Take part in Be Curious 2021

Following the success of the first ever digital Be Curious, researchers from all disciplines are invited to make contributions to this year’s instalment.

Researchers are invited to get involved with this year’s instalment of the hugely popular Be Curious showcase

Take part in Be Curious 2021. February 2021

Last year’s showcase – held during two weeks in October – saw researchers produce almost 100 pieces of content, which were shared widely online and via social media with our local and global community, achieving 150,000 impressions on Twitter.

A total of 564 attendees were also able to engage with the impactful world-leading research happening at Leeds through a new addition to the Be Curious programme: an exciting day of live, virtual, family-friendly events.

All the great content shared during Be Curious 2020 can be accessed via Padlet – an online collaborative pin board where you can share ideas.

Take part in Be Curious 2021. February 2021

Access all the great content from Be Curious 2020 via Padlet

Be Curious 2021 will be held from 10-16 July. Now entering its sixth year, Be Curious represents the ideal opportunity for researchers to showcase their work to the wider community.

Dr Alexa Ruppertsberg, Head of Public Engagement with Research, said: “We had hoped to run a smaller-scale, hands-on, outdoor, campus event this year to bring back opportunities for the face-to-face interactions we all crave.

“At the same time, we’ve learned from last year’s event that online engagement is possible and also valued by our target audience. We had people join us from as far afield as India; subtitling allowed hearing-impaired people to also take part and 79% attended Be Curious for the first time in 2020.

“Digital engagement can bring together communities who’ve not yet met and this potential is something we want to keep for the future. For this reason, we’ll still be online ‘only’ and will respond to feedback from the public by extending our offer to include ‘Be Curious: LATES’ for an adult audience.”

Making a World of Difference

Be Curious 2021 will spotlight the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and showcase how research at Leeds is ‘Making a World of Difference’.

The SDGs make up a global framework to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Regardless of discipline, all research at Leeds – big or small, regional, national or global – contributes towards addressing global challenges and achieving the 17 goals.

Take part in Be Curious 2021. February 2021

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have been adopted as the theme for Be Curious 2021

In adopting this theme for Be Curious 2021, we hope to play a part in inspiring and celebrating the critical role research has in delivering the SDGs and showcase the value and impact our research brings to both our local community and wider society.

Katie McGuire, Deputy Director of Sustainability Services, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight to the public the many ways that research at Leeds contributes towards addressing society’s grand sustainability challenges, delivering positive impact at both a local and global level.

“Our commitment to contributing towards the advancement of the SDGs through our teaching, operations, outreach and research, sits at the heart of institutional ambitions to achieve a sustainable and equitable future for all and, ultimately, make the world a better place. The SDGs are a great framework to showcase the breadth of our research projects that are delivering real-world impact, in an accessible and engaging way, so it will be an ideal theme for this year’s Be Curious.”

Researchers can sign up to be involved in:

  • hosting live, virtual, after-school events for families
  • delivering an engaging 10-minute talk for adults, as part of our Be Curious LATES events; and/or
  • recording an exciting two-minute demonstration video.

Expressions of interest are also invited from researchers who would like to run one of a very limited number of interactive Be Curious pop-up stalls in a city centre location on Saturday 10 July. Please note, this strand of Be Curious will only take place if it’s judged safe to do so at the time of the event.

How to apply

Read the guidelines for taking part and complete the online form by 5pm on Friday 12 March to register your interest.

Planning and communications for the event will take place in the Engaged Research Microsoft Team. Colleagues will be added to the Team after making a submission.

Colleagues are invited to book a 15-minute slot at a Be Curious surgery, which runs from 9-11am on Wednesday 3 March, via the PE Team calendar if they would like to discuss their ideas before making a submission.

Please contact the Public Engagement team for further information.

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