UCL celebrates the best of public engagement

The Provost's Public Engagement Awards celebrated staff and students' contributions to the local community and further afield, to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of UCL's Public Engagement Unit. The annual awards ceremony recognises the hard work of UCL staff, students, and their community partners in making the university's research and teaching accessible to the wider world, which is a principle theme of UCL's 2034 strategy. In 2018, the Provost awarded seven prizes and commended more than 50 teams and individuals for their efforts and achievements: from students to established academics, professional staff and community partners. The award-winning projects illustrate UCL's distinctive approach to public engagement, characterised by a focus on collaborative models of engagement, the involvement of diverse and often underrepresented public groups, and a spirit of experimentation to encourage wider learning. Among the award winners was Extreme Citizen Science (UCL Geography). This research group received an award for empowering citizens to explore and experiment with the world around them through more than 500 innovative workshops and events organised in nine European countries. The Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) was recognised for 'Know Your Normal', a research project focused on understanding the experiences of mental health in young autistic people.