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EEES Engagement

The Open University has a rich tradition of engaged research.  Under this banner lie a number of projects, including the Floodplain Meadows Partnership and Treezilla, both of which feature significant contributions from EEES staff.

Evaluating the relative success of these initiatives is critical for monitoring the health of the projects and for informing future directions.

Six people's hands placed on a table forming a circle.

Several of these initiatives involve citizens in scientific research, facilitated by ambient and ubiquitous digital technologies.

Our specialisms are:

  • Investigating aspects of floodplain meadow biodiversity;
  • Developing scientific initiatives for our distance learners and citizens;
  • Forging partnerships with local schools.

Our researchers actively seek ways to connect students with our research, enabling them to gather primary data and participate in the research effort.

We also engage with schoolteachers and young people. We argue that young people have relevant and meaningful opportunities to participate with EEES research, both as the pool of talent from which the next generation of expertise will develop, but also as prospective citizens with a stake in how academic agendas are framed and prioritised.

Current projects include:

Recent projects include:

If you have any questions or want to find out more please contact Richard Holliman.

Primary school children using microscopes

Primary school visits: Members of the School often visit local primary schools to run sessions both as individuals or in teams. These are typically with Year 3 and 4 pupils to cover the “Rocks and Soils” part of the Science National Curriculum, but also introducing Year 5 or 6 pupils to the geology of mountains.

Our topics have previously included Volcanoes, Fossils, Microscopes, Everyday Rocks and Minerals, and “What’s it like being a field/lab geologist?”.

We have lots of exciting kit to help bring these to life including a replica T-Rex skull, real fossils, samples of different rock types, microscopes, geological tools and various culinary analogues for lava!

If you have any questions or want to find out more please contact Tom Argles.

News

Supporting students with dyslexia: an academic’s perspective

10% of the population are dyslexic. My name is Dr Anne Jay, and I am dyslexic. Dyslexia brings challenges that have a considerable impact on OU student success. A key struggle for people with dyslexia is written communication.

20th March 2023

Celebrating Graduation in Manchester

On 22 November Professors Clare Warren, Mark Brandon and Richard Holliman, and Dr Barbara Kunz travelled to Manchester for an OU Graduation Ceremony.

29th November 2022

EEES researcher to lead £800k project to improve global climate change predictions

An EEES researcher is leading a new Natural Environmental Research Council-funded project to improve our ability to predict climate change using cutting-edge analysis of fossilised algae molecules. 

15th November 2022
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