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.

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:

• TreeLab: A Novel, Engaged, Urban Forest Research Programme, involving (from EEES) Phil Wheeler, Kadmiel Maseyk, Janice Ansine, Richard Holliman and Alice Dunford, and (external) Kieron Diock, Kate Hand and Kirsty Forshaw.
• Mitti Matters: Co-creating enhanced ecosystem services from green spaces, involving (from EEES) Richard Holliman, David Gowing, Emma Rothero, Olivia Nelson, Yoseph Araya, Sarah Davies and Vicky Bowskill.
• Written in stone: evaluating geodiversity as a natural, social and economic asset. Elaine Hooton is researching this project, co-supervised by Clare Warren and Richard Holliman (from EEES), Stewart Clarke (National Trust) and Jonathan Larwood (Natural England).
• Floodplain Meadows Partnership Ambassadors, involving David Gowing and Emma Rothero (both EEES).

Recent projects include:

• Walking the walk: Co-producing approaches to diversifying participation in Earth and environmental science education and careers, involving (from EEES) Marcus Badger, Kelly Smith, Clare Warren, Yoseph Araya, Janice Ansine and Richard Holliman, and Anjana Khatwa (external);
• Landscape Stories: Engaging with environmental science through storytelling and walking route design, involving (from EEES) Clare Warren, Yoseph Araya, Marcus Badger and Richard Holliman, and Geeta Ludhra and Anjana Khatwa (both external);

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

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.