Summer
Scientist
Week:

 A
research
and
public
outreach
event
 2010
report
 
 
 The
Summer
Scientist
Week
is
a
unique
annual
event
that
brings
 together
 researchers,
 students,
 and
 the
 local
 community
 to
 extend
 our
 understanding
 of
 child
 development
 and
 inform
 the
 general
 public
 about
 our
 latest
 research
 developments
 in
 this
 field.
 This
 innovative
 event,
 attended
 by
 4‐
 to
 11‐year‐olds
 and
 their
parents
in
2010,
is
organised
by
researchers
in
the
Learning
 Sciences
 Research
 Institute
 (LSRI)
 and
 the
 Human
 Development
 and
 Learning
 Group
 in
 the
 School
 of
 Psychology.
 For
 more
 information
about
the
event
see
the
General
Information
sheet
or
 watch
our
podcast
on
www.summerscientist.org.


Figure
1:
Increase
in
attendance
 from
2007‐2010



 


Attendees
 The
 Summer
 Scientist
 Week
 has
 been
 growing
 rapidly
 since
 it
 started
 four
 years
 ago
 (Figure
 1)
 and
 was
 attended
 by
 278
 children
in
2010.
The
event
is
advertised
in
the
local
area
using
a
 variety
of
means
(Figure
2),
including
adverts
in
local
newspapers,
 posters
 and
 internal
 University
 communication.
 Many
 of
 the
 families
who
attended
this
year
had
either
been
in
a
previous
year
 or
 had
 the
 event
 recommended
 to
 them
 by
 a
 friend.
 The
 event
 attracted
 families
 from
 a
 wide
 range
 of
 social
 backgrounds,
 however
most
were
of
above
average
socio‐economic
status.
The
 majority
of
children
(70%)
were
of
white
ethnic
origin.
 Figure
2:
Ways
in
which
attendees
heard
 
 about
summer
scientist
week



 Event
Feedback
 91
replies
were
received
from
our
parent
feedback
questionnaire,
representing
the
views
of
parents
of
140
 children
who
attended.
Of
these:
 
 • 100%
of
parents
rated
their
experience
of
the
 event
as
very
positive
(73%)
or
positive
(27%)
 
 • 100%
would
recommend
the
event
to
a
friend
 
 • 84%
said
that
the
event
had
improved
their
 understanding
of
psychology
and
learning
 sciences
research
at
the
University
of
 Nottingham
 



 Figure
3:
Feedback
quotes
from
children
and
parents






 
 Staff
and
Student
Participation
 
 
 At
this
year’s
event,
seventeen
studies
were
run
by
researchers
 from
across
the
University
(Table
1).
Seven
undergraduate
 volunteers
entertained
the
children
between
the
research
studies
 (Figure
5).
For
the
first
time
this
year
the
organising
committee
 were
assisted
by
three
undergraduates
on
4‐week
intern
 placements.
One
University
of
Nottingham
student
was
supported
 by
an
internship
from
the
alumni
annual
fund.
Widening
 participation
internships
from
the
School
of
Psychology
funded
 two
students
from
Loughborough
University.

This
extra
support
 allowed
us
to
implement
a
more
professional
booking
system
as
 well
as
collect
and
archive
additional
background
information
 about
the
children
who
attended
to
complement
the
research
 data.
The
internships
also
provided
the
students
with
valuable
 work
experience,
and
an
insight
into
a
research
career.

 


Figure
4:
Undergraduate
volunteer
 entertaining
child
between
studies


Table
1:
Participating
researchers
2010



 School/Institute
 
 
 
 School
of
Psychology



 Learning
Sciences
Research
 Institute
 
 
 MRC
Institute
of
Hearing
 Research
 
 
 Division
of
Psychiatry
 
 
 National
Biomedical
 Research
Unit
in
Hearing
 


Staff
 
 Lucy
Cragg
 Roger
Newport

 Alastair
Smith
 Fenja
Ziegler
 
 
 Camilla
Gilmore
 Sophie
Batchelor


Students
 
 Daniel
Acquah
 Lauren
Marsh
 Amy
Pearson



 Johanna
Barry
 Outi
Tuomainen



 Peter
Jones
 Helen
Nutall



 hearing
speech
in
noise,
everyday
 listening
skills



 Elena
Georgiadi
 Maddie
Groom
 
 






 attention,
cognitive
control



 Rachel
Haines‐ Bazrafshan



 improving
hearing
tests
for
 children



 Andy
Manches


Areas
of
study
 
 social
cognition,
executive
 functions,

action
understanding,
 body
representation,
spatial
 cognition

 
 
 mathematical
cognition,

digital
 technology



 Organising
Committee
2010
 
 School
of
Psychology:
Dr
Lucy
Cragg,
Dr
Alastair
Smith.
 LSRI:
Dr
Camilla
Gilmore,
Sophie
Batchelor,
Heidi
Mather,
Florence
Drouvin,
Eleanor
Palfreman.

 NBRUH:
Rachel
Haines‐Bazrafshan






 Financial
Statement
 
 
 
 
 





Incoming
resources


£


University
of
Nottingham
Annual
Fund


9,960


Learning
Sciences
Research
Institute


2,690


School
of
Psychology


2,100


Human
Development
and
Learning
Research
Group


218


MRC
Institute
of
Hearing
Research


335


Total
incoming
resources:


15,303








Resources
expended





Staff
costs


2,589


Internships


3,105


Promotional
goods


846


Advertising


477


Catering


989


Activity
resources


125


Test
record
forms


561


Printing
and
postage


610


Office
supplies


102


Total
resources
expended
 


9,404
 


Net
incoming
/
outgoing


5,899


Funds
brought
forward
as
at
1
January
2010


2,915


Funds
carried
forward
as
at
31
December
2010


8,814



 
 
 Summer
Scientist
Week
was
also
supported
by
donations
of
children’s
magazines
from
Bayard
Magazines.