How would you like to have your house cleaned automatically by a robot? Would you trust a robot babysitter? Do you think you would fancy a robot partner? How far do you think present-day robotics technology has actually advanced - can you tell the difference between science fact and science fiction? If a fully-functional, thinking robot could be developed, would you consider it human?How many of us have really considered the technical challenges and ethical issues of robotics research? Robot Thought? - Thinking about Robots is an event designed to enable family audiences to consider and convey their opinions on issues relating to science and engineering. The event uses the format of short dramatic vignettes to highlight important practical, personal and social issues relating to robotics. During each vignette a particular concept or issue is presented to the audience, who are then encouraged to express their opinions and concerns about the issues, and debate the implications of robotics on future society.The event format has already been trialled in Bristol, to great acclaim. This project will involve taking the highly popular and thought provoking performances to family audiences across the country. Eight science communication venues and four robotics research laboratories have signed on as partners to enhance the delivery and dissemination of this exciting event format over the course of the two-year project.

Stories in the media about science continue to fire the imaginations of the general public. However, there is a significant proportion of the adult population whose scientific knowledge is insufficient to understand even the most basic aspects of these issues. The result is a section of the general public who are frustrated, or even intimidated, by science. The objective of this programme is to develop and present an extensive programme of events which illustrates the importance and pervasive nature of chemistry, and allows mature adults with only a rudimentary knowledge of science to learn about chemistry through presentations, demonstrations, debate, visits to laboratories and hands-on experience of practical chemistry. The programme has been designed to introduce the participants gently to a variety of aspects of fundamental and contemporary chemistry through taster events (presented by APTT, WEA and University of Newcastle). Other institutions (Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Northumbria, Life Sciences Centre and The Open University) with an expertise and commitment to teaching adults are also collaborating on this project. Participants in the taster courses will receive guidance and encouragement to further their scientific knowledge by registering for the slightly more advanced course offered by these institutions. The more advanced courses range from those which stand alone, last only a few weeks and develop a particular aspect of chemistry in more detail, to those that lead to formal qualifications including degrees.

“Tinkering: Contemporary Education for the Innovators of tomorrow” emerged from the need for citizens able to respond to the contemporary global challenges by being competent in science and technology, self-confident and critical thinkers, socially-engaged, with innovative and entrepreneurial attitude. It responded to these needs through a learner-centred approach aiming at education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and at the development of the 21st century skills. The specific learner-centred approach is Tinkering adopted in a series of activities and tools and disseminated at European level.‘Tinkering’ is the term used to define an innovative pedagogy that reflects the current trends in education and the Maker culture. It promotes individuals’ active engagement with science- and making-oriented activities as ways to relate with, and understand of, the surrounding world. It promotes skills that can be used in different contexts and become useful for a lifetime. Tinkering, as both pedagogy and activities, was initially developed by the Exploratorium of San Francisco, and today is gaining ground internationally.The objectives of the project were to:¥enrich skills with specific reference to STEM¥develop the 21st century (transversal) skills: creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship¥promote a learner-centred pedagogical approach¥improve the attractivity of, attainment in, and lifelong relationship with, science and technology for adults and students¥implement the innovative pedagogy of Tinkering in school and out-of-school contexts at European level and create a Europe-wide community of practice of institutions¥encourage cooperation and exchange of expertise and practice between formal and informal learning institutions and professionals.The main activities developed by the project were:¥Design of new Tinkering activities for adult learners and for schools¥Definition of a methodological framework for Tinkering as a founding element of the work¥Developemnt of pedagogical materials focusing on the methodology of Tinkering and on professional development, aiming to help pactitioners adopt Tinkering in their practice ¥Organization of training for adult and school educators, aimed at creating the conditions for the implementation of the pedagogy and the activities¥Organisation of multiplier events for the wide implementation of the activities¥Dissemination at local, national and European level¥Management and monitoring of cooperation and operations.The project was carried out through cooperation between formal and informal learning institutions and addressed adult and school learners as well as adult and school educators. Partners worked on the different activities on the basis of a plan consisting of phases of development, pilot testing, evaluation and fine-tuning in order to come up with outputs that are both sustainable and transferable. Results¥New Tinkering activities for adult learners and schools designed, fully described and available online¥Sustainable and transferable pedagogical materials focusing on the methodological framework for Tinkering and on guidelines for professional development of educators adopting Tinkering available online¥Training events for adult and school educators, including a training workshop by the Exploratorium¥Multiplier events for the wide implementation of the activities¥Website containing all resources, which remains active after the end of the project¥A European community of practice working with this pedagogy.The project reached 27.213 individuals through the multiplier events and about 450 professionals with the training and also achieved:¥Enriched educational practice in school and out-of-school environments¥Improvement of the facilitation role for educators involved in STEM-oriented experience in formal and informal education¥Increasing consideration of the innovative pedagogy of Tinkering at policy level for curriculum and lifelong education¥Better understanding of the conditions fostering the involvement and motivation of early school leavers¥A reinforcement of skills relating to the job market¥The sensibilization of directly-interested target groups and stakeholders at local, national and European level.The structure of the project encouraged the creation of networks with institutions and individuals at local level, who benefited by the activities and resources. These participated to the events and programmes but their involvement goes beyond the specific participation. They were able to understand the potential of Tinkering in different contexts, therefore we saw an increasing interest to find out more about how Tinkering can be adopted in a range of contexts. At European level, there is a concrete interest of several science museums to be trained in Tinkering in order to adopt the approach and activities in their practice.

