Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

You will have the opportunity for a one-to-one 30-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your ideas and questions and get project specific help.

The course will be led by Ryd Cook. Ryd is a multi award winning film director, actor and mentor. His fiction and documentary films have screened in film festivals around the world. He has 15+ years of experience, filming, editing and producing a range of films. He has also been teaching practical filmmaking for over 10 years for all ages. He currently works as a director, cameraperson, actor and mentor.

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

You will have the opportunity for a one-to-one 30-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your ideas and questions and get project specific help.

The course will be led by Ryd Cook. Ryd is a multi award winning film director, actor and mentor. His fiction and documentary films have screened in film festivals around the world. He has 15+ years of experience, filming, editing and producing a range of films. He has also been teaching practical filmmaking for over 10 years for all ages. He currently works as a director, cameraperson, actor and mentor.

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

You will have the opportunity for a one-to-one 30-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your ideas and questions and get project specific help.

The course will be led by Ryd Cook. Ryd is a multi award winning film director, actor and mentor. His fiction and documentary films have screened in film festivals around the world. He has 15+ years of experience, filming, editing and producing a range of films. He has also been teaching practical filmmaking for over 10 years for all ages. He currently works as a director, cameraperson, actor and mentor.

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics:  The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals?  The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders  The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

This course will be led by Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement.

Once upon a time there was a researcher who spun a story so enthralling that it captured their audience’s imagination and they remembered the research for years to come.

Was that researcher you? Would you like it to be?

Telling a good story helps you connect with an audience; brings your research to life, visually and emotionally; and makes it easier for them to listen, understand and remember your research.

This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: understanding attention, motivation and the evolution of storytelling, the strength of non-verbal connections, dramatic structures and rhetorical devices; to give you the skills to craft an engaging story to communicate your own research.

And if you want to apply this on a specific story of your own, then further support is available through individual coaching.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic

Are you an academic, researcher or PhD candidate who would like to build a media profile and take your research to a global public audience by writing for The Conversation?

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.

In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process.

We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

To book your space head over to - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cambridge-the-conversation-media-training-registration-429713112487

This event is online only.

Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you When, Why and crucially How to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

The workshop will be followed by the option of a one-to-one consultation to discuss individual and project specific evaluation approaches. These will take place one week after the workshop and last for 20 min.

Dr Jamie Gallagher is an award-winning engagement professional with over ten years’ experience in the delivery and evaluation of quality engagement projects. Working across dozens of institutions and subject areas he has improved the reach, profile and impact of research engagement in almost every academic discipline.

As a specialist in evaluation Jamie provides consultancy services to charities and universities helping them to demonstrate their impact and to understand their audiences and stakeholders. He consulted on dozens of REF impact case studies in the latest round and works regularly with the vast majority of the Russell Group Universities.

This is a training for those in Arts and Humanities.

An introductory session looking at impact in the Arts and Humanities, offering a guide to the Michaelmas call-out for Impact projects from the School of Arts and Humanities.

Impact is now a requirement for numerous grant applications, the REF, and academic life in general. It can make a useful and dynamic contribution to the long term development of many academic projects as well as bringing partnerships and funding opportunities.

This session will discuss how impact is defined according to the AHRC and REF. It will also discuss previous successful impact projects, outline the connections between research and impact, funding strategies, and the differences between pathways to impact and impact objectives. Many different types of impact will be covered, including work with public policy, public engagement, the media, and commercialisation.

This event is online only.

Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you When, Why and crucially How to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

The workshop will be followed by the option of a one-to-one consultation to discuss individual and project specific evaluation approaches. These will take place one week after the workshop and last for 20 min.

Dr Jamie Gallagher is an award-winning engagement professional with over ten years’ experience in the delivery and evaluation of quality engagement projects. Working across dozens of institutions and subject areas he has improved the reach, profile and impact of research engagement in almost every academic discipline.

As a specialist in evaluation Jamie provides consultancy services to charities and universities helping them to demonstrate their impact and to understand their audiences and stakeholders. He consulted on dozens of REF impact case studies in the latest round and works regularly with the vast majority of the Russell Group Universities.

