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We are very pleased to be able to share “The Engaged University: turning words into action” report and accompanying resource pack.Jointly commissioned in summer 2019 and subsequently co-authored with our friends at the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), the aim of the report was to explore, in conversation with colleagues in 30+ universities in the UK and internationally, the state of play in strategic support for public engagement. What this report offers is a snapshot in time. Significantly, this was the state of the art in university public engagement ‘pre-Covid’. Nevertheless, we think it is a snapshot which provides a very timely set of reference points for rethinking our future engagement practice post-COVID. It highlights the challenges and limitations in the current system and points to practices outside Higher Education which we should learn from. We hope it provides a useful platform to inform the step change in public engagement which is now required. It has certainly informed our development of the new UCL Public and Community Engagement Strategy 2020-2027 due to launch early in 2021.The Resource Pack is intended for use alongside the report and has been put together to signpost the case studies and good practice that we could not include in the report. It is intended to help those within HEIs who are making the case for public engagement who may wish to tailor the report towards their own institutional context and drivers.Download the resource pack. (PDF)Download the full report. (PDF)Read an associated article where Julia Unwin and Vivienne Parry ponder how universities will consolidate their civic role, despite the challenges society is facing.Documents are PDF but if you need the documents in another format please email us to let us know. 

[[{"fid":"16797","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"height":"750","width":"500","class":"media-element file-medium","format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Photograph of a man standing on a lit stage with a brain specimen on a table in front of him. In the background there is a screen with text on reading 'Christmas Lectures from The Royal Institution'.","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Christmas Lectures","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"© Paul Wilkinson Photography","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"height":"750","width":"500","class":"media-element file-medium","format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Photograph of a man standing on a lit stage with a brain specimen on a table in front of him. In the background there is a screen with text on reading 'Christmas Lectures from The Royal Institution'.","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Christmas Lectures","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"© Paul Wilkinson Photography","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"750","width":"500","class":"media-element file-medium"}}]]© Paul Wilkinson PhotographyIn December, the UCL Pathology Museum was asked to provide a human brain specimen to be used in the filming of the Royal Institution’s Christmas Lectures on BBC Four. The Museum’s Curator, Liz Blanks, selected a suitable brain specimen from the large educational collection at the Museum, which she accompanied to the Royal Institution Lecture Theatre for filming in early December.This year’s Lectures, ‘The Truth about AI’, are led by Professor Mike Woolridge, who explores this rapidly evolving technology and the science behind it. The first lecture opens with Woolridge standing in front of the specimen: “And our story starts with this. This is a human brain. Of all the wonders in the universe, this is the greatest. Forget about black holes and neutron stars and supernovas - you are looking at the most incredible thing in all of creation.” Using the Museum’s brain as a visual aid, Woolridge explains how the human brain is the starting point from which AI has developed, demonstrating how artificial neural networks are inspired by human ones. Liz Blanks, Curator of UCL Science Collections, said: “It was a challenge to find the right specimen that met the programme’s requirements as most of the collection is pathological in nature, but thanks to our comprehensive collection of 8,000 medical specimens, we were pleased to be able to help. The filming and transportation of the brain specimen was a unique and memorable experience, and we are delighted to share a tiny part of our collection with a national audience.”[[{"fid":"9307","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Colour photo of human specimens in clear plastic boxes on a shelf","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Colour photo of human specimens in clear plastic boxes on a shelf","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"3744","width":"5616","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Historically, this style of specimen-based teaching, paid tribute to in the RI’s lecture, was the predominant educational tool for medical students. The UCL Pathology Museum, which has specimens dating back to the 1820s, remains an important teaching collection owing to its size and variety, and many specimens are now of historical research significance. The full Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are available on BBC iPlayer. Look out for the brain in Episode One, ‘How to Build an Intelligent Machine’, first broadcast on Boxing Day 2023. Links Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on BBC iPlayer UCL Pathology Museum home page