Insights into the Catalyst project and how it might be applied to encourage access to STEM in Higher Education.

1. Catalyst & Accessing HE STEM
Jon Whittle & Erinma Ochu
@catalystproj #catalystas

2. Today’s 45 min. workshop
• Insight into Catalyst Approach
• Explore relevance to Access HE Stem

3. About Catalyst
• 3 year EPSRC-funded interdisciplinary
research project
• Understanding behaviour
– Why do people participate in civic actions?
• Tools for change
– Next generation social tools for social change
• Citizen-led
• Reflect on interdisciplinarity

4. Lancaster University - disciplines
• Computing
• Sociology
• Management
• Environment
• Design

5. Citizen-Led

6. Approach
1. Research Sprints
2. Launch pads
3. Serendipity Cafes
4. Research Relays

7. Launch pads
Local Trade, Local Wealth: Success in Activist Tweets

8. Research Sprint: #Patchworks
Project lead: Rod Dillon
Is it possible to co-design, with homeless communities, a
simple and cheap health monitoring and communication tool
using the methods and materials of ‘personal
manufacturing’ (DIY-Bio/garage science)?

9. Patchworks Video

10. Benefits & Barriers
Benefits
• Up-skilling citizens
• New knowledge civic action
• New tools to support change
Barriers
• Logistics of partnerships
• Time/ Financial Cost
• Capacity

11. Relevance to Access HE STEM
Write down on a post it…
• Why this might be relevant
• How it could be applied
• Potential barriers
• Potential solutions

12. Catalyst Contacts
• @catalystproj
– #catalystas
• Catalyst Project
• catalystproject.org.uk
• catalyst@lancaster.ac.uk