The Centre for Digital Citizens (CDC) will address emerging challenges of digital citizenship, taking an inclusive, participatory approach to the design and evaluation of new technologies and services that support 'smart', 'data-rich' living in urban, rural and coastal communities. Core to the Centre's work will be the incubation of sustainable 'Digital Social Innovations' (DSI) that will ensure digital technologies support diverse end-user communities and will have long-lasting social value and impact beyond the life of the Centre. Our technological innovations will be co-created between academic, industrial, public and third sector partners, with citizens supporting co-creation and delivery of research. Through these activities, CDC will incubate user-led social innovation and sustainable impact for the Digital Economy (DE), at scale, in ways that have previously been difficult to achieve. The CDC will build on a substantial joint legacy and critical mass of DE funded research between Newcastle and Northumbria universities, developing the trajectory of work demonstrated in our highly successful Social Inclusion for the Digital Economy (SIDE) hub, our Digital Civics Centre for Doctoral Training and our Digital Economy Research Centre (DERC). The CDC is a response to recent research that has challenged simplified notions of the smart urban environment and its inhabitants, and highlighted the risks of emerging algorithmic and automated futures. The Centre will leverage our pioneering participatory design and co-creative research, our expertise in digital participatory platforms and data-driven technologies, to deliver new kinds of innovation for the DE, that empowers citizens. The CDC will focus on four critical Citizen Challenge areas arising from our prior work: 'The Well Citizen' addresses how use of shared personal data, and publicly available large-scale data, can inform citizens' self-awareness of personal health and wellbeing, of health inequalities, and of broader environmental and community wellbeing; 'The Safe Citizen' critically examines online and offline safety, including issues around algorithmic social justice and the role of new data technologies in supporting fair, secure and equitable societies; 'The Connected Citizen' explores next-generation citizen-led digital public services, which can support and sustain civic engagement and action in communities, and engagement in wider socio-political issues through new sustainable (openly managed) digital platforms; and 'The Ageless Citizen' investigates opportunities for technology-enhanced lifelong learning and opportunities for intergenerational engagement and technologies to support growth across an entire lifecourse. CDC pilot projects will be spread across the urban, rural and costal geography of the North East of England, embedded in communities with diverse socio-economic profiles and needs. Driving our programme to address these challenges is our 'Engaged Citizen Commissioning Framework'. This framework will support citizens' active engagement in the co-creation of research and critical inquiry. The framework will use design-led 'initiation mechanisms' (e.g. participatory design workshops, hackathons, community events, citizen labs, open innovation and co-production platform experiments) to support the co-creation of research activities. Our 'Innovation Fellows' (postdoctoral researchers) will engage in a 24-month social innovation programme within the CDC. They will pilot DSI projects as part of highly interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder teams, including academics and end-users (e.g. Community Groups, NGO's, Charities, Government, and Industry partners). The outcome of these pilots will be the development of further collaborative bids (Research Council / Innovate UK / Charity / Industry funded), venture capital pitches, spin-outs and/or social enterprises. In this way the Centre will act as a catalyst for future innovation-focused DE activity.

The British Association of Planetaria is a network of planetarium professionals who play a significant, high-impact role in the education, public engagement and communication of space sciences within the UK. Between the fixed planetarium facilities at science centres and observatories and the smaller, mobile, travelling domes, there are very few areas of the UK that are not reached by our members. Large planetaria are mainly based in cities and have a spreading catchment, the mobile domes reach out into rural schools and travel to under-served communities. The total reach of UK Planetarium domes is over 1.5 million children and adults every year. 750,000 of these visitors have a presenter-led planetarium experience. This project aims to inspire and involve these planetarium audiences with the fantastic stories, science, engineering and people behind the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It will produce exceptional and unique graphical content that can be projected across the 180 degree surface of the dome to create a fully immersive and captivating experience of the JWST inside the planetarium dome. We aim to raise awareness, excitement and pride for the UK involvement in the JWST mission, share the breath-taking science, technology and engineering and celebrate the diverse team that makes this mission unique. Over 150,000 children and adults will experience planetarium shows that include this content, which will be used far beyond the project period to support ongoing public engagement with the JWST mission. In addition, a key objective of this project is to ensure that this UK science is shared with all: all ages, genders, abilities, beliefs and backgrounds. Care and consideration will be taken to ensure that the design, development and delivery of the planetarium content has diversity and social inclusion embedded, in order to support all audiences. We hope that all will be inspired, engaged and be able to identify with the stories, science and people celebrated in this project. To support this aim, mobile planetarium visits will be available for a limited time at a subsidised cost for schools in areas high on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (or UK national equivalent). Through bespoke, eye-catching graphics and resources with diversity designed in, through to a national event for planetarium professionals which showcases STFC scientists and highlights inclusive methods of communication and professionalisation of the UK planetarium network, this project will be a step-change in the way in which the British Association of Planetaria lead their members in reaching new audiences and disseminating STFC science and technology.