# data[].attributes.body
MGC project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund to support 70-100 museums across Scotland make changes to their organisations and programming to help all people to access culture

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The programme is in a 6-month development phase. During this period an expert advisory group will work with the MGS-based project team to establish a plan for training, support, interventions, and funding to support change in Scotland's museums. The expert advisory group members have lived experience and professional experience of barriers to participation in culture. These are defined as barriers many people face when engaging with or visiting a museum, that make them feel that museums are not for them. The group will support the development of a programme that offers specialised and practical training for museums to support greater inclusion.

It is expected there will be clear changes in the ways in which participating museums work because of this programme . A key aim is to ensure that museum spaces are safe and inclusive for all people in Scotland, particular ly for audiences . The project will support museums to work with and interest to disrupt current power dynamics. Across the project, we will create learning spaces where knowledge sharing is a two-way process.

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Delivering Change - Museums Galleries Scotland

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The programme is in a 6-month development phase. During this period an expert advisory group will work with the MGS-based project team to establish a plan for training, support, interventions, and funding to support change in Scotland's museums. The expert advisory group members have lived experience and professional experience of barriers to participation in culture.

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Socio-Economic Diversity in the Arts: A toolkit for employers

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Socio-Economic Diversity in the Arts: A toolkit for employers

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New from Jerwood Arts

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Socio-Economic Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts: A Toolkit for Employers - Jerwood Arts

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Jerwood Arts and the Bridge Group have joined forces for this Toolkit with a mission to look to the future: to support long-term change across the arts sector by sharing knowledge, providing expert support, and encouraging take-up of an intersectional approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.

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HE Archaeological Technician (aerial survey)

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HE Archaeological Technician (aerial survey)

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https://historicengland.org.uk/about/jobs/apprenticeships/

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Apprenticeships with Historic England - Offices in Swindon, London and more | Historic England

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Our apprenticeships are open to everyone and offer you a paid learning opportunity across heritage and support roles.

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EVENTS: Icon Heritage Science Group and NHSF: Emerging Heritage Science Researcher Seminars

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EVENTS: Icon Heritage Science Group and NHSF: Emerging Heritage Science Researcher Seminars

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Networking and support | National Heritage Science Forum

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The Icon Heritage Science Group (HSG) and National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) are jointly running a series of four seminars between May and September to showcase the work of emerging heritage science researchers.

Each event will feature two short talks of 10-15 minutes from emerging researchers and students, plus a talk from a more experienced professional about their career path. The series embraces all aspects of heritage science and aims to connect researchers and provide a safe space to discuss ideas and progress. The talks will be followed by an open question/discussion session in which all attendees are encouraged to take part.

The seminars are online via Zoom and are free to attend - please sign-up using the links below.

Thursday 5th May 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST)

Abed Haddad - "Foundations of a Great Metaphysical Style": Unraveling Giorgio de Chirico's Early Palette

Antanas Melinis - Conditions for the safe storage of early glass

Dr Paola Ricciardi - Senior Research Scientist at The Fitzwilliam Museum

Further information and registration at this Eventbrite link.

Thursday 9th June 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

Thursday 7th July 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

Thursday 8th September, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

New platform launched to support networking and career development of heritage science students and early career researchers (ECRs)

Following the two workshops held in March 2021, we've set up a Slack workspace as a first step in supporting the development of a network amongst heritage science students and Early Career Researchers.

Our intention is that the topics for discussion are driven by the student and ECR community, aligned to different 'channels' of interest - but the students and ECRs we've been in touch with have said they'd like the network to be open to people at all stages in their career to help them develop links with other researchers and practitioners and to bring a range of experiences to the discussions on the platform.

We'd also like the community to co-design some simple guidance on use, so that people know what to expect from the workspace and how to engage with it.

If you'd like to join the Slack workspace, please email Caroline Peach coordinator@heritagescienceforum.org.uk to receive a link.

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The Icon Heritage Science Group (HSG) and National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) are jointly running a series of four seminars between May and September to showcase the work of emerging heritage science researchers. Each event will feature two short talks of 10-15 minutes from emerging researchers and students, plus a talk from a more experienced professional about their career path.

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Heritage Science Students and ECRs discussion community

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EVENT: Networking and Support for Heritage Science Students and ECRs

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EVENT: Networking and Support for Heritage Science Students and ECRs

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Networking and support for heritage science students and ECRs | National Heritage Science Forum

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We are hosting a meeting on Friday 5 March (17:30-19:00) for heritage science students and early career researchers to discuss their career development and networking needs.

The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) and the Icon Heritage Science Group have both been asking themselves how they can support the networking and career development needs of heritage science students and early career researchers in the UK.

We've joined forces for this Zoom session on 5th March and hope that you can join us to hear about what we do and take part in discussions that will help us shape the support that we can provide to you in the future.

We thought the best way of developing support that is fit for purpose is to ask students and early career researchers to contribute directly to a conversation about what they need and how it can provided.

Here are some examples of the needs that we've identified from previous research, but you might feel there's a need for something else entirely - we hope you can join the conversation.

opportunities to present your research

mentoring

guidance on topics such as grant-writing, writing for publication

technical skills development opportunities

peer networking and discussion space

leadership development

links with industry

1. Welcome, about NHSF, about the Icon Heritage Science Group - Caroline Peach, Antanas Melinis

2. Heritage science: culture, collaboration and careers - Josep Grau-Bove

3. Introduction to the topics for discussion - Lora Angelova

What are the needs of heritage science students and ECRs?

How can NHSF/ Icon Heritage Science group or other bodies help?

What are the next steps for the heritage science community

4. Breakout into facilitated discussion groups - each group to discuss all three questions

5. Summary and reporting of breakout sessions

6. Wrap-up and identification of future actions

The event on the 5th is now fully booked, but you can join the waiting list by clicking 'register' at the Eventbrite link here.
We hope to run a second event later in March given the popularity of this session.

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Networking and support for heritage science students and ECRs

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The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) and the Icon Heritage Science Group have both been asking themselves how they can support the networking and career development needs of heritage science students and early career researchers in the UK.

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Webinar: ICON Together at Home: Building a Skilled and Diverse Heritage Science Community
Lecture 44 - National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) Panel (icon.org.uk)

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Lecture 44 - National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) Panel

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Building a Skilled and Diverse Heritage Science Community

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Event on June 16th 2021:
Talks, Workshop/break out room
https://www.heritagescienceforum.org.uk/what-we-do/full-steam-ahead

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A report from the Art Fund supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation provides insights into what support teachers need to use museums and galleries as resources in their work, for the benefit of themselves and their pupils

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New course from YESTEM Project on Equity in Informal STEM learning 

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New course from YESTEM Project on Equity in Informal STEM learning 

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There are ongoing inequalities in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector, which has traditionally excluded people from minoritised communities.

This three-week course will help you reflect on and develop equitable and inclusive practice, to ensure that your organisation can effectively support diverse young people’s engagement with STEM.

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of equity issues, the factors influencing inequalities in STEM and what to do about it. By the end, you’ll have created a plan of action to make your practice more equitable and inclusive.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/equity-informal-stem-learning-using-the-equity-compass/1

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Understand the importance of equity in STEM learning

There are ongoing inequalities in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector, which has traditionally excluded people from minoritised communities.

This three-week course will help you reflect on and develop equitable and inclusive practice, to ensure that your organisation can effectively support diverse young people's engagement with STEM.

You'll gain a deeper understanding of equity issues, the factors influencing inequalities in STEM and what to do about it. By the end, you'll have created a plan of action to make your practice more equitable and inclusive.

Use the Equity Compass to support social justice

You'll be introduced to the Equity Compass - a practical, evidence-based tool that supports equitable practice - and learn how and why you could use it.

Using the Equity Compass framework, you'll reflect on and develop your practice. Through case studies from informal STEM learning settings, reflective questions, and discussions, you'll learn how to plan activities that are equitable and support all young people, particularly those from minoritised communities.

Learn from the specialists at University College London

Guided by the experts in informal STEM learning and equitable practice at the University College London (UCL), you'll develop the knowledge to promote equity in informal STEM learning settings.

By the end of the course, you'll have the confidence to take your skills into your own STEM learning environment.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for informal STEM learning practitioners working in out-of-school organisations and roles such as science museums and centres, zoos, STEM clubs, festivals, community organisations and makerspaces.

The course is particularly relevant to informal STEM learning practitioners working in education roles, such as planning and delivering education programmes. The course will also benefit informal STEM learning practitioners working in other roles, such as exhibition design and management, as well as those working to support young people to engage with STEM outside informal STEM learning, such as teachers, funders, and policy makers.

What's included?

UCL (University College London) are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:

Unlimited access to this course

Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes

A PDF Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning

Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities

Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners

Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course

Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning

Whenever you're ready, mark each step as complete, you're in control

Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #EquityCompass to talk about this course on social media.

More courses you might like

Learners who joined this course have also enjoyed these courses.

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Equity in Informal STEM Learning: Using the Equity Compass - FutureLearn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are ongoing inequalities in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector, which has traditionally excluded people from minoritised communities. This three-week course will help you reflect on and develop equitable and inclusive practice, to ensure that your organisation can effectively support diverse young people's engagement with STEM.

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RLUK Event: Technician Commitment in research and academic libraries.

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RLUK Event: Technician Commitment in research and academic libraries.

# data[].attributes.body
Interactive event exploring the application of the Technician Commitment to research and academic libraries, considering the range of library, archive, and information roles that can relate to the Technician Commitment, the benefits of colleagues seeing themselves within this, and the use of the commitment to advocate for the wider role of research libraries and archives as leaders and partners in research.

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A series of four short virtual seminars from NHSF and Icon Heritage Science Group to showcase the work of emerging heritage scientists, with established specialists providing career insights. From 5th May 2022.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Icon Heritage Science Group (HSG) and National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) are jointly running a series of four seminars between May and September to showcase the work of emerging heritage science researchers.

Each event will feature two short talks of 10-15 minutes from emerging researchers and students, plus a talk from a more experienced professional about their career path. The series embraces all aspects of heritage science and aims to connect researchers and provide a safe space to discuss ideas and progress. The talks will be followed by an open question/discussion session in which all attendees are encouraged to take part.

The seminars are online via Zoom and are free to attend - please sign-up using the links below.

Thursday 5th May 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST)

Abed Haddad - "Foundations of a Great Metaphysical Style": Unraveling Giorgio de Chirico's Early Palette

Antanas Melinis - Conditions for the safe storage of early glass

Dr Paola Ricciardi - Senior Research Scientist at The Fitzwilliam Museum

Further information and registration at this Eventbrite link.

Thursday 9th June 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

Thursday 7th July 2022, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

Thursday 8th September, 16.00-17.30 (BST) - registration not yet live

New platform launched to support networking and career development of heritage science students and early career researchers (ECRs)

Following the two workshops held in March 2021, we've set up a Slack workspace as a first step in supporting the development of a network amongst heritage science students and Early Career Researchers.

Our intention is that the topics for discussion are driven by the student and ECR community, aligned to different 'channels' of interest - but the students and ECRs we've been in touch with have said they'd like the network to be open to people at all stages in their career to help them develop links with other researchers and practitioners and to bring a range of experiences to the discussions on the platform.

