What we do
Find out about our public engagement activities
Scientists in Sport - July 2011
More than 90 children from schools across the region were invited to LJMU to see how science was to be used during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'Scientists in Sport' was a nationwide schools' outreach programme run by London 2012 partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and devised with King's College London, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory. The event at LJMU was held in the Tom Reilly Building and hosted by the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, which provided pupils with a unique university experience, inspiring them to study science and pursue a science-related career. This ranged from anti-doping drug tests to a hands-on physiology experience where students were able to compare themselves to Olympic athletes.
Each 'Scientists in Sport' event offered local schoolchildren the opportunity to experience a day at university and through a series of sport science themed lectures and interactive workshops, aimed to inspire 11-14 year old students to study science and pursue a science related career. The programme launch followed GSK's commitment to encourage the very best graduates, including science graduates, into careers at the company by reimbursing 100 per cent of uncapped tuition fees for all undergraduates recruited in the UK from September 2012.
Face to Face with Sports Science 2011-2012
We were recipients of a prestigious Wellcome Trust People Award in 2011-12 through which we designed and held four school workshop days and four public events titled 'Face to Face with Sports Science' in conjunction with the World Museum Liverpool and Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester).
Through this programme we hosted over 260 15-18 year olds with accompanying staff and over 2,000 members of the public visited the events. The project also gained the London 2012 Inspire mark and won a bronze medal at the Podium Awards.
What we do
Since our inaugural project in 2011/2012 we have worked with several schools on Royal Society Partnership Grants and are proud to commit to running projects each academic year. We were the official University Partner for the Girls Schools Association conference (North) Girls Go Gold 2013 and have completed many projects with the BBC and Radio 5 Live and Universities UK as part of our commitment to bring the public, children and young people to Face to Face with Sports Science. We have a designated Public Engagement Lead within the School and a strategy to ensure we translate and disseminate our research through events and activities for the public.
Read the case study about our work: Making sport science more accessible
