Dr Andrew William Moran is a researcher from the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES) with interests in gastrointestinal physiology, nutrient sensing and absorption. Here Andrew discusses taking part in 'Meet the Scientists' and the benefits of taking part in public engagement.
As a postdoc wanting to develop my skills and work towards that ever-elusive fellowship, I knew I needed to expand and improve my ability to engage with the public; thus, better explain my science in a more accessible way.
I had heard great things about Meet the Scientists and had an idea of which part of my science I wanted to explain, but I was unsure how to pitch it, what level of knowledge and language I needed to use, and how to put my ideas into action. After speaking with a colleague, I was advised to volunteer at the upcoming Meet the Scientists as a general helper to help me get a feel for how the event is run. I saw an advertisement for the event in the RSA's weekly e-bulletin and registered my interest in taking part as a general volunteer. These are people who do not carry out their own experiments but help other scientists with theirs on the day.
I attended an online training session led by Melissa Whitehouse and other members of the HLS Public Engagement team, who run the Meet the Scientists events. Melissa is an engaging lady who is passionate about public engagement and helping University staff and students to spread their knowledge and love of their science to the next generation. I arrived bright and early at the World Museum on Saturday,18 October, and was assigned my first experiment. In the morning, I helped English PhD students run two activities in the Central Library: one on designing your own robot and one on designing your own dinosaur. With pencils at the ready, I guided children to think about, design and decorate their creations. I was soon lost in the activity, and before I knew it, it was lunch, and we were packing up. During my lunch, provided by the World Museum, and a caffeine top-up, I visited some of the experiments available that day to observe how they were run and how the children interacted with the activities and the scientists running them.
After lunch, I was assigned my task for the afternoon. I helped to man the feedback desk, asking children and parents about the day, whether they enjoyed it, and collecting completed experiment cards – children get a sticker from each station they visit and receive a free badge and stickers when they hand in their completed form. I also handed out stickers to the children and helped them place them on a chart to indicate their favourite activity. When the day came to a close, I helped to take down stations and pack up equipment. I was very pleasantly surprised by how tired, yet equally exhilarated, I was. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with the children and parents and had a much clearer idea of how I wanted to set up and conduct my own experiment.
More importantly, I was not put off and wanted to continue!
Planning my experiment was a relatively straightforward exercise. I had several email conversations with Melissa to discuss and refine my idea, arrange logistics, and order supplies. The University provides you with a £75 budget and will arrange any printing you may need. At the same time, I chatted to family and friends, especially those with children, to make sure that my plans were child-friendly and fun! Two of my good friends have a science-obsessed teenage son who had asked to be my helper on the day. Melissa sent me an activity form and a risk assessment to fill out. Finally, Saturday 7 March 2026, arrived, and I set off again to the World Museum.
We were issued a table on the 5th floor to set up my experiment. Do me a Flavour? - A taste test. I had solutions of table salt (NaCl), malt vinegar, table sugar (sucrose), tonic water and GF soy sauce. These made up the five senses that the human tongue can taste: salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami (savoury). Children were given shot glasses of each to taste, and then they had to place the glasses on pictures of the five tastes. I had posters displayed explaining how the tongue tastes and was able to explain in more detail to those children (or parents) who wanted to know more. Melissa assigned my team a volunteer during the morning and another during the afternoon, both of whom were PhD students at the University. After a slow start, we were soon overrun with families, and the time flew as we pipetted drop after drop of solutions into shot glasses and explained the science of taste to the children of Liverpool. In total, over 1,000 parents and children visited the Meet the Scientists activities, and I received some lovely feedback. I enjoyed the day, and it gave me a good sense of achievement, not only in helping others understand a little more about the world but also in the science I am pursuing.
However much public engagement can be viewed as a tick-box exercise, something we need to do in order to add that extra sentence to the narrative CV, we (the scientists) need to embrace the opportunities PE can bring. It is certainly true that participating in events like Meet the Scientists will give you that PE tick on your CV; the benefits go much further. Explaining your science concisely and tailoring it to your audience are important skills that all researchers need to hone. We all need to sell our science, whether that be to potential collaborators, students, reviewers, colleagues, or funders, and we need to embrace any and every opportunity that arises to practice and fine-tune these skills. Participating in Meet the Sciences, whether as a general volunteer or demonstrating my own research, was a joy, and I can honestly say that I found both events equally rewarding. Seeing the children engaged and focused as they listened to explanations of taste receptors, and watching their and their parents' faces when they tasted and worked out which taste was which, was immensely rewarding. I am very fortunate to work in the area I do and in a job and profession I love. And having the chance to pass on that passion and knowledge to the next generation was fantastic.
Further reading
Details about Meet the Scientists are available here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/health-and-life-sciences/engage-with-us/public-engagement/meet-the-scientists/
As a research staff member, you can volunteer for public engagement activities as part of your required minimum 10 days (70 hours) pro-rata per year of professional development. Find out more about the development activities available to you here.