We'd also like the community to co-design some simple guidance on use, so that people know what to expect from the workspace and how to engage with it.

If you'd like to join the Slack workspace, please email Caroline Peach coordinator@heritagescienceforum.org.uk to receive a link.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Icon Heritage Science Group (HSG) and National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) are jointly running a series of four seminars between May and September to showcase the work of emerging heritage science researchers. Each event will feature two short talks of 10-15 minutes from emerging researchers and students, plus a talk from a more experienced professional about their career path.

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Socio-economic diversity and inclusion toolkit (creative industries)

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Socio-economic diversity and inclusion toolkit (creative industries)

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From the social mobility commission.

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We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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Use our new employers toolkit to ensure your creative business is adopting an inclusive approach to hiring and progressing staff from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Documents

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email contact@socialmobilitycommission.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

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Details

Our new toolkit is designed to provide employers in the creative industries with tailored guidance on build a diverse workforce that is inclusive of staff from poorer backgrounds.

The document points employers to guidance that will:

ensure talented and skilled job seekers from less privileged backgrounds are not overlooked

increase staff socio-economic diversity

encourage inclusion

Report a problem with this page

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Socio-economic Diversity and Inclusion toolkit: Creative Industries

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Skip to main content We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

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A new report from Creative People & Places - an Arts Council England programme

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UKRI publishes detailed ethnicity data, including results from the 2019-20 financial year

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UKRI publishes detailed ethnicity data, including results from the 2019-20 financial year

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For the first time, data are also provided for individual research councils by ethnic group. This highlights disparities between different ethnic groups in funding data at several of UKRI’s councils, including in particular low numbers of Black researchers.

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UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has published updated detailed ethnicity data, including results from the 2019-20 financial year.

For the first time, data are also provided for individual research councils by ethnic group. This highlights disparities between different ethnic groups in funding data at several of UKRI's councils, including in particular low numbers of Black researchers.

Today's publication of detailed data analyses is part of UKRI's commitment to understand better inequalities across the UK's research and innovation sector and to inform our ongoing actions to address these inequalities and foster lasting change.

Understanding inequalities

Key findings include:

figures for 2019-20 within the ethnic minority groups are broadly consistent with previous financial years and year-on-year changes are small

as in previous years, across the ethnic minority groups applicants from the Asian ethnic group form the largest share, followed by applicants from the Mixed and then Black ethnic groups. There is further variation within each ethnic group

the proportion of principal investigator (PI) awardees reporting they are from an ethnic minority increased in 2019-20 by 3 percentage points (pp) to 12%, however, it continues to remain below the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) academic staff share of ethnic minorities, which is used as a benchmark for the figures

over the five-year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20, the proportion of CI and fellow awardees reporting they are from an ethnic minority has increased by 5pp to 18% and by 6pp to 17% respectively.

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said:

The publication of these data is an integral part of our commitment to increasing diversity among our funding recipients.

Providing a detailed breakdown by individual research councils is an important step, and this highlights further underrepresentation, which we are committed to addressing.

These data reinforce the scale of the challenge we face in addressing the systemic inequalities that impoverish our research and innovation system, particularly relating to the under-representation of Black researchers.

We are working to co-create and deliver evidence-based solutions and I continue to be indebted to people across our communities who are working to achieve the culture change that will make research and innovation accessible to all.

Top image: Credit: Martin Barraud/GettyImages

Share this page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UKRI publishes updated detailed ethnicity data

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has published updated detailed ethnicity data, including results from the 2019-20 financial year. For the first time, data are also provided for individual research councils by ethnic group. This highlights disparities between different ethnic groups in funding data at several of UKRI's councils, including in particular low numbers of Black researchers.

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Knowledge Centre - resources on apprenticeships and non-traditional training routes

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We provide information, advice and guidance to the sector to help improve understanding about the value of apprenticeships/non-traditional training routes and how these routes can support diverse entry into our sector.

We also commission and collate relevant research to better understand the challenges facing our workforce, which in turn helps inform the programmes and services we provide to the sector.

This information is freely-available for download.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We provide information, advice and guidance to the sector to help improve understanding about the value of apprenticeships/non-traditional training routes and how these routes can support diverse entry into our sector. We also commission and collate relevant research to better understand the challenges facing our workforce, which in turn helps inform the programmes and services we provide to the sector.

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New museum and gallery apprenticeship to launch in EnglandFirst formal training route for aspiring technicians in the heritage sector

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New museum and gallery apprenticeship to launch in EnglandFirst formal training route for aspiring technicians in the heritage sector

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Read about it on the Museums Association website

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Creative & Cultural Skills is to launch a new level 3 Museum and Gallery Technician Apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship will be available later in 2021, the first time a formal training route will be available for the occupation. The role is designed to tackle a longstanding skills shortage across the sector.

Museum technicians help to create permanent and temporary exhibitions and displays, also undertaking design, health and safety, collections management and administrative duties.

The development of the apprenticeship was facilitated by Creative & Cultural Skills, drawing on expertise from Cambridge University Museums, Birmingham Museums Trust and Crown Fine Art among others.

It will join extant apprenticeships in England, such as cultural learning and participation officer. Other apprenticeships for the sector are still being finalised, including curator and cultural registrar.

Training provider the Building Crafts College will support the delivery of the apprenticeship, with the first intake to be discussed with employers from September 2021. Building Crafts College, established in 1893 by the Carpenters' Company, has a growing heritage department, with apprenticeships in heritage skills and a degree in historic building conservation.

Sara Whybrew, director of policy and development at Creative & Cultural Skills, said: "The Museum and Gallery Technician Apprenticeship provides a new formal and dedicated technical training route for this occupation. The employers that helped create this are ensuring we can open access to jobs in the sector irrelevant of someone's prior educational background, enabling individuals to earn whilst they learn.

"This apprenticeship also helps shine a light on a really important role in the museum and gallery sector that is rarely showcased or spoken about at school or as part of careers talks, going some way to amplifying the many hidden jobs across the cultural industries.

"We hope employers of all sizes will use this apprenticeship route, alongside others, to help our sector grow the diverse talent it needs for the future and help us all build back fairer post-Covid."

In the UK, the implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 has acted as a catalyst for the development of apprenticeships, where training costs can be offset by the levy.

Tamsin Russell, workforce development officer at the Museums Association, said: "I think for many apprenticeships are still associated with the 'youth training schemes' of the 1980s. Apprenticeships have come such a long way in recent years - expanding across sectors, increasing the number of roles and opportunities.

"For me, one of the most inclusive developments across England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the removal of ages restrictions for participation. This means that individuals who want to change careers or realise their ambition to work in the sector can access training and development in a real-life setting."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New museum and gallery apprenticeship to launch in England

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Creative & Cultural Skills is to launch a new level 3 Museum and Gallery Technician Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship will be available later in 2021, the first time a formal training route will be available for the occupation. The role is designed to tackle a longstanding skills shortage across the sector.

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In this episode Joelle explains why inclusivity/equity are critical to practicing heritage conservation sustainably and what it means to broaden how we interpret heritage - and by extension - our professional responsibility and educational priorities.

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Prioritizing inclusivity in conservation with Dr. Joelle Wickens

Conservators Combating Climate Change

Prioritizing inclusivity in conservation with Dr. Joelle Wickens

Conservators Combating Climate Change

In this mini-episode, Natalya and Marie are joined by Dr. Joelle Wickens, Assistant Professor of Preventive Conservation and Associate Director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Joelle explains why inclusivity/equity are critical to practicing heritage conservation sustainably and what it means to broaden how we interpret heritage - and by extension - our professional responsibility and educational priorities.

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Prioritizing inclusivity in conservation with Dr. Joelle Wickens by Conservators Combating Climate Change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prioritizing inclusivity in conservation with Dr. Joelle Wickens by Conservators Combating Climate Change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this mini-episode, Natalya and Marie are joined by Dr. Joelle Wickens, Assistant Professor of Preventive Conservation and Associate Director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Joelle explains why inclusivity/equity are critical to practicing heritage conservation sustainably and what it means to broaden how we interpret heritage - and by extension - our professional responsibility and educational priorities.

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New resource for mapping projects to the English curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Investigative Practical Science in the

INVESTIGATIVE PRACTICAL SCIENCE IN THE CURRICULUM: MAKING IT HAPPEN How to embed open-ended extended investigative practical work into the secondary science curriculum Managed by Supported by

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Investigative Practical Science in the Curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
INVESTIGATIVE PRACTICAL SCIENCE IN THE CURRICULUM: MAKING IT HAPPEN How to embed open-ended extended investigative practical work into the secondary science curriculum Managed by Supported by

# data[].attributes.headline
Unlock - a new resource to help creative and cultural sector organisations take action against racism

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Unlock - a new resource to help creative and cultural sector organisations take action against racism

# data[].attributes.body
Inc Arts UK has produced a new toolkit 'Unlock' (https://www.incartsunlock.co.uk/) to help tackle racism and their website also signposts other resources that can help to address EDI in the workplace.

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There is also a vast amount of incredibly well-curated content that's easily found by searching online. We invite you to go beyond what's listed here, to search for other resources that suit your learning style.

King's College London's Anti-racism resources

A comprehensive list of literature, toolkits, social media, articles, audiovisual resources and more to aid your learning

By Toral Shah, with a framework for thinking about anti-racist action.

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Inc Arts UK: diversity and inclusion in the arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is also a vast amount of incredibly well-curated content that's easily found by searching online. We invite you to go beyond what's listed here, to search for other resources that suit your learning style.

# data[].attributes.body
Replacement for Erasmus+

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Schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding from today (Friday 12 March) to allow students to study and work across the globe as part of the new Turing Scheme.

The programme, backed by £110 million, replaces the Erasmus+ scheme in the UK and will fund 35,000 global exchanges from September 2021, including university study, school exchanges, and industry work placements.

The new scheme aims to improve social mobility, targeting students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas which did not previously have many students benefiting from Erasmus+, making life-changing opportunities accessible to everyone across the country. The British Council and Ecorys will be targeting disadvantaged parts of the country to promote the scheme to improve take up.

The Turing scheme offers benefits to students that they would not have under the previous Erasmus+ programme, with university students from disadvantaged backgrounds set to receive a maximum of £490 per month towards living costs (currently worth around 573 euros compared to 540 euros under Erasmus+), alongside travel funding, and other forms of additional funding to offset the cost of passports, visas and insurance.

Unlike Erasmus+, which is EU-focused, the Turing Scheme is a truly global programme and every country in the world is eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said:

The Turing Scheme is a truly global programme with every country in the world eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.

It is also levelling up in action, as the scheme seeks to help students of all income groups from across the country experience fantastic education opportunities in any country they choose.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

This is a landmark step in delivering on our promise to level up a truly global Britain, strengthening our ties across the world and providing students with the skills they need to thrive.

The programme's focus on social mobility and value for money will open up more opportunities for international education and travel to all of our students, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who were less likely to benefit from the previous EU scheme.

I urge all universities, schools and colleges from all corners of the UK to start their applications and partner up with countries worldwide.

Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan said:

The Turing scheme will support our levelling up agenda by opening up the world to young people and children from all backgrounds with exciting global opportunities.

The scheme will enable up to 35,000 students throughout the UK to work or study across the globe.

As part of the UK-wide launch, education ministers are visiting the devolved nations today to highlight the advantages of the Turing scheme and ensure wider participation for all students across the UK.

In support of the launch, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan will visit Cardiff University and Edinburgh University to discuss the bidding process including how to demonstrate widening access to more disadvantaged students as part of the application process.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb and Apprenticeships Minister Gillian Keegan will visit educational settings in areas that have not previously benefitted from Erasmus+. Applicants from schools and colleges are encouraged, with funding levels and eligibility set out in programme guides available to help inform applications.

UK organisations are encouraged to form partnerships across the globe, not just the EU. The Turing website includes the programme guide, funding levels and eligibility, and details of webinars available to help inform applications.

Successful applications will receive funding for administering the scheme and students taking part will receive grants to help them with the costs of their international experience. The benefits of the exchanges will be assessed and the findings used to build on future schemes. Funding decisions for subsequent years will be subject to future spending reviews.

£110m of funding will be available to support projects and activities during the 2021/2022 academic year. This is enough to fund similar levels of student exchanges under the former Erasmus+ scheme.

Programme guidance, including information on the application process, has also been published on the Turing Scheme website.

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Turing scheme to open up global study and work opportunities

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Schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding from today (Friday 12 March) to allow students to study and work across the globe as part of the new Turing Scheme. The programme, backed by £110 million, replaces the Erasmus+ scheme in the UK and will fund 35,000 global exchanges from September 2021, including university study, school exchanges, and industry work placements.

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An initiative encouraging people to explore the heritage on their doorstep.
(No opportunity to contribute stories at present?)

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Useful resources to begin your 15-minute heritage story

People's Collection Wales is full of fascinating photographs, documents, audio and video recordings and stories that link to the history, culture and people of Wales.
Explore People's Collection Wales
Archwilio provides public access to the historic environment records (HERs) for each local authority area in Wales.
Explore Archwilio
Coflein - The online catalogue of archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage in Wales.
Explore Coflein

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Useful resources to begin your 15-minute heritage story People's Collection Wales is full of fascinating photographs, documents, audio and video recordings and stories that link to the history, culture and people of Wales. Explore People's Collection Wales Archwilio provides public access to the historic environment records (HERs) for each local authority area in Wales.

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After the crowds disperse: crowdsourced data rediscovered and researched

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After the crowds disperse: crowdsourced data rediscovered and researched

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On 1st December 2020, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh led the second of three workshops to take place as part of the Towards a National Collection Foundation Project Engaging Crowds: citizen research and heritage data at scale. This project is investigating the current and future landscape of cultural heritage crowdsourcing. It is gathering insights into best practice and experimenting with novel methods of volunteer engagement via three new citizen research projects.

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http://data.rbge.org.uk/herb/E00024207 © Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 2020 CC BY 4.0 license. The Dreadnought, 104 Guns, until recently lying off Greenwich (repro ID pu6061). By Edward William Cooke, circa 1857 © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. South elevation of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, The National Archives (WORK 31/221) © Crown copyright. Page from the minute book, The National Archives (WO 250/436, p. 252) © Crown copyright.

On 1st December 2020, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh led the second of three workshops to take place as part of the Towards a National Collection Foundation Project Engaging Crowds: citizen research and heritage data at scale. This project is investigating the current and future landscape of cultural heritage crowdsourcing. It is gathering insights into best practice and experimenting with novel methods of volunteer engagement via three new citizen research projects.

In this online workshop we explored the crowdsourced data cycle in cultural heritage with an emphasis on what happens to the data after a citizen research project comes to an end.

In the first half we heard presentations from four different citizen research projects on our workshop data themes: reingestion, reusability, rediscovery and research.

Data Re-use

Mutual Muses, Melissa Gill & Nathaniel Deines - J. Paul Getty Trust

The Mutual Muses project sought to transcribe the correspondence between Lawrence Alloway and Sylvia Sleigh, key figures of the 20 th century art world. The focus was to create quick access to open data (Creative Commons license CC0) for two main audiences - the volunteer transcribers and digital humanities scholars. Through consultation with these user groups an interim solution was developed in the form of a GitHub repository. This platform allowed the project data to be shared as both a chronologically readable book and a research-friendly dataset. The project's long-term goal is to host the data on their online research collections viewer.

Data Quality

Anti-Slavery Manuscripts, Tom Blake - Boston Public Library & Dr Samantha Blickhan - Zooniverse

The Anti-Slavery Manuscripts project (ASM) was one of two bespoke text transcription projects that formed part of the Zooniverse-led " Transforming Libraries and Archives Through Crowdsourcing " project, funded by a National Leadership Grant from the US Institute for Museum and Library Services . The research aims of this project included exploring whether the then-current Zooniverse methodology of multiple independent transcribers produced better results than allowing volunteers to collaborate. As part of the ASM project, the team ran an A/B experiment looking at the quality of individual versus collaborative transcription.

The experiment found that volunteers who were able to see and interact with other people's transcriptions produced significantly higher-quality data with a quicker turnaround time (Blickhan et al. 2019). The results from the Anti-Slavery Manuscripts project are currently being reviewed by the Boston Public Library team using the newly-developed Aggregate Line Inspector and Collaborative Editor (ALICE) tool, developed by Zooniverse with funding from the US National Endowment for the Humanities ( https://www.neh.gov/). ALICE is in the final rounds of beta testing and will launch publicly in 2021 as a free-to-use tool for researchers building text transcription projects on the Zooniverse platform. The tool will allow people to work collaboratively to view, annotate and edit the output of text transcription projects. To get a taste of what's to come you can find some video tutorials of the tool here: https://www.vimeo.com/zooniverse

A screenshot of the ALICE interface, Zooniverse, https://alice.zooniverse.org/ with an annotated image of the Letter from Lydia Maria Child, Wyland, to Robert Folger Wallcut, Aug. 26 'th, 1864 (left) and corresponding transcriptions of each line of the letter (right).

A screenshot of the ALICE tool showing an image of a Letter from Lydia Maria Child, Wyland, to Robert Folger Wallcut, Aug. 26 'th, 1864 (left) and three transcriptions carried out by three different volunteers [usernames have been redacted] and an aggregate of the three (right). Note the consensus score (top right of the selected transcription pop-up window) which indicates the number of transcriptions and the number of these that agree. Zooniverse, https://alice.zooniverse.org/

Data ingestion and research

Notes from Nature, Mike Denslow - University of Florida

Notes from Nature hosted on the Zooniverse platform is a community-focused project that seeks to engage the public in transcribing collection labels of natural history specimens. So far, the project has captured over 3.5 million transcriptions from the estimated 10 billion specimens housed in Natural History collections across the globe.

An example of a transcription form from one of the many Notes from Nature projects hosted on Zooniverse. This project 'Calbug' aims to transcribe specimens from the California Terrestrial Arthropods Database. Cate, J. "UC Berkeley EMEC 1279641." Zooniverse, https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/md68135/notes-from-nature-calbug

This project has an established ingestion protocol which allows transcription data to be added to pre-existing stub records in the SouthEast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC) data portal (one of 18 portals within the Symbiota family that house over 18 million biodiversity records). This is no mean feat as many institutions struggle to incorporate transcription into their in-house collections management systems. It is great to see such a strong relationship between a large content discovery platform and a public engagement project. Such a relationship enables accessible, traceable data that is research-ready.

Data-driven research

Micropasts, Daniel Pett - Fitzwilliam Museum & Dr Chiara Bonacchi - University of Stirling

Micropasts is centred around three open pillars: open data, open software and open coding. Regardless of the stage and progress of the project the ethos is to make the data instantly available. It takes participation to the next level, creating a collaborative space between academics and other communities in archaeology.

The result is co-produced open data sets of a variety of media. These can then be used in co-designed follow-up research by the same groups using open source software, Pybossa, and additional reproducible, shareable code.

Micropasts crowd-produced annotated 3D model of a Bronze age spearhead from Arreton Down, Isle of Wight, UK. Fiske, Hugh via the crowd. "Bronze Age Spreadhead SL. 746." Sketchfab, https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/bronze-age-spearhead-sl746-2e87e13023774a27ac8f59c9a231cfcf License CC BY 4.0

Deconstructing ideas about of data

With food for thought from our presenters, participants then split into break-out rooms to discuss questions around maximizing data accessibility, re-use and ingestion into collections management systems. Each sub-group shared a summary of their discussion with the wider group in the final session of the workshop.

I think the most profound thing that came out of this for me was a question linked to an unspoken paradigm:
Are crowdsourced datasets any different to any other kind of data?
The current default position of many institutions is to treat crowdsourced data differently from data created by in-house staff or humanities scholars. This often involves subjecting it to more rigorous quality checks for example. However, if the source of all datasets is clearly indicated on discovery platforms then they can be treated equally. Correct attribution of data serves two purposes: it respects the contributions of volunteers, making sure they are credited for the data they produce. It's second purpose is to ensure that researchers have a clear understanding of the data they choose to work with, and take any resulting idiosyncrasies into account.

With that paradigm shift the rest falls into place in terms of project planning and possibilities:

What data standards are required?

This should inform volunteer training and ongoing support for citizen researchers. Any support needs to be created in such a way that it allows volunteers to confidently and accurately document, tag, transcribe the treasures of our collections. It's also important to be frank with ourselves and recognize that data created internally within an institution doesn't necessarily provide a consistent baseline. What should we expect of volunteers if the data we already hold in our institutions are not completely standardised and error free?

Are you looking to create new data or enhance existing data?

One of the largest problems that provides support for the idea that crowdsourced data are different is the misalignment that frequently occurs between in-house databases and the data that come out of citizen research platforms. It can often feel like trying to put a square peg into a round hole! Tackling this misalignment should be framed within the need to make the data outputs quickly and easily accessible and attributed to creators. Raw data can be made available - it doesn't necessarily have to be 'polished' and in our internal collections management system before it becomes widely accessible. Data should, however, be in a format that is searchable and easy to find.

Could we move to a more co-creative approach and create a project application that aligns better with our in-house systems?

For some this approach is feasible but comes with the caveat of at least a basic knowledge of coding and version control of said code. I think the most beneficial way to address this is to work more closely with pre-existing crowdsourcing platforms and their volunteer base to communicate and advocate for our needs as users of these platforms. This would benefit all parties as better data outcomes guarantee a longer and more fruitful relationship and better research outcomes.

Next steps

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who presented at or took part in the discussion at our workshop. It was hugely exciting to hear from such a range of crowdsourcing practitioners. We are working on a report summarising the workshop, which will be made available on the Engaging Crowds website. We will be running a final project workshop to gather views of volunteer transcribers later in 2021 - more details coming soon.

With thanks to the Engaging Crowds project partners:

The National Archives

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Royal Museums Greenwich

Zooniverse, University of Oxford

References and Resources

Child, Lydia Maria, and Robert Folger Wallcut. "Letter from Lydia Maria Child, Wyland, to Robert Folger Wallcut, Aug. 26 'th, 1864." Correspondence. August 26, 1864. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/wm118b234. Accessed March 09, 2021.

