Members of both the Research Programmes and Research Operations Teams at the MRC Epidemiology Unit take part in a wide range of public engagement activities throughout the year, where they showcase and discuss their work with different audiences. We work closely with the UKRI Public Engagement team and University of Cambridge Public Engagement.

Team activities

These include regular participation in festivals such as the Cambridge Festival and Open Cambridge, Cambridge University Fun Lab at the Cambridge Big Weekend, and Big Biology Week where events range from hands on activities for families, to talks and panel discussions, to careers events for secondary school pupils.

In addition to festivals we have worked with our colleagues in the IMS-Metabolic Research Laboratories to deliver a range of activities in local schools and at community events organised by the Cambridge City Council Children and Young People’s Participation Service and the North Cambridge Community Partnership.

We also hold public meetings for volunteers in our research studies. The Fenland Study public meetings held in Cambridge, Ely and Wisbech in 2016, included a talk by Study chief Investigator Professor Nick Wareham, followed by a Q&A session with a panel of Fenland Study researchers.

MRC Epidemiology Unit Seminars

The MRC Epidemiology Unit organises a seminar series where you can hear from leading researchers in diet, physical activity, public health and epidemiology, as well as others beyond academia working in these areas. Since Spring 2020 these have taken place online, and are open to all with registration.

Our events page lists all future seminars, as well as other Unit events, and you can also watch recordings of many of our past seminars.

Welcome to the Snackingtons

Unit scientist Dr Tarra Penney and artist Aurora Cacciapuoti developed The Snackingtons puzzle as a fun way to explore how our neighbourhoods can influence what we choose to eat and drink. We’ve since taken it to public spaces in the Cambridge area so people can learn more about our research and why it’s important.

Other Public Engagement activities

In addition to larger events that each involve several members of the Unit, individual Unit researchers take part in a wide variety of activities, including visits to local schools to discuss their work, and public talks and debates.

You can find some of these, as well as blog articles, interviews and commentary by Unit researchers on our Researcher voices page.

Unit members have taken part in a wide range of Public Engagement events and activities, including:

• Green Man Festival
• Cambridge Science Centre events
• FameLab – Explaining research in just 3 minutes
• Naked Scientists radio show
• Pint of Science– Bringing brilliant scientists to your local pub
• STEM Ambassadors – Inspiring young people to enjoy STEM subjects
• SciBar – British Science Association – Cambridgeshire Branch

See you at an event soon!