The North East Postgraduate Conference (NEPG) 2018
by Joseph Smith
The NEPG provides a friendly and supportive environment for postgraduate students to present their research, through both poster and oral presentations, and to engage with research going on throughout Newcastle University and the North East. While focusing on the latest medical, health, and bioscience research carried out by top postgraduate students, the NEPG also offers insightful talks by renowned speakers, and participation in interactive workshops.
Moreover, for the first time in the NEPG’s history, the conference will follow a theme, with the initial one being engagement! Scientific engagement is becoming increasingly important for researchers at all levels and being able to disseminate your findings in formats other than peer-reviewed publication is a highly valued skill. This year, the NEPG will offer both keynote speakers and workshops particularly relevant to this area. We hope they will provide a brilliant experience for those taking part!
Firstly, we are very happy to announce our first keynote speaker, Dr Giles Yeo, Principal Research Associate and Scientific Director of the Genomics/Transcriptomics Core at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge. Giles is also a member of the Public Engagement Advisory Group at the University of Cambridge and a presenter for BBC Horizon. In line with our engagement theme, Giles will be giving a talk entitled, “Communication of Research to non-experts in the ‘post-truth’ era”, and we can’t wait! Secondly, this year’s theme will provide delegates with the chance to present, or learn to present, their research outputs in a non-academic way, making it understandable to non-scientists. For example, attendees can experience alternative presentation formats like PechaKucha or 3 minute thesis.
So why is scientific engagement important?
To engage with any audience you must be able to communicate effectively. By learning how to explain your research to the general public, you can strengthen these communication skills. Inherently, if you are able to translate scientific research into dialogue that is engaging and understandable to a lay audience, then you will be able to communicate your findings to your peers, or scientists that work in a different field. Not only this, but through effective communication you can raise the profile of your research, whether it is through presenting at conferences, writing papers, or forming collaborations, all ventures with the potential to open doors to your future scientific career.
But scientific engagement doesn’t stop at public understanding! By engaging with the general public you can enthuse others to get involved, whether that’s taking part in a more interactive dialogue between scientists and the public, or inspiring the next generation of researchers!
For more information about NEPG 2018, please visit: https://ne-pg.co.uk/
Abstract submission open until 5pm, 6th July 2018.
Please submit abstracts at: https://ne-pg.co.uk/abstract-submission/