Samantha Blickhan, Coleman Krawczyk, Daniel Hanson, Amy Boyer, Andrea Simenstad, et al. "Individual vs. Collaborative Methods of Crowdsourced Transcription." Journal of Data Mining and Digital Humanities, 2019, https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02280013v2. Accessed 16 March 2021.
https://crowdsourced.micropasts.org/ https://sketchfab.com/micropasts https://tinyurl.com/mutualmuses https://www.zooniverse.org/

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After the crowds disperse: crowdsourced data rediscovered and researched

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On 1st December 2020, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh led the second of three workshops to take place as part of the Towards a National Collection Foundation Project Engaging Crowds: citizen research and heritage data at scale. This project is investigating the current and future landscape of cultural heritage crowdsourcing.

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Humphry Davy's Notebooks: How poetry helped create scientific knowledge 

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Humphry Davy's Notebooks: How poetry helped create scientific knowledge 

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Lancaster University project involving crowdsourced transcriptions with benefits for arts-sciences links, digital masterclass and preservation of the manuscripts

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Abstract

In 2019, AHRC funding enabled the crowdsourced transcriptions of five notebooks kept by the nineteenth-century chemist, Sir Humphry Davy, between 1795 and 1805. Transcriptions of these notebooks revealed Davy's creative mind at work: lines of poetry were written among descriptions of chemical experiments, philosophical musings, geological drawings, and accounts of his life. With this new project, we will crowdsource transcriptions of his entire notebook collection: there are 65 held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain (RI), in London, and five held in Kresen Kernow in Redruth, Cornwall.
Davy kept notebooks throughout his life but most of the pages of these notebooks have never been transcribed before. The notebooks show that he was writing poetry in the laboratory while conducting scientific experiments. Most entries have yet to be dated or considered in the light of what they tell us about Davy, his scientific discoveries, and the relationship between poetry and science. We will crowdsource transcriptions of the notebooks using the people-powered research platform Zooniverse. Online and in-person discussions with participants will enable us to find out how transcribing Davy's notebooks changes their view of how poetry and science could co-exist today. The consequences of seeing the arts and sciences as divided and separate are serious. Viewing them as 'two cultures' hinders our ability to solve major world problems. Speaking to a named priority area in the AHRC's 2019 Delivery Plan, 'Arts and science, arts in science', this project will ask what we can learn from the example of Davy's notebooks that will help us rethink what we understand about the relationship between the arts and sciences in the nineteenth century and today.
Davy was the foremost 'man of science' of his time. He isolated more chemical elements than any individual has before or since. Between October and December 1815, he invented a miners' safety lamp that came to be known as the Davy Lamp, saving countless lives in Britain and Europe and vastly improving the nation's industrial capability. He also led a fascinating life, rising up through society's ranks from relatively modest origins to become the President of the Royal Society. His politics and religious beliefs changed from radical to conservative as his career progressed. Davy is not currently associated with poetry or well known as a poet, but the notebooks show that he was writing poetry in the laboratory while conducting scientific experiments throughout his life. Many of these poems will be transcribed and published for the first time on the Lancaster Digital Library and in a selected print edition.
We will disseminate research findings, encourage participation in the project, and ask key questions in our public engagement and impact events, which include two transcribe-a-thons, a map-a-thon, a workshop on how to use the newly-developed transcription tools in other crowdsourcing projects, an academic conference on poetry in nineteenth-century scientific notebooks, a computer masterclass using data produced by the project, and an event that will consider Davy's attitude to race. We will also create an exhibition of Davy's and others' notebooks held at the RI, which will travel to the north-west and north-east of England.
We will present two panel sessions at academic conferences and produce a special issue of an academic journal on the results of the project. The already-existing Massive Online Open Course (MOOC), previously funded by the AHRC, will be enhanced to feature new tasks specifically on the notebooks. Final transcriptions of whole collection of notebooks will be published, with images of the pages themselves, on the Lancaster Digital Library, with improved new and exciting features. An accompanying project website will present a map of Davy's life, utilising the information that emerges from this project and a previous AHRC-funded project on Davy's letters.

Planned Impact

1. Zooniverse participants: There are 1.9 million Zooniverse researchers and our pilot project reached 505 of these, 77 of whom responded to a survey. We know something of our audience due to this survey: e.g. they were mainly UK women. Of the total respondents 29.7% were over 65 years old and 45.8% held a postgraduate degree. The survey also revealed the perceived benefits of the work: 62.2% benefited by learning new research and technical skills. Additionally, respondents enjoyed contributing towards a 'real' research project (93.2%), helping to preserve manuscript materials (87.8%), and increased personal satisfaction (78.4%). The new tools we develop will provide a prototype for creators of other Zooniverse transcription projects.
2. The people who come to the transcribe-a-thon and map-a-thon events: These events will bring people into universities (and use their computer rooms). We will use the Press Offices and Impact Officers at Lancaster, Manchester, and UCL universities to ensure that we reach as inclusive and diverse an audience as possible. Numbers are limited to 20 because of the intensive nature of the activity. The benefits are detailed above. Transcribing and mapping will lead to better understanding of Davy's work, his poetry and the symbiosis of poetry and science in the nineteenth century, and offer transferable skills.
3. The Solihull and Birmingham Jamaican and Caribbean Family History Society: This society has been meeting for many decades and has a particular interest in tracing family histories from Jamaica and the Caribbean. Society members tend to be from first- or second-generation immigrant families. Benefits will include knowledge of Davy's life and career, and contribution to, and opportunity to shape, an ongoing research project.
4. Digital Masterclass at the Royal Institution: These are hands-on and interactive extracurricular sessions for keen young people all around the UK delivered in a purpose-built room in the Royal Institution. Groups of c.25 Year 9 students are drawn from a range of local schools, ensuring a good mix in terms of state/independent schools, genders and ethnicities. Benefits include helping students see that the STEM subjects and careers are for everyone.
5. MOOC participants: We surveyed MOOC participants for the first run in 2017; this gives us insight into audiences for our proposed new project. The 769 people who completed these surveys respectively revealed the range of people interested in Davy, including: ex-miners; dentists; anaesthetists; drug counsellors; chemists; historical novelists; geologists; and museum workers. MOOC feedback demonstrated benefit to users. Benefits include learning a new skill and being part of a community.
6. Royal Institution exhibition and open day visitors: Audiences for previous AHRC-funded Davy projects have visited the RI's building and museum. Over 67,000 visited the RI museum in 2018. One MOOC participant said they would take their grandchildren on their next visit to London. At a 2017 open day at the RI, 45 people attended to see the notebooks: one unique benefit is the opportunity to personally experience historical artefacts of national importance.
7. Visitors to the Wordsworth Trust and County Hall, Morpeth exhibitions: The Wordsworth Trust's Audience Development Plan for 2019 gives us a sense of who visits the museum: in 2016, 38,872 people, including 8,142 young people in formal education and 4,813 via general outreach (including vulnerable adults and families). Our exhibition will enhance the Wordsworth Trust's offering and benefit by increasing awareness that science and poetry were aligned in the Romantic period. The exhibition will also travel to the foyer of County Hall, Morpeth, a thoroughfare for officers and members of the Council and members of the public who visit for County Council services. The additional benefit for this region, which was once dominated by mining, is to experience heritage first hand.

Funded Value:

Funded Period:

Jan 21 - Dec 23

Funder:

AHRC

Project Category:

Research Grant

Project Reference:

AH/V002015/1

If populated the following is a graphic depicting where in the UK the given postcode is located.

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Gateway to Research (GtR) - Explore publicly funded research

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In 2019, AHRC funding enabled the crowdsourced transcriptions of five notebooks kept by the nineteenth-century chemist, Sir Humphry Davy, between 1795 and 1805. Transcriptions of these notebooks revealed Davy's creative mind at work: lines of poetry were written among descriptions of chemical experiments, philosophical musings, geological drawings, and accounts of his life.

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AHRC - Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) in the arts and humanities – community consultation

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AHRC - Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) in the arts and humanities – community consultation

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As part of UKRI, the Art and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is currently undertaking a series of consultation across the breadth of its research community to better identify and understand the contribution that RTPs make to arts and humanities research. As part of this process, this short survey has been put together to capture the range, scope and diversity of technicians working on arts and humanities research projects.
Survey open until 1st April 2021

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In February 2020 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) became the first funding organisation to sign the Technician Commitment. Also referred to as research technical professionals (RTPs), these highly skilled individuals often fall outside the scope of recognised academic roles, but nonetheless play a crucial part in delivering research output and impacts and developing new methodologies. Examples of RTP roles currently identified by UKRI includes data scientists and engineers, archivists, informaticians, statisticians, software developers, audio-visual technologists and laboratory technicians. The Commitment aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

As part of UKRI, the Art and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is currently undertaking a series of consultation across the breadth of its research community to better identify and understand the contribution that RTPs make to arts and humanities research. As part of this process, this short survey has been put together to capture the range, scope and diversity of technicians working on arts and humanities research projects.

Analysis of the results will help AHRC to refine and expand the list of examples of RTP roles currently used by UKRI, ensuring that it includes relevant examples of research technical professionals working within the arts and humanities landscape. It will also facilitate better engagement with the arts and humanities technical community, to better understand how they are currently supported and engaged in research, which will in turn feed into UKRI's wider strategy for implementing the Technician Commitment.

The survey should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete and is an important step in helping establish a dialogue between RTPs and the AHRC. As such we would encourage anyone who might describe themselves as a research technical professional - or any academic researchers who have collaborated with RTPs to complete their research - to complete the survey. We would also encourage you to share the link with colleagues who might be interested: the more responses we receive, the greater the opportunity to develop AHRC's understanding.

Please also let us know if you would be interested in helping us to take the next steps through participating in an interview or a focus group (see Q10).

This survey is going to close on 1 April 2021. Email enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org if you have any questions about the survey.

Please be aware that in order to be data protection compliant, you should avoid including third party personal data or any sensitive data relating to EDI as these disclosures would not be able to be considered in line with the purpose of the survey.

We are grateful for your time and thoughts.

Skills Team

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Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) in the arts and humanities - community consultation

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In February 2020 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) became the first funding organisation to sign the Technician Commitment. Also referred to as research technical professionals (RTPs), these highly skilled individuals often fall outside the scope of recognised academic roles, but nonetheless play a crucial part in delivering research output and impacts and developing new methodologies.

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Royal Society report on Research and Technical workforce

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Royal Society report on Research and Technical workforce

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The Government has ambitions to become a science superpower. To achieve this, it has committed to increase public funding for R&D to £22 billion per year by 2024-25 as part of its longer-term goal to increase UK investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

If the UK is to become a science superpower, it will need the research and technical workforce in place to effectively deliver the uplift. The data contained in this report suggests we will not have the workforce in place without additional action.

This report provides a high-level profile of the national and higher education research and technical workforces in the UK between 2013/14 and 2018/19. It explores temporal changes in the workforce, the regional distribution of the workforce, and the age and sex of the workforce.

This blog by Professor Dame Athene Donald FRS sets out her thoughts on what needs to be done to achieve the Government's goal.

