Arwyn Jones : Public Engagement with Science
Arwyn's Public Engagement
Arwyn is very active in public engagement of science. He has gained funding from both the Wellcome Trust and EPSRC to set up large public engagement activities - see below. He regularly contributes to BBC/S4C TV and Radio Cymru news programmes, is also actively engaged in discussing other aspects of science on TV and radio and also visits local schools and colleges to showcase science.
In 2010 and 2011 he lead a Public Engagement project sponsored by the EPSRC to highlight the multidisciplinary science involved in, and potential of, tissue engineering. This £55K Partnership for Public engagement award "Tissue Engineering for Human Healing" was obtained with Dr Bob Steadman (School of Medicine) and Dr Pete Griffiths (School of Chemistry) and involved setting up tissue engineering exhibits at various locations and activities in Wales. The exhibit was launched at the 2010 National Eisteddfod of Wales in Ebbw Vale. There were a host of interactive and educational material on display at the Eisteddfod Science Pavilion throughout the week. This included a life size operations game and daily maggot races. A new Stem Cell Puzzle went on display for the next major showing of this exhibit at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Wrecsam. The Stem Cell puzzle is now part of the Public Engagement activities at Techniquest Science Discovery Centre where it is also being used for training in Public Engagement as an exemplar of making research accessible and relevant to the public.
Arwyn with young scientists at the 2010 Tafwyl Festival
The Stem Cell Puzzle shown here was a major attraction and the 2011 Wrexham Eisteddfod.
Model cells made by children at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale
Arwyn Jones demonstrating micro engineering at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale
Arwyn Jones and the operation game at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale
Arwyn presenting at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale
Pharmacy Post-graduate students at the Green Man Festival
The Tissue Engineering team at the 2010 Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale
The Public Engagement Team at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham.
Green Man Festival
Tissue Engineering was also on display in a completely different format when Arwyn Jones and his team joined up with The Green Man Festival and acting group Angel Exit Theatre. Here Cardiff University students (aka the Scar Hunters!) introduced key principles of wound healing by acting out the processes involved, using for example stage make-up to recreate skin lacerations. Following the event, the organiser wrote to say: Thank you so much for being involved with Science at Play this year in Einstein's Garden. I have had some great comments about the scar collectors including some people saying it was their favourite thing of the festival.
It was also highlighted in the New Scientist Culture Lab Blog
Public Engagements 2008/9
In 2009 Arwyn designed and organized the construction of the worlds longest model of DNA at the National Eisteddfod in Bala - for more information see News Item .
In 2008 he was awarded a Wellcome Trust 'People award' for public engagement with science jointly with Dr Robyn Wheldon-Williams of Bangor University to organise a stem cell exhibit at the 2008 National Eisteddfod of Wales in Cardiff August 2 - 9th. He was also invited to present the main science lecture at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod.
