A free public lecture at the University of Bath will explore how The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is using digital media to engage new, global audiences in its science and conservation work (Tuesday 7 December at 6.15pm).
Two million people visit the World Heritage Site every year and more followed the BBC TV series taking viewers behind the scenes.
Professor Angela McFarlane, head of the public engagement and learning team at the Royal Botanic Gardens, will discuss the challenges of using digital technologies in communication and informal science education.
Kew is first and foremost a scientific institution which has made important contributions to increasing the understanding of the plant kingdom with many benefits for mankind. Its collections of living and preserved plants, plant products and botanical information form an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the plant kingdom.
The gardens celebrated their 250th anniversary last year and were recently voted the world’s favourite garden.
Professor McFarlane, in her role as Director of Public Engagement & Learning at Kew Gardens, leads a cross-organisation team to deliver a successful public porgramme, based in the gardens, online and in print.
She said: “In this talk I will explore the challenges of engaging a new, global audience with the vital science and conservation work at Kew, and offering opportunities for those who share our passion for plants to contribute their thoughts and creativity with the world, through Kew.”
Professor McFarlane was previously head of the Graduate School of Education at Bristol. Her research investigated the role of digital technologies in science education, including addressing misconceptions through dynamic representation.
She has worked with national evaluation projects in the UK, an international review with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and consultancy at government level in countries as diverse as Norway, Singapore and Chile.
She has designed and directed a number of educational science software development projects which have become commercially successful products.
Professor McFarlane is a graduate from the Bristol School of Biological Sciences, where she also obtained her PhD. She has been a school science teacher, and worked for the UK government agency for educational technology. Her development work has included work in schools in South East Asia, The Middle East, South America and Europe.
Kew in the Digital Age is part of the University’s Research in the World series of lectures. The lecture will be held on Tuesday 7 December at 6.15pm in Lecture Theatre 5 West 2.4 at the Claverton campus.
Free tickets are available from Paula McGrane on 01225 386631 or email p.m.mcgrane@bath.ac.uk