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The research and technical workforce in the UK | Royal Society

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The Government has ambitions to become a science superpower. To achieve this, it has committed to increase public funding for R&D to £22 billion per year by 2024-25 as part of its longer-term goal to increase UK investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

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Disability in STEM – research commissioned by the Royal Society

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Disability in STEM – research commissioned by the Royal Society

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Supporting scientists with disabilities is a key priority for the Royal Society and its Diversity Committee, which set up a sub-group to focus on this important area in 2019. The sub-group commissioned two reports in order to understand where under-representation of students and staff with disabilities in STEM is occurring and what practical action could be taken to address that under-representation.

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Supporting scientists with disabilities is a key priority for the Royal Society and its Diversity Committee, which set up a sub-group to focus on this important area in 2019. The sub-group commissioned two reports in order to understand where under-representation of students and staff with disabilities in STEM is occurring and what practical action could be taken to address that under-representation.

The Society commissioned Jisc to carry out detailed analysis of Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) data over an 11-year time period, in order to understand how the proportion of students and staff with disabilities in STEM in the UK has changed over time, enabling the Society and the wider sector to pinpoint where under-representation is occurring.

The Jisc report shows considerable variation between students and staff in terms of reporting disabilities. In order to try to understand the reasons for the variation, the Society commissioned the Careers Research and Advisory Centre to carry out qualitative research to investigate the reasons for the variation in declaration rates, the barriers to scientists declaring their disability and what the Society and others might be able to do to address those barriers.

Both reports make recommendations for further research and practical action that could be carried out to address the inequalities highlighted. We hope that funders, higher education institutions and others across the sector will work independently and with the Society to take forward the recommendations in the reports.

Diversity Committee members Professor Paul Upchurch and Professor Seralynne Vann shared their perspectives on the reports in a blog post.

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Disability in STEM - research commissioned by the Royal Society | Royal Society

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Supporting scientists with disabilities is a key priority for the Royal Society and its Diversity Committee, which set up a sub-group to focus on this important area in 2019. The sub-group commissioned two reports in order to understand where under-representation of students and staff with disabilities in STEM is occurring and what practical action could be taken to address that under-representation.

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Workshops on 5th and 18th March 2021 from NHSF and Icon Heritage Science group

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Workshops on 5th and 18th March 2021 from NHSF and Icon Heritage Science group

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Discussion-based workshop for heritage science students and early career researchers to explore networking and career development needs.

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We are hosting a meeting on Friday 5 March (17:30-19:00) for heritage science students and early career researchers to discuss their career development and networking needs.

The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) and the Icon Heritage Science Group have both been asking themselves how they can support the networking and career development needs of heritage science students and early career researchers in the UK.

We've joined forces for this Zoom session on 5th March and hope that you can join us to hear about what we do and take part in discussions that will help us shape the support that we can provide to you in the future.

We thought the best way of developing support that is fit for purpose is to ask students and early career researchers to contribute directly to a conversation about what they need and how it can provided.

Here are some examples of the needs that we've identified from previous research, but you might feel there's a need for something else entirely - we hope you can join the conversation.

opportunities to present your research

mentoring

guidance on topics such as grant-writing, writing for publication

technical skills development opportunities

peer networking and discussion space

leadership development

links with industry

1. Welcome, about NHSF, about the Icon Heritage Science Group - Caroline Peach, Antanas Melinis

2. Heritage science: culture, collaboration and careers - Josep Grau-Bove

3. Introduction to the topics for discussion - Lora Angelova

What are the needs of heritage science students and ECRs?

How can NHSF/ Icon Heritage Science group or other bodies help?

What are the next steps for the heritage science community

4. Breakout into facilitated discussion groups - each group to discuss all three questions

5. Summary and reporting of breakout sessions

6. Wrap-up and identification of future actions

To register for the event, click here.

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Networking and support for heritage science students and ECRs

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The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) and the Icon Heritage Science Group have both been asking themselves how they can support the networking and career development needs of heritage science students and early career researchers in the UK.

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Engaging, creative science activities designed to spark curiosity, discussion and debate. From video to hands-on activities, it’s easy to get Explorifying!

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Explorify was created in 2016 as part of the Wellcome Trust's commitment to investing in primary science. Using evidence-based research, we worked with teachers and other organisations in the science education sector to produce and test a set of activities that would help to develop pupils' thinking skills and lead to scientific enquiry.

How was it created?

Research that we and others have conducted - including Primary Science, Is It Missing Out? - identified a range of factors that can help improve the quality and enjoyment of science in primary schools. These factors include access to science expertise and training, better strategic leadership and an investigative approach to teaching and identified how important it is to have a science subject leader in a primary school.

Teachers told us that they wanted to make science fun and exciting, and they wanted pupils to develop better enquiry skills and become independent learners. There was a desire for something that would spark the pupils' imaginations and curiosity, and fit easily into teachers' timetables. We realised that we needed to create something that was relevant to the curriculum and simple to use, needing very little preparation and no special resources.

We knew the importance of working collaboratively to bring effective change, and that this needed to be sector-wide, so we enlisted a range of partners to help make this happen. After working with teachers and consultants to develop a series of activities, we tested these in summer 2016 with two pilot programmes. The feedback was impressive, so we knew the principles were right, but we needed to test and refine our ideas further. We've continued to iterate the product, responding to teachers' use of Explorify and their feedback, to make it the tool it is today.

In 2017, we published a baseline study about the status of primary science so we would be able to see what impacts, if any, using Explorify might have on primary science teaching. Our first evaluation in 2018-19 was exciting. Teachers reported the difference Explorify was making to their teaching and pupils' progress. Completing several activities in succession helped children develop and build skills to think like a scientist, and teachers were able to observe the changes in their pupils' communication and confidence.

Further evaluation in 2020 showed that more science was being taught in primary schools and that science subject leaders were being given more opportunities to support their colleagues.Explorify activities were making a difference to teachers and pupils, increasing their confidence and improving the quality of lessons.

Iteration continues. In 2020, when schools closed suddenly and learners were at home, we adapted some of the activities creating, Explorify at home collections and created a buzz on social media with the #ScienceFromHome campaign.

Fast forward to 2021, over 75,000 teachers in the UK have signed up, representing 20,000 schools; and thousands of them have helped us to improve Explorify, to give you the resources we have today.

Learn about more about how Explorify is used in their classrooms with our teacher case studies.

Made by Wellcome

Explorify has been created by Wellcome, a global charitable organisation that wants everyone to benefit from science's potential to improve health and save lives.

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Explorify was created in 2016 as part of the Wellcome Trust's commitment to investing in primary science. Using evidence-based research, we worked with teachers and other organisations in the science education sector to produce and test a set of activities that would help to develop pupils' thinking skills and lead to scientific enquiry.

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A collaborative research project between Historic Environment Scotland and the Institute of Sustainable Heritage at University College London to assess the extent to which visitors photographs of heritage sites can be used to inform conservation and monitoring efforts.

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Submit your old photographs of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and help with their conservation.
A new project being launched in 2021 by Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

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Time to clear out the attic, dust off those old boxes of photos and help the Dinosaurs!

Dinosaur Monitor is an exciting new project being launched in 2021 by FCPD that will use historical visitor photographs of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs to inform conservation monitoring efforts.

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and the accompanying Geological Illustrations have been in place for over 150 years and have experienced changes in colour, surrounding vegetation and conservation state. Unfortunately, the site's history has not always been well documented, but this information is vital for informing conservation efforts and preventing further damage.
This is where you can help!
What we need

Photographs of the sculptures, Geological Illustrations and wider landscape taken before 2017.

We are particularly interested in older photos as the more recent past of the site is better documented.

We are not concerned about collecting beautiful images of the Dinosaurs so don't worry about artistic merit, we just need clear shots of the sculptures and their immediate surroundings.

Scan or photograph older, non-digital photos as best you can.

Submit photos, with information on when they were taken, via Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #dinosaurmonitor, or email them to [email protected].

We will use these photographs to monitor long term issues affecting the sculptures, such as discolouration and colour change, moss and lichen growth, cracks and other damage, and historical conservation work. We are also interested in changes to vegetation, water levels and erosion of the surrounding environment.

Dinosaur Monitor forms part of the wider Monument Monitor project, a research collaboration between Historic Environment Scotland and the Institute of Sustainable Heritage at University College London that focuses on long-term monitoring of remote heritage sites in Scotland. Please see below and visit their site https://monumentmonitor.co.uk for further information.
Thank you very much in advance for your participation and help in this project!
Your submissions and how we use them

Before you decide whether to take part in this project, please read this this page carefully. If you have any questions please contact us using the details below.

What is the project about?
The purpose of this project is to research whether, and to what extent, visitors' images of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and Geological Illustrations can be used for conservation purposes. We want to see wether we can extract valuable conservation data, such as colour information, scale and erosion to help with condition assessments of the sculptures and wider site.

Who is conducting the research?
FCPD will be managing the project with the help of Rosie Brigham who is conducting this research as a part of her PhD studies in the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources at University College London. Josep Grau-Bove, from the Institute of Sustainable Heritage and Lyn Wilson, from Historic Environment Scotland, are supervising the research.

What will happen to the results of the research?
Check out our website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates. The results of this research will principally inform the conservation of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and Geological Illustrations. Part of the research will contribute towards Rosie's PhD thesis, although it is possible that the results will be included in other reports, presentations, and/or academic papers.

Storage
We store all images submitted to us on an encrypted database. Prior to being uploaded, any faces contained within photographs are blurred to ensure anonymity. In order to track patterns in submissions we do store email addresses and social media account names, however, we anonymise them with a one-way hashing formula. This means that it will get turned into a string of odd characters, and we won't be able to change them back into the original. Emails sent to us will be deleted as soon as they have been uploaded to the database. Therefore, none of the data we store will be identifiable to you.

What do we do with the photos?
We will group the images and look at them over a period of time to see if we can observe patterns of deterioration across them. By sending us your photos you give us permission to use them for these research purposes, as well as to promote the research in publications such as news articles, twitter posts or blogs. If at any time you would like to remove your photos from the project, you can email us at[email protected]

Data Protection Privacy Notice
Your personal data including images you have taken, twitter/instagram handle or email address will be processed only for the purposes outlined here and only so long as required for this research project. It will be stored on a secure encrypted database and will only be used by the research team. The data controller for this project will be University College London (UCL). The UCL Data Protection Office provides oversight of UCL activities involving the processing of personal data. The Data Protection Officer, Lee Shailer can be contacted at[email protected]

Will you ever use my details to contact me about this project or anything else in the future?
Other than responding to enquiries, thanking you for contributing to the project after submitting or sending a short post-submission survey, we will not contact you. As mentioned above, we will not store any personal contact information and we will delete submissions via email as soon as they have been uploaded.

What if I want you to remove my submission?
If, at any point you want us to remove your contributions from the project, please email us at[email protected] with the subject "Data Removal". Please include the date and type of your submission, as well as a description of the image. We will then delete all relevant information and send you a confirmation email.

