• Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2020 17:30-19:00
  • Location: 8 Mill Lane, Lecture Room 5
  • Speaker: Sky Yarlett

What does the UK Parliament do? How can scientists engage with Parliamentary themes?

A lot of scientific research has policy impact. The UK Parliament is the main policy-making body in this country. Come to our event to learn more about how scientific insight is implemented in Parliament. The main topics of the workshop will include current themes discussed by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST). The workshop is open to both UK and international students with an interest in scientific research with a policy impact.

The workshop will be led by the invited parliamentary officer:

Sky Yarlett – Senior Education and Engagement Officer, UK Parliament

Sky’s role includes raising awareness of Parliament’s activities and promoting higher engagement from different groups, particularly hard-to-reach ones, such as BAME, women, unemployed or low-income groups. Sky has a degree in Contemporary Media Practice from the University of Westminster and her professional experience includes running different student or LGBTQ+ campaigns and promoting student representation at different levels.

  • Date: Wednesday, 5 February 2020 18:00-19:30
  • Location: Cripps Court, Magdalene College
  • Speaker: Baroness Morgan of Huyton

Have you ever wondered how politicians interact with a scientist for policymaking? How can a scientist approach politicians? Our speaker, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, newly appointed master Fitzwilliam College, will be sharing with us her experience as a member of the Select Committee on Science and Technology and her vast involvement in parliament as Director of Government Relations and one of the main advisors during the Blair cabinet. She has been essential in voicing science in British politics.

Please join us on February 5th, 2020 at 6 pm in Cripps Court Auditorium (Magdelene College) followed by a drinks reception. Don’t miss the chance to learn about the political side of evidence-based policy-making!

  • Date: Thursday, 4 February 2020 17:00-19:00
  • Location: Zoom
  • Speaker: Professor Noam Obermeister

Always wondered what it would be like to sit on a scientific advisory committee?

CUSPE will be hosting a science advisory committee simulation in which participants will act as members of a fictional science advisory committee — chaired by Noam Obermeister

The world is facing increasingly complex and uncertain problems. What can science offer to policymakers and how can the advice be improved?

Drinks and networking from 6-7pm. Panel from 7-8pm.

Tickets available at Eventbrite or through Facebook.

A panel from SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) will discuss their recent report ‘Making sense of science for policy under conditions of complexity and uncertainty’ addressing the question of how to provide good science advice to policymakers. The panel includes:

  • Professor Susan Owens, Professor of Environment and Policy, University of Cambridge, and member of the Making Sense of Science Working Group
  • Professor Ole Petersen, Vice-President of Academia Europaea (lead academy for Making Sense of Science)
  • Professor Andy Stirling, Professor of Science & Technology Policy, University of Sussex, and member of the Making Sense of Science Working Group

Background

At a time of extreme global challenges, science advice is consistently regarded as a vital element in the overall set of evidence considered by policymakers. Science (defined broadly to include the social sciences and humanities) can support effective policymaking by offering the best available knowledge to understand a specific problem, generate and evaluate policy options, and provide meaning to the discussion around critical topics within society. Policymakers are invariably endeavouring to make sense of scientific evidence that is complex, multifaceted and often at the very limits of what is known scientifically.

It is against this backdrop that the European Group of Chief Scientific Advisers has addressed the question of how to provide good science advice to policymakers. The Group asked the consortium of academies, SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), to undertake a comprehensive and far-reaching evidence review. Members of SAPEA will present and discuss the key findings of their evidence review report, Making sense of science for policy under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. The SAPEA published report covers three main areas: what science can offer to policymaking; using scientific evidence; and the potential for improving the use of scientific advice for policymaking. The panel will present and discuss the main insights of the report.

Do you have an interest in evidence-based policy? Do you want to help build links between academics and policy-makers? Do you want to build your networks and support the development of your peers? Consider joining the CUSPE Committee.

To apply

Please email president@cuspe.org by 5th August 2019 with:

  • The title of the role you wish to apply for, and
  • A brief background of yourself and your motivation for applying.

More information about each role can be found here.

Open core committee positions

  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Finance and Fundraising lead
  • Marketing and Communications lead
  • Forum (conference) lead
  • Head of Lectures

Open team member positions

We are also looking for team members, to support our activities by leading on events and streams within our core business activities.

  • Workshops officers
  • Publications officers
  • Finance and Fundraising officers
  • Marketing and Communication officers
  • Forum (conference) officers