2019
Public engagement activity in collaboration with Morag Martin, Amy Cameron, Erin Hardy (SLS public engagement office) and NEoN (http://www.northeastofnorth.com). The aim of this public engagement program is to spark interest and dialogue in stem cell research primarily engaging two target audiences (1) school children and (2) young people not in education, employment or training who face barriers to engaging in the labor market. The programme will integrate the pre-existing Animating Science collaboration between the School of Life Sciences and Dundee Contemporary Arts (http://www.dca.org.uk/stories/article/animating-science) and explore a new collaboration with NEoN digital arts festival, a creative learning and support service based in Dundee. This program is supported by a 36month £15K grant from Wellcome.
2018
Skype conference, Sarah Cook & Erik Berger, University of Helsinki, December 15. Contribution to professional development of artists and other cultural producers, with a focus on understanding current genetic editing practices and protocols, and the technological changes afoot in biological research more broadly, and implications of it.
2017
Participation in the school-wide work experience week “Fist science experience”, hosting 2 S5/6 students in the lab.
“Microscope marvels” exhibition at the Mills observatory in Dundee. We provided a short film including an interview about how we use microscopes to understand the behaviour and function of cells using the fruit fly as a model system.
2016
“A Fishy Tale”, covered by the local newspaper Courier. Public engagement activity at the Mill’s Observatory Dundee, Developmental biology and what can we learn from it?
Contribution to Life Space exhibition “This was then this is now” involving Richard Pell, director of the Center for PostNatural History, Pittsburgh, USA (June- September).
The Center for PostNatural History collects and documents the stories of the origins, habitats, and evolution of organisms that have been intentionally and heritably altered by humans. The exhibition featured current research specimens, and historical artefacts from the University of Dundee, including CrispR generated flies from the lab. Video interview and participation in a discussion round with the public at the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum (with Prof. Claire Halpin, Richard Pell, Dr. Sara Cook): “points of interest in the history of human guided evolution”.
2015
Participation in the Life Space exhibition: Mat Fleming: Seeing through the see-through (October 2015-February 2016). I collaborated with Mat Fleming. Mat works on filmic processes and is especially interested in the transition from the analogue to the digital age. The Leverhulme Trust funded a fellowship allowing him to visit and work at CLS. Mat and I explored new ways of representing my research and I helped Matt to develop new imaging/visualisation methods for his projects, which derived from techniques we use in the lab and based on our data sets. Mai – October.
Participating in the Nuffield placement scheme hosting school students for four weeks in the lab to help them make career choices.
2014
Public engagement workshop organised by the Wellcome, 12.5.2014, Edinburgh
Participating in the Nuffield placement scheme hosting school students for four weeks in the lab to help them make career choices. July
“Meet the scientist launch”, Manchester 29-30 October 2014 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester hosted by the Royal Society.
2013
Participating in the Nuffield placement scheme hosting school students for four weeks in the lab to help them make career choices.