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Through our unique engagement with school students and teachers, astronomy research conducted by the Astronomy Unit (AU) at Queen Mary has had demonstrable impact on society by influencing, enhancing and enriching science-related education. Our activities contribute to the STEM agenda, providing support for a key government policy related to long-term economic growth. The Cassini Scientist for a Day competitions and our Media Space summer schools have raised aspirations and increased awareness and knowledge of astronomy, and have improved the scientific thinking and writing skills of over 300 school pupils from UK-wide and local secondary schools. Approximately 100 teachers have engaged with the AU's research through our Astrophysics Summer Schools. Teachers' knowledge and understanding of modern research has been developed, transforming their teaching practice by providing them with the motivation, resources and confidence to tackle complex issues in the classroom and through extracurricular activities. In survey responses, 90% of teachers report that their practice has been transformed as a result of engagement with the AU. Some teachers describe plans to introduce GCSE Astronomy into their curriculum and to establish astronomy clubs in response to attending the summer schools.
The university's Bayfordbury Observatory is a working observatory that engages with the public via six Open Evenings and approximately 50 group visits a year, offering access to a wide range of facilities. Many of the 4,000 visitors annually report that they develop a first or renewed `enthusiasm for astronomy', or become `inspired to learn more' about what they have seen or heard from our researchers; some young people enthuse about `now wanting to be a scientist'. Science teachers taking an RCUK `cutting-edge' CPD astrophysics course also say that they have gained an `increased understanding of the subject', and `increased confidence in its delivery to pupils'.
Our high profile astronomy research discoveries in areas of public interest have allowed us to substantially increase the engagement of the public with science. Media appearances have led to a philanthropic donation of £200k to promote our science, the most successful public event series ever in Northern Ireland (engaging around 2000 people), a strategic partnership with Ireland's award winning science education centre W5 (reaching 26,000 people), and a 49% increase in applications to physics based degrees from NI students to UK HEIs. In 2008 we set three simple targets to substantially increase the public awareness of science and physics. The first was to increase our presence in the mass media (print, radio, TV, internet) to promote scientific research, and we have regularly reached audiences in excess of 295,000. The second was to increase the numbers of people attending science talks and events. The third was to substantially increase the application rate of school students to study physics and mathematics degrees. Through our outreach and engagement programme we have met, and surpassed, all of these targets. The impact of our research and our public outreach programme is a quantifiable societal change. Substantially more NI school students are now studying physics at third level UK HEIs.
Recognising a national shortage of young people adopting careers in physics, particularly in Wales, we used our experience in engaging the public with physics research to have an impact on the work of the young people's organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru at its National Eisteddfod, one of the largest cultural youth festivals in Europe. At the heart of the pavilion, Aberystwyth researchers presented an exhibition of our research on the Sun and the Solar System, supported by the STFC Science in Society scheme. This core activity convinced the organisation to reintroduce a prominent science pavilion (the GwyddonLe), having originally planned not to host a science event. Since 2010, this has grown to be one of the largest and most popular events at the Eisteddfod, attracting external funding and allowing DMAP researchers to have a further impact on society by demonstrating physics to tens of thousands of school children and their parents.
Thin-film optical filter research at the University of Reading is a unique and enabling technology that permits astronomers and meteorologists to gather data leading to increased understanding of atmospheric and astrophysical phenomena. Infrared filters are the key optical components in many satellite telescopes for Earth observation, planetary research probes and infrared astronomy. They form the eyes of the instrument to separate light into wavebands in order to measure temperature, gas composition, water vapour, dust clouds and aerosols. This data is used to generate accurate atmospheric and environmental circulation models for global climate studies, and measure properties of the universe for stellar and planetary formation theories.
Published and grant-awarded research in astrophysics and solar physics at UCLAN has underpinned a very large number of public lectures throughout the world (e.g. Edinburgh Science Festival, Harvard, NASA, IAC Tenerife, Perimeter Institute Canada, University of Cape Town, Astrofest London, etc.) during the impact reporting period 2008-2013, delivered by Professors Gibson, Kurtz, Ward-Thompson, Walsh and the rest of the staff in UoA9. The most prestigious of these have been delivered to large (typically several hundred to a few thousand people) sell-out audiences. Our staff have appeared on TV and radio to audiences of millions. In addition, public outreach events led by astrophysics and solar physics staff members at UCLAN have further increased the societal impact of our research.
Impact: Public outreach, education, science engagement, debate and policy development: Inspiring, informing and educating the general public, school children, educators and policy makers by communicating the results of PHYESTA astronomical research through events, movies visits and training. Influencing worldwide policy makers through the stimulation of new debates.
Significance: Improved awareness and knowledge of astronomical discoveries, and the importance of/progress in science in general. Improved teaching, enhanced motivation of school children to pursue science, supported by heightened enthusiasm/knowledge in the wider public.
Beneficiaries: The public, educators and educational organisations, governmental organisations including recreation and tourism, international organisations including the UN.
Reach: Direct interaction with ~100,000 school children and members of the wider UK public over REF period. Engagement with many more worldwide through events, TV programmes, movies, webinars, and press releases/news stories. Direct training of several 100 school teachers, and extended impact through educational resources. Influence on policy development through the UN.
Attribution: PHYESTA astronomers have both led the highly-cited research and have worked directly with outreach staff, educators, and organisations (e.g. Royal Society and STFC) to publicise and promote the impact and relevance of astronomical discoveries.
University of Glasgow researchers have played a pivotal role in enhancing awareness and understanding of cosmology, relativity and gravitational-wave astronomy on the national and international stage.