This in from Wightlink, in their own words. Ed
A summer event on Wightlink’s flagship St Clare, which featured marine engineers and ship scientists carrying out ‘hands-on’ experiments to entertain and educate thousands of Islanders and holidaymakers, has been judged the runner-up of a national contest to link researchers with the wider community.
Dr Dorney: “Fantastic collaboration”
Dr Steve Dorney, University of Southampton Public Engagement Tutor, said,
“This is recognition of a fantastic collaboration which couldn’t have happened without the energy and goodwill of all at Wightlink.”
Although the Marine Engineering Connections project did not win the high profile contest, the ‘science buskers’ were praised by the judges from the Engage contest run by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.
Steve explains,
“We talked to several thousand people over the summer of 2013.
“Children in particular were fascinated by our maritime challenges covering areas such as climate change, energy, coastal heritage, trade and transport and we hope we have motivated at least some of them to take up a career in marine engineering on the south coast.”
St Clare Captain Jim Blanch says,
“It was great to welcome the scientists and engineers on board, our customers young and old were amazed by the experiments and it was one of the highlights of the year for the crew.”
John Burrows, Chief Operating Officer for Wightlink, adds:
“We have a long standing relationship with staff at the University of Southampton and we were delighted to work closely with them with this venture.”
Improving the public understanding of science
The Engage contest attracted more than 230 entries from across the country. They covered a diversity of subjects – from exploring the universe to understanding the atomic world and from supporting innovation in early years learning to the use of drama or comedy to bring research to life.
Image: seattlecamera under CC BY 2.0
