This one-day workshop will explore evidence for effectively communicating research in mathematical and data science to non-experts such as policy makers, mainstream media and the wider public.

Background 

Climate change, artificial intelligence, disease modelling and public health – these are just a few of the huge societal issues that mathematical and data sciences are key to understanding and addressing. It is vital that those outside the research community – including policy makers, mainstream media, and the wider public – are informed about advances in these areas and are part of the discussions about such research. And researchers need professional help to communicate their research and engage with concerns from these wider audiences. 

The highly successful Communicating Mathematics for the Public event developed and organised by the Newton Gateway to Mathematics in January 2023 took a crucial first step in this direction, bringing together communicators from across many sectors, including researchers, media and communications professionals, and those working in policy in government and non-government organisations. The Mathsci-comm network, funded by a Network Grant from the Isaac Newton Institute, was set up as a direct result of that 2023 meeting, to continue to connect those working in, and with a stake in, communicating complex mathematics and data science to a variety of non-expert audiences.  

This is the first in-person workshop of the Mathsci-comm network, following a series of virtual meetings and collaborations over 2024. 

Aims and Objectives 

Through discussions since the launch of the Mathsci-comm network, members have identified that there is little evidence of what makes communication effective and a lack of practical advice for communicators on how to evaluate the impact of their work.  This is despite significant expertise and experience in communicating mathematical and data sciences across many different sectors.  This workshop aims to explore what research has been done in this area both by professional communicators and through relevant research in other disciplines.  

We aim to explore the following three themes: 

1. What evidence is there about what kind of communication works? 

2. What can we learn from other disciplines? 

3. How can we embed communication and evaluation of its impact into research? 

A provisional Programme can be found here. The organisers would be glad to receive suggestions for contributions (via gateway@newton.ac.uk) on empirically evaluated or professionally specialised practice in current use. The aim is to share understanding across as broad a range of applications as possible. This is also an important opportunity for  networking within the community, with time allowed for this in the programme, including an evening drinks reception. 

Registration and Venue 

Registration is now open. The registration fee is £30 for delegates and covers lunch and refreshments, including a networking reception. The link to the conference shop will be sent to you after you register for the event.

The workshop will take place at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Please visit the Isaac Newton Institute website for further information about the venue. 

Publicity & Acknowledgment: Please acknowledge the INI and the EPSRC grant (Ref: EP/V521929/1 appropriately on all publicity material for the network