Celebrating the Success of the DPhil Public Engagement with Research Training Programme

On September 3rd, we gathered at Lady Margaret Hall to celebrate the achievements of AIMS and StatML Centre for Doctoral Training students who had participated in a year-long Public Engagement with Research (PER) training programme. This event provided an opportunity for the students to share their experiences, learn from each other, and acknowledge the hard work and creativity they had demonstrated throughout the programme.

The PER training programme aimed to equip students with the knowledge and confidence to communicate and share their research topics effectively to the public, particularly through interactive and engaging science activities. By applying theory to practice, the students were tasked with designing hands-on public engagement activities that could be showcased at events like the Oxford Maths Festival and Begbroke Science Wonder Garden Party. Each group received feedback from mentors and participated in a demo day to refine their projects before presenting them to the public.

Celebrating Creativity and Innovation: The Award-Winning Projects

The wrap-up event was the perfect opportunity for students to reflect on their projects and exchange insights about the challenges and successes they experienced. In addition to peer learning, we also celebrated the students’ achievements by awarding two prizes: the Director's Prize and the People's Choice Award.

Director's Prize: Carnival Maths

Chosen by AIMS Co-Director, Alex Rogers, this award went to the group behind Carnival Maths: Using the Power of Maths to Win Games. This creative project was designed for children aged 2-13 and featured two carnival-style games that demonstrated mathematical strategies to win. The group's hook-a-duck and skittles activities not only captivated young participants but also sparked curiosity among parents, who were eager to understand the maths behind the games. The project was praised for its creativity, accessibility, and the way it took a hard topic, and encouraged children to think critically about problem-solving through play.

People’s Choice Award: Treasure Hunt

Voted for by the attendees, the People’s Choice Award went to the Reinforcement Learning as a Treasure Hunt project. This pirate-themed game taught children about the exploration/exploitation dilemma, a key concept in reinforcement learning. Participants searched for hidden treasure using patterns and clues, making the activity both fun and educational. The randomization of treasure locations meant the game had great re-playability, with many children returning for multiple rounds. The team behind the activity reflected on how rewarding it was to see children’s strategies evolve as they began to grasp the concepts of reinforcement learning. Click here to download the resources to use yourself.

It was clear that all the teams, regardless of whether they had won prizes, had demonstrated creativity, ingenuity and dedication. The other teams activities, Understanding uncertainty with mystery boxes (containing hidden animals) and multi-sensory clues (delivered at the Temple Cowley Maths Festival event) and Exploring AI Painting Techniques (delivered at Science Oxford’s family summer event) together with the above activities reached hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of members of the public, and all reflected on how they had created a positive engagement experience for young people, many of whom took away new insights and knowledge about the ideas and concepts they were engaged with.

Reflections and Learning from the Programme

Throughout the event, students shared their insights and reflections on their experiences. Many spoke about how the programme helped them develop a deeper understanding of effective public engagement. One common theme was the value of learning how to adapt communication styles to suit different audiences—whether that meant simplifying complex topics for young children or finding creative ways to engage adults. Another was how to craft activities so that the narratives, content and concepts to be learnt worked together – some found that waiting to the end to delivery the ‘learning bit’ didn’t always work, and they’d liked to have found ways to integrate this into the activity more.

Students also highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration, with several noting how much they had learned from watching their peers interact with the public. As one student put it, “Everyone had their own unique style, and I learned so much from seeing how others explained things and engaged with the participants. It was a real eye-opener.”

In terms of lessons learned, many students noted the need to remain flexible and adapt to unforeseen challenges. From technical hiccups to unexpected audience demographics, each group encountered situations that required them to think on their feet. The Carnival Maths group, for example, found that adding a narrative element about an "angry mother duck" increased engagement and wished they had introduced this sooner.

A final, universal key take-away was the power of prizes! Even simple things like stickers really motivated young people to come back multiple times to collect the whole set.

Looking Forward

As we wrapped up the event, it was clear that the programme had made a significant impact, both on the students and the public. The programme not only enhanced the students’ public engagement skills but also showed them the positive impact they can have by sharing their research in creative and accessible ways.

We are incredibly proud of all the participants and their innovative projects. We look forward to seeing how they continue to engage with the public in their future research careers and can’t wait to see next year’s cohort build on these achievements.

Congratulations to all the students—your dedication and creativity are truly inspiring!