In recognition of Suicide Prevention Month, Ben sat with Sarah Cassidy, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham (and our Best Policy Impact award winner), to discuss her ground-breaking work on suicide prevention within the autistic community.

Want some links? We have plenty:

Sarah Cassidy
Autistica
Autism Centre for Excellence Cambridge
The Institute for Policy and Engagement
Institute Academy Programmes
The Policy Impact and Public Engagement Awards 2024 Winners and Nominees

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2024 marks 200 years since Lord Byron’s death, so in this special episode, Ben visits Newstead Abbey, Byron’s family home, and chats with Sam Hirst, a University of Nottingham research fellow. They are joined by Phillipa Abery from the Institute for Policy and Engagement as well as three volunteers from Newstead Abbey, to talk about Byron, his poetry and Sam’s efforts at bringing Byron’s history to life for the public.

Want links? We have plenty:

The Institute for Policy and Engagement
The Institute Academy Programme
Newstead Abbey
Romancing the Gothic (Web)
Romancing the Gothic (YouTube)

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Ben is joined by Pearl Agyakwa, a specialist in material degradation, and they talk about how that links to the University of Nottingham’s Zero Carbon Cluster programme, outreach work with the community and schools, as well as the social impact of engineering.

Want links? We have plenty:

Pearl Agyakwa
Moritz Liesegang
Electric Planes and Net Zero Aviation w/Sharmila Sumsurooah
DIY Slow Cooker for your Wallet and the Planet w/Mike Clifford
Clean Cooking, Kitchen Culture and Climate Change w/Mike Clifford
SHAping Sustainable Futures Hub
ICARE4Justice

Andrea Sartorius is a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham looking at the impacts of trace metal pollution on ecosystems. Grab yourself a brew and have a listen as Andrea and Ben chat about her research, what those impacts are, and what can be done about it.

It turns out there's more to lead than Ben first thought...

Want links? We have plenty:

The Environmental Impacts of Historical Lead Mining (YouTube)
Laura Hughes' Financial Times: The Unseen Dangers of Lead Contamination in the UK (paywall)
The Institute for Policy and Engagement
The Institute Academy Programme

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The Institute for Policy and Engagement has some brand new award winners! That's right, the annual Policy Impact and Public Engagement Awards 2024 have been announced (you can read about all the winners below) and Ben is sitting down with Paul Crawford, of Best Public Engagement Initiative fame.

They talk all about his project (collaborating with Aardman Animations, no less), arts and health and much more. And during the episode, they talk about what creative hobbies they currently have - maybe you also have a creative hobby that fills your heart each day?

Want some links? We have plenty:

The Policy Impact and Public Engagement Awards 2024 Winners and Nominees
Paul Crawford's Profile
Aardman Animations YouTube Channel
What's Up With Everyone?
Arts for Health

Ben is talking all things Science in the Park with special guest Sam Tang in this episode. Never heard of Science in the Park? (How??) Public engagement at its finest, Science in the Park has been entertaining and sharing knowledge from the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and many local organisations for the past 15 years. Have a listen to hear all about it!

Want some links? We have plenty:

The Institute for Policy and Engagement
Sam Tang
Periodic Videos
Policy Impact and Public Engagement Awards - Best Schools Engagement Initiative
Wollaton Hall
British Geological Survey
Girlguiding Nottinghamshire
RSPB Nottingham Local Group

Public Engagement is a broad topic, so Ben sits down with fellow Institute for Policy and Engagement colleagues, Stephen Meek and Maria Richards, to pick it apart. They look at the NCCPE Watermark, what it is, what it means for the University of Nottingham (and what UoN received...)

Want some links? We have plenty:

The Institute for Policy and Engagement
City as Lab
NCCPE
NCCPE Engage Watermark

Ben is joined by Dr Andrew Bennett, Director of the FRAME Alternatives Laboratory at the University of Nottingham, and Amy Beale, Head of Policy and Programmes at FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments). Together they talk all things research, stopping the use of animal testing, and what the benefits of the long-term relationship between University and Charity mean for policymaking and public engagement. Ethics, hamsters and grow-your-own-organs are just a tiny slice of the fun.

Want some links? We have plenty:

FRAME
Andrew Bennett's profile (UoN)
Andrew Bennett's profile (FRAME)
Amy Beale
REACH