Diamond Annual Review 2021/22

122 123 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 2 1 / 2 2 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 2 1 / 2 2 Engagingwith Diamond Light Source Communications and Engagement Team O ver the past year the COVID pandemic has continued to impact on Diamond Light Source’s engagement activities and has required us to maintain our focus on developing and delivering remote activities. This has led to new partnerships and audiences, which we are continuing and using to improve our existing programmes as we take the first steps back to in-person events. Using the methodologies developed to integrate virtual activities into visitor numbers, Diamond has had approximately 7,323 significant interactions 1 with ‘virtual’ visitors. These include 2,949 for scientific and technical events, 267 undergraduate and postgraduate interactions, 3,828 school students and members of the public, and 279 VIPs and stakeholders. The majority of these (6,987) have been virtual, but we have started to welcome some visitors back on site (336) and also engage at offsite events (336). 1 Significant Interaction is defined as a talk/tour/meeting of 30+ minutes, typically longer. The Diamond Tour is always the highlight of the weekwhenwe have residential training. An amazing opportunity and experience, the tour guidewas very informative. A coordinator and student froma PhD student visit. This year we have worked hard to adapt to the changing needs of audiences as the pandemic has evolved. With students no longer home schooling we now offer bespoke schools visits to fit around timetables and have developed partnerships to reach out to new audiences. These include existing relationships such as those with STFC, at RAL and Daresbury, but also new ones; we have been working with Salters’ Institute, Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Oxford to develop new videos, workshops and ‘zines’ to engage with school students. Working within careful guidelines we have delivered limited on-site activities and in July were delighted to welcome 36 schools work experience students to Diamond, undertaking 18 different projects ranging from Beamline Controls to Crystallisation. We have also started to welcome a small number of group visits such as PhD students back to site and look forward to hosting many more events soon. Throughout 2021 Diamond undertook an assessment process run by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and in October we were delighted to be presented with the Bronze Engage Watermark award. This recognises the commitment of Diamond to Public Engagement and gives us a development plan, which we have already started to implement, with activities such as engagement awards for staff and developments in strategy. To achieve a Bronze Award is a significant landmark, signalling your commitment to public engagement. There is an exemplary public engagement team, who had really led effective engagement. Feedback from the NCCPE on the award of a Bronze Watermark Award. Diamond has continued its commitment towidening participation, working with groups such as the Amos Bursary and participating in the IF Oxford Science Festival, delivering live outreach activities in areas of lower science engagement. We have also seen the fruition of our Diamond Board Game project and in the autumn hundreds of the games, designed to inspire and inform students about careers in science research, were distributed to schools across the country. We are now in receipt of the class set of games. They lookwonderful! My homework for theweekend is to try one out, ready to begin using them in school. Teacher using the Diamond Board games in school Higher Education Engagement Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes play vital roles in Diamond’s wider mission to be a world-leading centre for synchrotron science and to keep the UK at the forefront of scientific research. Our student- dedicated programmes aim to welcome and harness the talent, curiosity and development of students both at undergraduate and postgraduate level​ and provide them with exciting opportunities to encourage and nurture a career in STEM, ultimately contributing to the wider skills agenda in the UK. Despite a delayed and virtual start to their placements, our 2020 Year in Industry cohort successfully delivered their final project presentation in August 2021 via Zoom and gave staff the opportunity to gain insight into their research, any challenges and results. We were also able to organise an in-person yet socially distanced poster session for the students in the Diamond House atriumwhich was attended by staff on-site over lunchtime. We were pleased to welcome 12 new Year in Industry students as part of the 2021 cohort intake in September and more importantly, were able to induct them in-person, on-site at Diamond with social distancing and safety measures in place. Our 2021 cohort have since been working on-site progressing their projects, as well as completing various training including Scientific Communications, Peer Reviewing and Presentation Skills. In June 2021, we welcomed our 15 Summer Placement students, three of whom had been transferred from the 2020 cohort due to COVID and cancellation of last year’s programme. As restrictions were still prominent over summer at Diamond, our cohort worked in a hybrid fashion, progressing their projects both on-site and from home, covering life and physical sciences, engineering and software computing. After a summer of work experience, training and networking, the students presented their results to staff via end of project presentations streamed online. My experience at Diamond has trainedme both professionally and personally, trainingwhich I don’t think I would have received elsewhere. I’ll fondly remember the experience for many years to come. Harry Rostron, 2021 Summer Placement Student David Price and Amy Griffin with the Bronze Engage Watermark Award. Amy Griffin presenting a thermal camera to children at the IF Oxford Science festival.