How do I find out more?
Any results will be published in our blog alongside other academic publications and papers. Alternatively, if you have questions just get in touch! Email us at[email protected]

Who can I contact to complain or express my concerns about this research?
If you are concerned about any part of this research or your participation, please contact the Supervisor, the Dissertation Coordinator and/or the Director of Ethics at the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources: Supervisor: Josep Grau-Bove,[email protected], 02031089772 * HES Coordinator: Lyn Wilson, [email protected] * BSEER Director of Ethics: Michelle Shipworth, [email protected], +44 20 3108 5991. If you are concerned about how your personal data is being processed, please contact the UCL Data Protection Officer: [email protected] If you remain unsatisfied, you may wish to contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/individuals-rights/.

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Dinosaur Monitor is an exciting new project being launched in 2021 by FCPD that will use historical visitor photographs of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs to inform conservation monitoring efforts. The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs and the accompanying Geological Illustrations have been in place for over 150 years and have experienced changes in colour, surrounding vegetation and conservation state.

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We need YOU to help us use visitor photos to monitor conservation!

Submit photos via Twitter or Instagram using #DinosaurMonitor, or email photos@cpdinosaurs.org

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British Science Week 2020 - at home conservation activity

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British Science Week 2020 - at home conservation activity

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British Science Week 2020 featured an ‘at home’ conservation activity called ‘Conservation Matters’ (pg. 12) from Royal Museums Greenwich in their diverse jobs section. The activity asks children to assess the condition of their favourite objects and describes the agents of deterioration.

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Educational resources on Art and Science from Univ of Delaware

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Educational resources on Art and Science from Univ of Delaware

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​Materials Available from the Kress Foundation

​All didactics found in the "Painting Reconstructions" section are available for short-term loan and are intended for educational and instructional purposes. Special considerations will be given to museums containing paintings that are associated with the Samuel H. Kress collection, although other institutions may be eligible as well. In addition to the painting reconstructions, up to five sets of "raw materials" are also available for educational use. These sets contain jared samples of raw inorganic pigments (e.g. lapis lazuli, yellow ochre, charcoal), parchments scraps, gold leaf, cochineal insects, and a dog's tooth. All of these samples represent materials that were traditionally used by Old Master painters.

Download the File Below to Learn More About the Available Pigment Sets
​About the Pigment Kits
Using Art in the Classroom

​Many of the educational exercises included on this website are specifically geared towards inspiring creativity in the classroom, whether it be through artistic practice, discussion sessions, or focusing on the "materiality" of art. As there is a rising interest in promoting interdisciplinary topics, the examination and analysis of artworks is a wonderful way to introduce subjects relating to science, history, and preservation. The analysis of pigments, for example, is a topic that lends itself exceptionally well to the objectives outlined by the STEAM movement. Students can learn first-hand the ancient methods used to extract organic dyes from insects, roots, berries, and other natural products or that certain pigments can be used for dating purposes (e.g. zinc white). For more advanced students, the condition and history of an artwork can be used to introduce a number of analytical techniques such as X-radiography, infrared reflectography, and more. The Samuel H. Kress Foundation recognizes and supports those who are dedicated to the promotion of art history and art conservation and encourages educators to use the resources presented throughout this website.

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​Materials Available from the Kress Foundation ​All didactics found in the "Painting Reconstructions" section are available for short-term loan and are intended for educational and instructional purposes. Special considerations will be given to museums containing paintings that are associated with the Samuel H. Kress collection, although other institutions may be eligible as well.

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A tool for supporting socially just practice in STEM

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Report and delivery plan from Museums Association

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Delivery Plan 2018-20

The UK Museums Workforce Steering Group, which includes representatives from the Museums Association, Arts Council England, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Association of Independent Museums, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Welsh Museums, Archives and Libraries Division, and the Northern Ireland Museums Council published the Character Matters Delivery Plan 2018-2020.

There are three key aims: to develop effective recruitment to create a diverse and skilled workforce; to develop attitudes, behaviours, skills and knowledge to support individuals to develop themselves; and to develop organisational culture to achieve a supportive atmosphere for individuals.

"The Character Matters research and report has accelerated a cross sector organisation conversation," says Tamsin Russell, the MA's professional development officer. "This delivery plan, for the first time in recent history, begins to dovetail commitments, activities and needs across the sector that will affect change at an individual, museum and sector level."

The delivery plan followed the publication in September 2016 of Character Matters: attitudes, behaviours and skills for the UK Museum Workforce, a report exploring the future of the UK museum workforce.

That report led to the formation of the UK-wide steering group, which provided a focal point for museum sector workforce initiatives across the UK.

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Delivery Plan 2018-20 The UK Museums Workforce Steering Group, which includes representatives from the Museums Association, Arts Council England, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Association of Independent Museums, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Welsh Museums, Archives and Libraries Division, and the Northern Ireland Museums Council published the Character Matters Delivery Plan 2018-2020.

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Dr Josep Grau-Bove, Lecturer in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at UCL, tells us about his Coronavirus lockdown project.

If there's something I didn't expect from 2020, it is the opportunity to destroy some heritage from the comfort of home. I created the Game of Heritage Destruction in 2017, to use it in teaching. This year, the early days of the lockdown gave me the time to make it presentable.

The game originated from a simple idea. I am fascinated with the notion that each material responds in a different way to each agent of deterioration. In some ways, this idea makes life simple. One can imagine a gigantic table, with materials - paper, leather, stone, gold - on one side, and agents of deterioration - pollutants, heat, moisture, vandalism - on the other. Then, the job of the heritage scientist becomes picking an empty square at random and filling it. What are the effects of mould on pearls? How do earthquakes affect cellulose?

Fig 1: What will damage the Manneken Pis, acid rain or vandalism? The game contrasts risks such as vandalism, which have certain probability, with physical processes, which happen at a continuous rate.

The Game of Heritage Destruction demonstrates that this idea is silly. On the surface, the game is a competition to find the nemesis of each object. But there are many factors that render this objective impossible. To begin with, there is the subjectivity of value. For example, one player of the Game of Heritage Destruction may put forward the Crown Jewels, and challenge the other players to destroy it. This player may be confident that the Koh-i-Noor diamond is indestructible.

However, the key is in the "value". Another player may contend that the value of the jewels doesn't reside in the diamond, but on their imposing shiny appearance. Therefore, deposition of fine dust, even for a day, would undermine their value on the eyes of thousands of visitors. Another player may mount the defence that great documentary value resides in the small traces of DNA of the monarchs that have used the Crown Jewels. In that case, pests that eat the textiles would prove very destructive, even if these textiles could be eventually conserved. And so on.

That's why the Game of Heritage Destruction is, fundamentally, a debating game. Yes, one can read the manual, throw the dice and play 90% Humidity against 100 ppbs of H2S. But even in that case, what's worse: putting objects in a Turkish sauna or having your display case smell of rotten eggs? The game can't be won without presenting a plausible argument that involves a realistic scenario and an assessment of value.

I'm not a big fan of complicated rules. The Game of Heritage Destruction is meant to provoke debate and find gaps in knowledge, rather than provide general solutions. That's why instructions are short and simple. That's why, also, the Game is published as "Beta" and released as a free download.

Those who want a ready-to-play package can buy it from GameCrafter. I'd like to see where players take it! The Game will hopefully be useful as a learning tool too. The instructions are very clear in pointing out that it is best enjoyed when played with a knowledgeable moderator. However, what the instructions do not say is that this moderator should be ready to reply "I don't know!" most of the time. After all, what's worse for the Pompeiian frescoes, acid rain or a sledgehammer?

Fig 2: Students of the MSc in Sustainable Heritage (University College London) battling for the survival of some collections.

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Can you win the Game of Heritage Destruction?

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Dr Josep Grau-Bove, Lecturer in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at UCL, tells us about his Coronavirus lockdown project. If there's something I didn't expect from 2020, it is the opportunity to destroy some heritage from the comfort of home. I created the Game of Heritage Destruction in 2017, to use it in teaching.

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Classroom resources for schools from Historic England

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Resources such as PowerPoint presentations, worksheets and notes for teachers to download and use in the classroom.

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Ways of Seeing - workshop at the Fitzwilliam Museum

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Ways of Seeing - workshop at the Fitzwilliam Museum

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A workshop for primary school teachers, museum educators and research scientists to explore different approaches to looking at museum objects and images.

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Great programme of activities held over half-term

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Online resources from Forestry and Land Scotland, including one specifically on dendrochronology

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We encourage people of all ages to be inspired by Scotland's rich cultural heritage, and by the historic environment all around us. Exploring evidence from our shared past can help us understand the world we live in. We've published a collection of resources, articles and activities to encourage place-based learning.

Archaeology is a methodology and a way of thinking that can help piece together clues from our shared past. Through observation and discussion, ideas and theories take shape. Using archaeological recording techniques at an historic site can be a great way to explore the past and learn in a truly cross-curricular context.
Outdoor Archaeological Learning (PDF 8.2MB)
Through discovery, exploration and sharing, young people can develop their critical thinking skills, creativity, confidence and teamwork. Our booklet, Outdoor Archaeological Learning, is full of great content, with advice and guidance supporting a range of activity suggestions, from time lines to graphic stories and cut out models. It's all based around the idea of going to visit an archaeological or historic site, recording and discussing it, then creating an interpretative poster with both factual text and creative drawing and writing. Outdoor Archaeological Learning is intended for anyone taking groups of children to an archaeological site: teachers, youth group leaders and archaeological educators.

Further learning resources

Dendrochronology

Join dendrochronologists Danny and Donald in learning about the history and science of tree ring dating.
Dendrochronology
Into the Wildwoods

This beautifully illustrated booklet explores the world of the wild harvesters, living within the wildwoods of Scotland over six thousand years ago.
Into the Wildwoods
The First Foresters

This beautifully illustrated booklet links today's native woodlands, the ancient wildwood of the past and the Neolithic pioneers who ventured into it.
The First Foresters
Dun Deardail

The vitrified hillfort of Dun Deardail was built in the shadow of Ben Nevis around 2500 years ago and was eventually destroyed in a catastrophic fire.
The Dun Deardail project
The Picts

The Picts are one of Scotland's greatest mysteries: an apparently vanished nation, chronicled by others but not by themselves.

Recumbent stones circles

Recumbent stone circles are amongst the oldest surviving structures in Scotland. They were built during the Bronze Age, roughly 4,000 years ago.
Recumbent stone circles

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We encourage people of all ages to be inspired by Scotland's rich cultural heritage, and by the historic environment all around us. Exploring evidence from our shared past can help us understand the world we live in. We've published a collection of resources, articles and activities to encourage place-based learning.

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The Engine Shed - Conservation from Home

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The Engine Shed - Conservation from Home

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Some good family-orientated content, including word games about the materials used to build heritage and 3D models of heritage sites

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After the summer lockdown, many Historic Scotland sites have reopened to visitors across the country. Getting out and about is good for our wellbeing, but we understand that this might be overwhelming for some, or simply not possible for others.

We've all had to find new ways to stay entertained at home in recent months. This has challenged us to bring conservation and heritage to you like never before.

In this blog, discover how we've been keeping you connected with conservation online, whether you're looking for fun with the family, or are a conservation professional. You can also have your say in our survey about recent online events from across the Historic Environment Scotland family.

1. Family fun! Keeping creative at home

Whether you're looking for something to entertain the kids, or in need of some mindfulness, bringing creativity into your day is a great way to spend your time.

