continued amongst participants throughout the coffee break, once again confirmed the enthusiasm and authenticity of the keynote and the entire conference. Inclusion and diversity was a topic that was serious and real, not just of interest to people for the sake of ‘ticking boxes’.
As an international student with English as a second language, I was grateful to be part of this approach. You’ve just read a post that was written by a soon to be graduated science communicator who had written and spoken very little English before the age of 30. I think this is the best evidence yet that efforts to achieve diversity and inclusion in science communication do work despite all the challenges. Let’s keep moving forwards!
By Aleksandra Peliushkevich, MSc Science Communication student at UWE Bristol.