NIHR School for Social Care Researchers took their research to the citizens of Sheffield for two highly anticipated, sold-out events as part of the Pint of Science public engagement festival on 18th May. Pint of Science is an annual worldwide science festival, bringing university researchers in 500 towns and cities around the world, into local pubs and bars to talk about their research in an informal setting, and our researchers did not disappoint.
Pint of Science makes space for a wide range of research subjects, from physics to geology, from biology to the arts, so we were delighted to put the spotlight on important topics in adult social care, to showcase the work of the SSCR and spark important conversations with the public.
More importantly, our researchers got to demonstrate their impressive public engagement and science communication skills and by all accounts had a fantastic experience!
A Night of Refreshments and Research
On 18th May, over at Sheffield venue 99 Mary St, an eager crowd gathered for a night of talks themed around "Identity, Care and Belonging: Everyday Social Life". As part of this, Tom Ryan who leads an SSCR project No one wants to talk about it: Exploring transitions in family care for people with learning disabilities, gave a talk titled “Who is allowed to be funny? Learning disability, siblinghood and humour”. In this, Tom challenged traditional negatively-framed narratives that relationships between disabled and non-disabled siblings are ‘lacking’ in some way. Drawing on interviews of siblings of people with learning disabilities, he used stories of humour to present radical, affirmative understandings of disability and siblinghood.
Of his experience, Tom says:
“I had a great time presenting my work at Pint of Science. The audience were really engaged and I managed to convince a few of my friends to come along, so it was nice for them to get an insight into my research. The work I presented on is all about questioning commonplace assumptions about learning disability and family life, and so presenting this to a new audience was welcome and important for making sure my findings are accessible and engaging beyond academic spaces. The organisers were really helpful and the other speakers, Dan and Amy, gave brilliant talks.
Meanwhile, just down the road at the Sheffield Tap, the atmosphere was equally buzzing for "Brains and Minds Under Pressure” where Craig Andrews who is working on his SSCR funded PhD gave a talk on his project about Carers of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Survivors. Craig discussed what an acquired brain injury (ABI) is, how it impacts survivors, and also those who provide care to them. He explored how we identify ABI carer needs and evaluate how NHS and social services in the UK are currently accommodating to them.
Of his experience, Craig says:
“Pint of Science was a great opportunity for me to engage with the general public, for the first time, showcasing current progress with my PhD project on the support needs of unpaid carers of acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors. It was fantastic to have an engaged audience, receive positive feedback about my work, and also speak directly to families in attendance who have had their lives changed due as a result of an ABI. Event organisers were excellent at managing the evening and it was a pleasure to additionally hear talks on other amazing projects from researchers in Sheffield”.
Both events proved that Sheffield has a massive appetite for science and for our work to improve adult social care. Our researchers certainly left the crowded rooms with plenty of food—and drink—for thought.