Our Engine Shed is normally full of creative outlets, but we've now put many of these online, so everyone can access them from home. Bring some colour to conservation with our colouring sheets of blacksmiths at Stirling Castle, stonemasons at Melrose Abbey, and thatchers at Arnol Blackhouse -don't forget our Gaelic versions, either!

Test your knowledge of Scotland's architectural history, geology, and what our heritage is made of with our downloadable wordsearches. Set up your own 'chocolate foundry' and try chocolate casting. Even if you're not destined to be a metal worker, the results will still be delicious!

2. Virtual visits for armchair tourists

Digital conservation is more important than ever, not only to keep people connected with the places and heritage around them, but to respond to the climate emergency.

Digital documentation is when a site is recorded in 3D. This 3D data can then be used to create incredibly detailed, interactive 3D models, apps and games, 3D print replicas, and more.

Maeshowe Chambered Cairn in Stenness, Orkney is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. The Explore Maeshowe app, which was updated during the summer lockdown, takes you inside the cairn and lets you explore the wider landscape.

You can also roam through complete 3D models on Sketchfab. Leap between 42 different points in Edinburgh Castle, or explore sights like Murdoch's Tower and Nithsdale Lodging at Caerlaverock Castle.

See the latest 3D models from the digital documentation team who usually work their magic from our centre. Check them out every #SketchfabFriday on Twitter as they go live.

3. Getting technical with science on screen

Our summer programme is the highlight of our year, unfortunately we haven't been able to bring that to you in 2020. But we haven't been resting on our laurels. Instead, we've been exploring different ways we can run events online now and in the future.

Between Thursday 15 and Saturday 17 October, we'll be taking part in the entirely virtual (and entirely free!) Stirling Science Festival. Our Conservation Science and Digital Documentation teams will teach you all about the cutting edge science and state of the art technology and innovation which is at the forefront of building conservation.

We understand that we're part of a much larger picture - and there have been so many excellent online events and activities lately, that you've found it difficult to choose! So, we recorded lots of our events and put them online for you to explore when it suits you. The We Love History Live Q&A series takes you 'behind the scenes', and offers expert insight into topics like climate change.

You can also watch the Adapt Northern Heritage conference online. Run in partnership with several European organisations, the conference was originally planned for Edinburgh before being moved entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet this allowed us to reach more people from across the globe. We welcomed over 30 speakers from 11 countries, more than double the 150 person capacity of the original Edinburgh venue. We could afford to run the event for free, thanks in part to funding from the Interreg Programme for the Northern Periphery and Arctic.

Sessions were livestreamed and recorded across Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom, and if you missed any sessions or couldn't make the conference, you can watch them all on YouTube.

We want to hear from you

We're proud of what we've achieved, but we want to know what you think. If you have attended any Historic Environment Scotland online events, please take five minutes to complete a quick survey. The survey will be open until Thursday 8 October.

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3 ways to keep up with conservation from home | Engine Shed

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After the summer lockdown, many Historic Scotland sites have reopened to visitors across the country. Getting out and about is good for our wellbeing, but we understand that this might be overwhelming for some, or simply not possible for others. We've all had to find new ways to stay entertained at home in recent months.

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Cross-curricular learning workshops themed around archaeology - including some great heritage science-themed workshops.

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Helps individuals  gain the skills needed to visit local schools and community groups to share their passion for archaeology.

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Whether you are a new STEM Ambassador or have been volunteering for years, discover a range of support to develop your skills and increase your confidence.

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More maille

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Maille making at primary  school. This is the record that the children made. A few more bits of evidence follow 

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Maille making at primary  school. This is the record that the children made. A few more bits of evidence follow 

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Some cookies are necessary in order to make this website function correctly. These are set by default and whilst you can block or delete them by changing your browser settings, some functionality such as being able to log in to the website will not work if you do this. The necessary cookies set on this website are as follows:

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A 'sessionid' token is required for logging in to the website and we also use a 'crfstoken' token to prevent cross site request forgery.

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We use Matomo cookies to improve the website performance by capturing information such as browser and device types. The data from this cookie is anonymised.

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Cookies are used to help distinguish between humans and bots on contact forms on this website.

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A cookie is used to store your cookie preferences for this website.

Cookies that are not necessary to make the website work, but which enable additional functionality, can also be set. By default these cookies are disabled, but you can choose to enable them below:

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Some cookies are necessary in order to make this website function correctly. These are set by default and whilst you can block or delete them by changing your browser settings, some functionality such as being able to log in to the website will not work if you do this.

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Programme of building conservation themed workshops and activities pre-lockdown, online resources now in production. A few of our take away activities available for download here: https://engineshed.scot/publications/?audience=12 Discover iron casting with chocolate!

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Go Forth digital learning resources for the Forth Bridge based on laser scan survey data from the bridge. Developed in alignment with Scottish schools Curriculum for Excellence and freely accessible via Scottish schools online platform Glow. https://www.theforthbridges.org/forth-bridge/go-forth-and-discover-digital-game/ - Lyn Wilson, Historic Environment Scotland.

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Training the next generation of Arts and Humanities Researchers

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Training the next generation of Arts and Humanities Researchers

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AHRC report on impacts and outcomes from AHRC training investments.

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Creating a diverse volunteer workforce - from the Museums Association

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Creating a diverse volunteer workforce - from the Museums Association

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https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/in-practice/2020/08/creating-a-diverse-volunteer-workforce/

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Research Software Engineering and Research Data skills 

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Research Software Engineering and Research Data skills 

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Hackathons or datathons

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Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's Historic Environment Sector

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Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's Historic Environment Sector

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An action plan to ensure Scotland has the skills it needs to manage, protect and conserve its historic environment is being launched.

The Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's historic environment sector has been facilitated in partnership by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

It identifies a series of actions to address the skills challenges and opportunities in the sector, which supports an estimated 20,000 direct jobs across Scotland covering construction, the creative industries and tourism.

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Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's Historic Environment Sector

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An action plan to ensure Scotland has the skills it needs to manage, protect and conserve its historic environment is being launched. The Skills Investment Plan for Scotland's historic environment sector has been facilitated in partnership by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

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Power and Privilege in the 21st Century Museum

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Power and Privilege in the 21st Century Museum

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EPSRC champions to raise equality, diversity and inclusion awareness across physical sciences

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EPSRC champions to raise equality, diversity and inclusion awareness across physical sciences

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Champions to raise equality, diversity and inclusion awareness across physical sciences - EPSRC website

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Established research leaders will be supported to inspire, enable and facilitate greater equality, diversity and inclusion across the physical sciences research community through a new initiative launched today 8 July 2019.

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National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement have created a planning and talking tool to help develop effective partnerships between schools and universities.

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How can teachers and university researchers work together to bring cutting-edge research into the classroom? Research Councils UK (RCUK) are committed to engaging young people with research and wanted to find effective ways to do this in a sustained way. In 2013 they initiated the Schools-University Partnerships Initiative (SUPI).

Following a competitive awards process 12 partnership projects, involving universities working with local schools, were tasked with developing long-term school-university partnerships that made a difference to school students, teachers, researchers, and research. Over four years the programme benefited from £2.4 million RCUK funding and this investment was matched by actual and in-kind contributions from the universities and schools involved.

Whist each SUPI developed a bespoke approach, sensitive to contextual factors, they shared four key aims:

to inspire the next generation by bringing research into formal and informal learning contexts;

to reach secondary school students from a diversity of backgrounds and abilities;

to provide researchers with opportunities and training to engage with secondary school students;

to support secondary schools and higher education institutes to work together to create structured, strategic, sustainable and equitable mechanisms for school-university engagement.

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) was appointed to co-ordinate the SUPI network, providing support for the projects and drawing together learning from across the programme.

Check out the film of our 2014 SUPI Gathering for further insights to the initiative.

SUPI projects

The 12 SUPI projects were as follows. Click on the links to access each project's final report:

The 12 SUPI projects created a range of inspiring case studies and rich resources over the course of the four year initiative. Explore the resources here.

The NCCPE has also worked with the SUPI teams to create two key resources:

Created by the NCCPE in consultation with the SUPI projects (including researchers, teachers, students, and university staff) this resource is a great planning and talking tool to help develop effective partnerships. Presented as a set of cards, you can request a copy of this resource by emailing nccpe.enquiries@uwe.ac.uk (one per person, limited time only).

Alternatively you can download and print the Perspectives on Partnership (PoP) Tool yourself. Simply download the three documents, print them out (print on both sides of paper, flip on short edge), and then cut or fold as indicated. You may need to open the PDF from your files, rather than in your browser.

This booklet distils the key lessons from the project for each of the four aims, and we hope it will enable universities and schools to initiate, enhance and develop their approach to long-term school-university partnerships. You can request a copy of this booklet by emailing nccpe.enquiries@uwe.ac.uk (limited time only).

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How can teachers and university researchers work together to bring cutting-edge research into the classroom? Research Councils UK (RCUK) are committed to engaging young people with research and wanted to find effective ways to do this in a sustained way. In 2013 they initiated the Schools-University Partnerships Initiative (SUPI).

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See the NHSF blog post on this event held recently at UCL

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How can teachers and university researchers work together to bring cutting-edge research into the classroom? Research Councils UK (RCUK) are committed to engaging young people with research and wanted to find effective ways to do this in a sustained way. In 2013 they initiated the Schools-University Partnerships Initiative (SUPI).

Following a competitive awards process 12 partnership projects, involving universities working with local schools, were tasked with developing long-term school-university partnerships that made a difference to school students, teachers, researchers, and research. Over four years the programme benefited from £2.4 million RCUK funding and this investment was matched by actual and in-kind contributions from the universities and schools involved.

Whist each SUPI developed a bespoke approach, sensitive to contextual factors, they shared four key aims:

to inspire the next generation by bringing research into formal and informal learning contexts;

to reach secondary school students from a diversity of backgrounds and abilities;

to provide researchers with opportunities and training to engage with secondary school students;

to support secondary schools and higher education institutes to work together to create structured, strategic, sustainable and equitable mechanisms for school-university engagement.

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) was appointed to co-ordinate the SUPI network, providing support for the projects and drawing together learning from across the programme.

Check out the film of our 2014 SUPI Gathering for further insights to the initiative.

SUPI projects

The 12 SUPI projects were as follows. Click on the links to access each project's final report:

The 12 SUPI projects created a range of inspiring case studies and rich resources over the course of the four year initiative. Explore the resources here.

The NCCPE has also worked with the SUPI teams to create two key resources:

Created by the NCCPE in consultation with the SUPI projects (including researchers, teachers, students, and university staff) this resource is a great planning and talking tool to help develop effective partnerships. Presented as a set of cards, you can request a copy of this resource by emailing nccpe.enquiries@uwe.ac.uk (one per person, limited time only).

Alternatively you can download and print the Perspectives on Partnership (PoP) Tool yourself. Simply download the three documents, print them out (print on both sides of paper, flip on short edge), and then cut or fold as indicated. You may need to open the PDF from your files, rather than in your browser.

This booklet distils the key lessons from the project for each of the four aims, and we hope it will enable universities and schools to initiate, enhance and develop their approach to long-term school-university partnerships. You can request a copy of this booklet by emailing nccpe.enquiries@uwe.ac.uk (limited time only).

