Outreach & Engagement2024-01-15T08:34:00+00:00

About the BSHS Outreach and Engagement Committee (OEC)

The Outreach and Engagement Committee (OEC) coordinates and directs the Society’s efforts to promote the understanding of the history of science, technology and medicine in a wide range of contexts, both formal and informal.

We do this through a variety of public events, supporting researchers to work with museums, festivals and schools, and through the provision of grants and awards. The committee also works to foster relationships between universities, museums and other institutions concerned with public engagement. To contact the committee, find out more about current projects, or discuss new suggestions, email outreach@bshs.org.uk or follow BSHS Outreach and Engagement on twitter.

Scroll down to meet our current committee members and read more about our latest initiatives.

Our Activities

BSHS Ayrton Prize
BSHS Hughes Prize
BSHS Engagement Fellowships
BSHS Exhibiting Excellence Prize
OEC Project Grants
Resources

Meet the Committee

Ross MacFarlane
Ross MacFarlaneWellcome Collection, London
Ross MacFarlane is a Research Development Specialist at Wellcome Collection, London. A professional archivist by background, he has worked for a number of institutions such as the Royal Society and King’s College London before joining Wellcome in 2006. Over his career he has collaborated on projects on the history of science and medicine with a range of researchers, including academics, artists, young people’s groups and broadcasters. At the core of his work is a close understanding of archives and other historical sources and a desire to promote collections to the widest possible array of researchers. His publications include articles and reviews for journals such as The Lancet, Notes and Records of the Royal Society, Folklore and Fortean Times.
Dr Allan Jones
Dr Allan JonesHonorary Associate of The Open University
Allan Jones is a retired former Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing and Communications at the Open University. His teaching work centred mainly on communications technology, although he has also written distance-teaching material on music and on electronics. His research has focused mainly the history and sociology of science and technology. He has also published several musicological articles, and is a timpanist in the Open University Orchestra.
Lenka Schmalisch
Lenka SchmalischDurham University
Lenka Sediva is a third-year Leverhulme Doctoral scholar in the History of Science and Medicine at Durham University. Her project specialises on the material and visual culture of Domestic Medicine, Women and Nationalism in Early Nineteenth-Century Bohemia. She undertook a three-month doctoral placement at Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds where she worked alongside the Curatorial, Collections and Learning teams and where she remains engaged as a volunteer. Lenka is also working as a teaching assistant for the Science, Medicine & Society module at Durham University.
Lauren Deere
Lauren DeereUniversity of Birmingham
Lauren Deere works within the Public Engagement team at the University of Birmingham supporting the development of impactful engagement activities. She is a dedicated STEM engagement specialist with 14 years of experience working in museums and heritage organisations in the Midlands. She is passionate about diversifying engagement experiences, ensuring audiences are at the heart of the development process. Lauren previously worked for Birmingham Museums Trust where she was Museum Manger at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. Lauren has experience of working in partnership with a range of organisations in the cultural sector and was a member of the board of trustees for the Association of Science and Discovery Centres.
Jean-Baptiste Gouyon
Jean-Baptiste GouyonUniversity College London
Jean-Baptiste Gouyon is an Associate Professor in science communication at the Department of Science and Technology Studies (UCL), and an Honorary research associate of the Science Museum, London. His research focuses on the history of the presentation of science in visual media. His published work discusses the history of displays at the Science Museum, the history of British science television, and the history of wildlife television in Britain. This includes the monograph BBC Wildlife Documentaries in the Age of Attenborough (Plagrave, 2019). Gouyon also edits the rubric “Historical moment in Public Understanding of Science”, in the Journal Public Understanding of Science.
Rosanna Evans
Rosanna EvansFitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge & University of Leeds
Rosanna Evans (she/her) is Learning Associate: Schools and Teachers at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and is also working on a part-time PhD project at the University of Leeds and the Science Museum investigating the role of practical work on learning science in secondary school, 1944 – 1988. Rosanna previously worked as both the Learning Coordinator and Collections Assistant at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science; she also has experience as a volunteer in the local community as a Brownie leader, school governor, and alongside councillors.
Heather Bennett
Heather BennettScience Museum London
Heather Bennett is a museum professional with a background in science and science communication. She is currently curator at the Science Museum, having previously worked at Royal Museums Greenwich, as well as in in research, public events, and outreach and engagement. Additionally, Heather has over 5 years’ experience in the charity sector working with fundraising and disbursements for charitable projects.

Recent Outreach and Engagement News & Blogs

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