From lab equipment to label makers, objects can help people to engage with your research in new and interesting ways. In this session we will look at how you can safely introduce objects into your public engagement, how close looking can help enthuse people and how even the most seemingly un-exciting artefact can tell stories.

Sarah-Jane Harknett co-ordinates evaluation projects across the University of Cambridge Museums. Alongside this role, she also heads up the Public Engagement programmes at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology where she regularly teaches with objects.

This session will help researchers to deepen their engagement with policymakers. Led by Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson (Durham University) and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy) it will explore funding opportunities for collaboration with policymakers and will provide examples of successful partnership projects. Researchers from a range of disciplines will be offered support to disseminate their research in formats favoured by policymakers. The Bennett Institute and the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy will outline the support available to researchers who want to become more policy-engaged. This will be a practical and interactive session, with the opportunity to ask questions and meet colleagues from across the University.

Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at Durham University where she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2022-2024). As an expert in Classics outreach and knowledge exchange, she engages diverse stakeholders to explore ways to widen access to the study of the classical world.

Working at the intersection of research, policy and practice, Arlene collaborates closely with policymakers in government and parliament on issues across the Humanities and Education. An affiliated researcher with the Bennett Institute, Arlene sits on AHRC’s Public Policy Advisory Board. Her successful policy engagement with a range of partners has been showcased in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gEzYV9RSY

Owen Garling is the Knowledge Transfer Facilitator at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy where he provides an important conduit between its own researchers and policymakers in the UK and internationally. His work helps to ensure that the Institute’s research is focussing on the questions that matter, and that it reaches the right policymakers and public audiences for making a positive difference. Owen’s work covers all of the Bennett Institute’s research themes: Place, Progress, Productivity and Decision-making in Government.

With over two decades of experience of working in the public sector in and around Cambridge he has a particular interest in how the Bennett Institute’s work can support policymakers working at regional and local levels as well as at a national level.

This is an in-person event.

This training will introduce you to the world of visual communication. We will look at visualising data versus visualising abstract concepts and think about appropriateness! How can you simplify a huge body of research into something that is visually enticing to people outside of your field? In this training you will learn how to create visual metaphors that illustrate your research as well as the basics of frame by frame and stop motion animation so that you may turn these illustrations into short animated gifs.

Take your research stories to the next level with focused support to apply the knowledge, skills and techniques from our Introductory course, on your own research.

This module brings a small group together to focus on their own narratives, testing out ideas and refining their creations. Expect group sharing, peer review, co-working and creative testing. Optional individual coaching is also available for those that would want more targeted personal support.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic.

Busking: It’s not just for musicians, magicians and other street performers. It’s perfect for research engagement. Using objects and mini-demonstrations is a quick and easy way to capture attention, engage, inform and inspire transient audiences. Explore and play with some of the tricks and tips for successful research busking.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic.

Would you like to find out what audiences think about your activity but want to try something other than a questionnaire? Want to move beyond ‘any other comments’? In this session, find out about alternative evaluation techniques used in the University of Cambridge Museums, and how you could apply them to your own situation.

Sarah-Jane Harknett co-ordinates evaluation projects across the University of Cambridge Museums. Alongside this role, she also heads up the Public Engagement programmes at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics:  The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals?  The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders  The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

This course will be led by Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement.

Do people tune out when you talk to them about your research? Can you explain why your research is worth their attention? Do you know how to make your research better and enhance its impact by gathering external perspectives from industrial and commercial contacts?

This 3-hour workshop gives you the tools to discover and communicate the broader context of your work when engaging with industry and business contacts. It will help you explain the relevance and anticipated impact of your research to non-experts. Practice discussing your work among peers so that you can crystallise your message and make it relevant. This will maximise the value of your next opportunity to talk about your research to external contacts.

This workshop is particularly relevant if you are preparing to participate in a workshop, conference or poster session where you will be engaging with potential industrial partners. It is also relevant if you are looking for future sponsorship for your research, preparing for its commercial uptake, or even if you are considering a job outside academia!

Course Organised by: Maxwell Centre (www.maxwell.cam.ac.uk)