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Engagement and Place Awards 2023

Our Engagement and Place Awards recognise and celebrate great examples of collaboration with different publics. They showcase how the benefits of our research and teaching go beyond the University.

Engagement and Place Awards ceremony

We've honoured projects displaying the diverse ways University colleagues and students work with external partners and communities.

The host of our third year of the Engagement and Place Awards were:

  • Professor Chris Day, Vice Chancellor and President
  • Professor Jane Robinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and Place
 

Outstanding projects and people nominated across eight award categories

The awards recognise many innovative collaborations between the University and its external partners. These bring value to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing in our city, region and across the globe.

This year’s awards include:

We received an overwhelming response to this year’s call for nominations and the calibre of the projects was outstanding. This made the task of shortlisting for our panel of internal and external judges very difficult.

However, we can now announce the winners for each category alongside the shortlisted projects. Congratulations everyone and we look forward to reviewing next year’s entries.

Engaging for Inclusive Economic Growth Award

Winner: Pop-up Primer Programme - Fiona Whitehurst and Jo Singh 

Arrow - Chris Angus

This bespoke innovation support programme simplifies the process for SMEs to engage with Newcastle University. Piloted by the University, Arrow provides access to a wealth of expertise and resource for businesses across the region.

Business Community Engagement: Live Client Projects – Fiona Thompson

Since 2017 Newcastle University Business School has engaged with approximately 80 local organisations. ‘Live client projects’ create student-centered engagement worth an estimated £850k of socio-economic impact.

Pop-up Primer Programme - Fiona Whitehurst and Jo Singh

This pilot project collaboration involved Newcastle University Business School, Creative Heritage Studios CIC, and Create Intrigue. Their goal was to enhance the retail skills of local creative businesses through developed workshops.

Engaging for Health, Well-being and Societal Benefit Award

Winner: Losing a Baby from a Multiple Pregnancy - Anne Whitehead and Judith Rankin

Improving treatment for chronic rejection - Alex Bevin-Nicholls

E-CLAD UK is a Newcastle University-led clinical trial, taking place at five NHS transplant centres across England. The research will discover if a treatment known as ECP can effectively treat chronic rejection after a lung transplant.

Losing a Baby from a Multiple Pregnancy - Anne Whitehead and Judith Rankin

This project created an animated film to capture how families live beside their loss years after losing a baby from a multiple pregnancy. It offers a resource to support and comfort those who have experienced similar.

We Are So Much More - Charlie Wilkinson

This creative writing project explores the experiences of people living with long-term physical and mental health conditions. The hope for this anthology is that the pieces of writing produced will influence health research.

Engaging Globally Award

Winner: Fighting Gender Based Violence and HIV-stigma in Southern Africa – Nanette De Jong

Bitter-Sweet Tides - Dr Niki Black

This project explores the relationships between humans, bees and the forest wetlands. Bitter-Sweet Tides focuses on the effects of climate change in the Sundarbans in India and Bangladesh.

English Language Speaking Support for Ukrainian Students 2022 - Andrew Grenfell

This project helps Ukrainian students in war zones to improve their English language ability. It offers relief from the feeling of isolation brought about by the war and restriction on travel and daily life.

Fighting gender-based violence & HIV-Stigma in Southern Africa - Nanette De Jong

This project devises arts-based interventions in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV-stigma. This work spans across Southern Africa include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia.

Engaging for Cultural Benefit Award

Winner: Volunteer Voices: Engaging Volunteers with Contemporary Art and Heritage - Judith King, Rebecca Farley, Kiki Claxton and Andrew Burton

Listen to This Story - Karen Sands-O'Connor and Daniel Goodricke

Listen to This Story - Karen Sands-O'Connor and Daniel Goodricke This project involves Newcastle University, Seven Stories archives and Newcastle City Library. They wanted to celebrate the history of children’s books by and about Black Britons over the last two hundred years.

The Ghosts of Newcastle Gaol - Shane McCorristine

Designed by John Dobson, Newcastle’s new prison on Carliol Square opened in 1828. 2025 will mark the centenary of its demolition, and this project will bring the history of the Gaol into the public domain.

Volunteer Voices - Judith King, Rebecca Farley, Kiki Claxton & Andrew Burton

Engaging Volunteers with Contemporary Art and Heritage. This project focused on understanding contemporary art commissioning in heritage places. It built volunteers’ confidence in speaking about contemporary artworks to their visitors.

Engaging for Policy and Practice Award

Winner: A Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne - Mark Shucksmith

A Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne - Mark Shucksmith

The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) and Carnegie UK developed a Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne area. They devised a set of goals to enhance the social, economic, environmental and democratic wellbeing of everyone in NTCA.

Judgments for Children - Kathryn Hollingsworth

This project improves children’s access to justice. It engages with judges and judicial training bodies to inspire, encourage and facilitate new ways of delivering legal judgments to children.

SafeBatt: Science of Battery Safety - Wojciech Mrozik

SafeBatt project engages with the automotive, maritime and energy storage sectors. It delivers commercially relevant science and practical safety solutions for lithium-ion batteries.

Inclusive Education, Lifelong Learning and CPD Award

Winner: World Anatomy Day Events – Newcastle University Anatomy Team

Footsteps Festival Journal Club - Chris Penlington

This project established a Journal Club to offer support for anybody with an interest in persistent pain. This includes those who live with persistent pain, alongside clinicians and researchers.

Pedagogic principles - Dr Nicola Patterson, Prof Sharon Mavin & Cissie Tsang

Inclusive pedagogic principles in practice. This pilot CPD project focuses on inclusion and inclusive leadership principles. Its creation will diversify the cohort of learners on the Strategic Leadership MSc and the Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship.

World Anatomy Day Events - Newcastle University Anatomy Team

This series of public engagement and outreach activities will take place annually on or close to the 15th of October. This celebration across the world involves events targeted at both the scientific community and the public.

Early Career Researcher Award

Winner: Slug and Snail Diversity in UK Gardens – Imogen Cavadino

Garden Gastropods: Slug and Snail Diversity in UK Gardens - Imogen Cavadino

This project looks at slug and snail species in gardens. It helps gardeners understand more about species diversity and which gastropods are responsible for damaging plants.

Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) - Elle Young

This innovative outreach project encourages young people to learn about climate change issues. It teaches the skills to become climate activists and global citizens, helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Spy School - Laura Jardine, Emily Stephenson, Simone Webb and Olga Gumenyuk

This project saw a whodunnit science fair for 420 students aged 4-11 at Cragside Primary School. Its mission was to promote widespread, early, and diverse enthusiasm for STEM subjects.

Vice Chancellor and President Award

This year’s Award goes to the Street Scientists, a student team initiative established in 2012. Created for the 2013 British Science Festival, the initiative's success shows ten years on. The team comprises of 30-40 current students, with new students recruited and trained to join the team every year. They deliver our primary school STEM outreach and engage families and the general public at museums, events and festivals. In the last five years, they have worked with 176 schools. This year alone, they’ve engaged with 6,823 schoolchildren.

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