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How can teachers and university researchers work together to bring cutting-edge research into the classroom? Research Councils UK (RCUK) are committed to engaging young people with research and wanted to find effective ways to do this in a sustained way. In 2013 they initiated the Schools-University Partnerships Initiative (SUPI).

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Ecclesiastical Research - more school visit to heritage sites

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Ecclesiastical Research - more school visit to heritage sites

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https://www.ecclesiastical.com/media-centre/heritage-school-trips/

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The perception that heritage organisations are 'boring', distance to travel, and cost are the top three reasons that prevent young adults from visiting heritage organisations. More than a third (36%) of 18-30 year olds never visit galleries, and almost a quarter (24%) never visit theatres. While just under one in five never visit museums (19%). Almost half (48%) never visit stately homes, while a third (33%) never visit castles. The research revealed a stark gender gap in attitudes towards heritage with young men far less likely to visit heritage buildings than women.

Many of the young adults surveyed had never visited heritage organisations as a child. More than a third (37%) had never visited a stately home, while a quarter (25%) had never visited a gallery as a child. Just under one in five (19%) had never visited a castle as a child.

People who were not taken to heritage locations as children on school trips, are far less likely to visit them as adults. For example, 60% of those who went to museums as children visit at least once a year now they are adults. While of those who never visited museums as children, 69% never go as adults. In contrast, engaging children with heritage and culture early on can help to inspire a lifelong passion for heritage. For example, 50% of those who visited galleries as children visit at least once a year now they are adults.

Research by The Sutton Trust, which focuses on improving social mobility, has found educational outings such as going on trips to museums and galleries help bright but disadvantaged students to get better A-levels 2. While schools are under increasing financial pressures, the charity recommends that enrichment vouchers should be funded through the pupil premium for both primary and secondary pupils. While many young people are missing out, some schools are using methods such as whole-school fundraising, with the proceeds pooled, to help pupils attend school trips.

Faith Kitchen, heritage director at Ecclesiastical added: "As a leading insurer of heritage buildings we're passionate about history and culture in the UK. Schools have a vital role in engaging young people in heritage and our research highlights that school trips can make a huge difference in inspiring the next generation."

Lizzie Glithero-West, Chief Executive at The Heritage Alliance commented: "These findings emphasise the importance of introducing children to culture from the start; an organisation that makes families and school parties welcome is investing in the future audience for our historic environment in a tangible way. Ecclesiastical's research also found over 50% of respondents said that a digital experience inspired them to want to visit in person, and over a third said a good online presence would encourage them to share their experiences of heritage organisations on social media. We have future ambassadors for the sector waiting to be harnessed..."

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Heritage and School Trips | Press Release

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The perception that heritage organisations are 'boring', distance to travel, and cost are the top three reasons that prevent young adults from visiting heritage organisations. More than a third (36%) of 18-30 year olds never visit galleries, and almost a quarter (24%) never visit theatres. While just under one in five never visit museums (19%).

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Workshops and training courses
Together with the NAS Historic England has devised a series of workshops that allow participants to learn about archaeological science techniques that underpin many archaeoogical projects.
Participants involvement does not only develop an understanding of the post-excavation process, but also directly contributes towards specific project tasks

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SOLD OUT! Get hands-on experience of the conservation of archaeological finds from the marine environment and learn about the sampling and recovery of environmental material from such sites.

Participants will learn about the decay processes, first aid conservation and standard techniques used to stabilise and preserve a wide range of archaeological materials from the marine environment. The course will include a combination of lectures and practical sessions delivered by professional conservators and archaeobotanists.

Finds used in this course will have recently been raised finds from the Rooswijkand London wrecks and is being run in conjunction with Historic England and MSDS Marine.

As part of their work on the Rooswijk wreck, the Dutch government has subsidised a series of three courses using the wreck artefacts: Coins, Conservation and Photogrammetry. Further discounts apply when you book more than one type of course at the same time. (Does not include multiple people attending the same course).

One course costs £25

Two courses costs £20 each

Three courses costs £16 each

Event details

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The NAS employs a small core team of dedicated people at our head office in Portsmouth, UK The team manage the day to day running of the charity and are often found travelling around the world for courses, fieldschools, conferences and meetings.

The NAS is fortunate to have the support of Vice Presidents that bring years of knowledge and experience of the heritage sectors. Our Vice Presidents come from archaeological academia, museum services, advocacy and oceanography.

Support our work

Indulge your passion for nautical archaeology, and help us explore, preserve and record the world's intertidal and underwater heritage for future generations. Discover more about us here... Read more

IJNA Webinar No.1, our first live IJNA Webinar took place on Wednesday 23rd January on "The Archaeology of World War Battleships". The webinar is now available to watch here... Read more

Where

Fort Cumberland , Fort Cumberland Road , Southsea , PO4 9LD

When
Add to calendar

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charity archaeology nautical heritage underwater

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SOLD OUT! Get hands-on experience of the conservation of archaeological finds from the marine environment and learn about the sampling and recovery of environmental material from such sites. Participants will learn about the decay processes, first aid conservation and standard techniques used to stabilise and preserve a wide range of archaeological materials from the marine environment.

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PRECONDITION: Platforms to engage with heritage through science

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PRECONDITION: Platforms to engage with heritage through science

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PRECONDITION: Development of 'heritage science' as an identity

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PRECONDITION: Development of 'heritage science' as an identity

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PRECONDITION: Engagement with apprenticeship developments across the devolved nations

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PRECONDITION: Engagement with apprenticeship developments across the devolved nations

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PRECONDITION: Intelligence on skills needs; current and future

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PRECONDITION: Intelligence on skills needs; current and future

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PRECONDITION: Partnerships with providers of learning to school age children

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PRECONDITION: Partnerships with providers of learning to school age children

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If you're interested in an apprenticeship, find out what's available and how to get started.

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We are committed to developing and growing a worldclass Work-based Learning system in Scotland.

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In England, apprenticeship frameworks are being phased out and replaced by Apprenticeship standards.

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The Institute for Apprenticeships ensures high-quality apprenticeship standards and advises government on funding for each standard.

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Internships

Icon's Internship Programme offers structured support for emerging conservators to kick start their careers

At its core, the Icon Internship Programme (IIP) allows the host to focus on what it does best: providing training to the intern in their specialist area. At the same time, Icon takes the lead in aligning the professional development of the intern to the Professional Standards in Conservation, also taking the burden of recruitment and management of bursary payments from the internship hosts.

Over the years we have helped to support over 175 placements across a wide range of conservation disciplines. Most internships are either 6 or 12 months in length - however, each is unique to the type of projects being worked on and the type of organisation in which the internship is hosted.

We do this through our tried and tested delivery model which is supported by our team of Intern Advisors, who take the interns through a structured programme of training on Icon's Professional Standards in Conservation which ensures the Intern is making real progress throughout the internship.

To find out more please take a look at our internship leaflet.

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At its core, the Icon Internship Programme (IIP) allows the host to focus on what it does best: providing training to the intern in their specialist area. At the same time, Icon takes the lead in aligning the professional development of the intern to the Professional Standards in Conservation, also taking the burden of recruitment and management of bursary payments from the internship hosts.

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How heritage science is addressing the gender balance

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How heritage science is addressing the gender balance

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How heritage science is addressing the gender balance

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International Women's Day is 8th March and UCL ISH is celebrating its uncommonly high percentage of women in science by reflecting on why gender balance is so important. UCL ISH are championing women in science with a higher proportion of female to male staff, students and full-time employees as well as a female Director, Professor May Cassar.

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House of Commons Science & Technology report- 'Industrial Strategy: science and STEM skills'

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House of Commons Science & Technology report- 'Industrial Strategy: science and STEM skills'

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Government has identified a need to address the UK's shortage of STEM skills

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NHSS Report 3- Understanding capacity in the heritage science sector 

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NHSS Report 3- Understanding capacity in the heritage science sector 

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Research carried out in 2009 suggested an ageing workforce.

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The development of geospatial surveyor skills and knowledge to provide base three dimensional datasets upon which other analyses and decisions are then made.

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Geospatial Imaging Team | Historic England

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Find out what a Geospatial Imaging Analyst might do.

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Heritage Science Resources for the National Curriculum in England

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Heritage Science Resources for the National Curriculum in England

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Research commissioned by Historic England from Pye Tait to identify how heritage science could be used to support teaching of the science curriculum in England.

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Heritage Science Resources for the National Curriculum in England | Historic England

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Historic England are funding Pye Tait Consulting to review the National Curriculum in England covering science programmes at key stages 3, 4 and 5.

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Employer-led consortium developing Apprenticeship standards for the historic environment sector.

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What is a Heritage Apprenticeship?

Heritage Apprenticeships is just a term we are using to describe apprenticeship standards creating specifically for the historic environment sector. They follow exactly the same pattern as any other modern apprenticeship in England.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfA) oversees the development and approvals processes for new apprenticeships and this is very rigorous. It has taken some years for the Historic Environment Trailblazer to develop these new standards from scratch.

Apprenticeships offer a unique and valuable opportunity for individuals to learn a profession through formal training, gain experience in the workplace and earn money at the same time.

An apprenticeship will involve and 80% on-the-job training, and 20% off-the-job, undertaking a formal training programme delivered by a registered Training Provider.

An apprentice must be employed for at least 30 hours per week and have a contract for the length of the apprenticeship (minimum 12 months but this varies depending on which apprenticeship standard you are using).

Training providers play a central player in apprenticeships. Their job is not only to deliver off-the-job training, but to advise and support employers and apprentices throughout their journey, and to subcontract independent organisations to conduct assessment.

All new apprenticeships standards come with an End Point Assessment Plan; which demonstrates how the knowledge, skills and behaviours learnt through an apprenticeship will be assessed. An independent registered End Point Assessment Organisation will undertake this assessment, contracted by the Training provider.

Apprenticeships can be from Level 2 to Level 7 (equivalent to GCSE up to post-graduate degree), and they offer employers the opportunity to take on new staff or to up-skill existing staff.

The new Heritage Apprenticeships are designed to support our sector to train and maintain a skilled workforce, that will care for, conserve, and manage our heritage and historic environment into the future.

Heritage apprenticeships will:

Offer important new routes into a range of professions

Increase diversity within the sector

Provide development opportunities for staff

Address staff shortages and specialist skills gaps in the sector

Guarantee professional competence to professional standards

Foster leadership and people skills for managers and mentors

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Apprenticeships in the Heritage Sector | Historic England

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Heritage Apprenticeships is just a term we are using to describe apprenticeship standards creating specifically for the historic environment sector. They follow exactly the same pattern as any other modern apprenticeship in England. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfA) oversees the development and approvals processes for new apprenticeships and this is very rigorous.

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A measurable goal in community involvement is missing and decolonisation of collections.

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I'm struggling to understand why there is no mention about Inclusion & Diversity in this new strategic framework - given that it is such an important discussion within the science sector as a whole at the moment.

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I'm struggling to understand why there is no mention about Inclusion & Diversity in this new strategic framework - given that it is such an important discussion within the science sector as a whole at the moment.