Museum exhibition to demonstrate University research

A new exhibition run by the School of Museum Studies has given 12 early career researchers from the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences the opportunity to take part in a creative design process to develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to present their research through a range of media and museum display formats.

'Research in Translation: Public Engagement through exhibition displays', which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is led by Dr Ceri Jones (pictured) from the School of Museum Studies and Dr Serena Iervolino, UCL Qatar, and will run from Monday 22 June 2015 to Friday 5 February 2016.

Dr Jones said: "Can museum practice foster public engagement and greater collaboration amongst researchers? Typically, research takes place within narrow, even artificial subject boundaries. Researchers use technical language and communicate their findings to other ‘experts’ in ways that are often inaccessible to the general public.

"However, universities are being asked more and more to demonstrate their social impact. Researchers are encouraged to work collaboratively across subjects, engage the public with their research and show how they reach their conclusions, thus “de-mystifying” the research process.

"Research in Translation seeks to be part of this process of change. Can museum practices provide opportunities for researchers to work collaboratively across subjects to show the relevance of their research to society? Can research be ‘translated’ and presented effectively to non-experts through exhibition displays?"

This exhibition presents the research of 12 Early Career Researchers working across the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences in the UK, who collaborated with museologists, museum practitioners and design professionals to explore, take risks and think creatively about how to present their work to the public.

The displays hope to give people a glimpse into the exciting research taking place in universities today, showing its potential to open up our understanding of the past, present and future, and change perceptions about society.

On Thursday 18 June there will be an opportunity to join the team for drinks and a tour of the exhibition as they wrap up the project and think about its future. The event will also feature a presentation from the project leaders, who will talk to some of the participants and mentors from the project, to find out about their experiences of working on an exhibition, the impact it might have on their future research, and how they can take forward the project in the future.

The event takes place at the Learning Studio, School of Museum Studies, between 4-5pm on Thursday 18 June.