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Outreach training, outreach triumph

outreach training picOutreach activities have always been an important and valued part of the Fusion Doctoral Training Centre experience. However the students choose to be involved, from “behind the scenes work” to talking in front of live audiences, there are clear benefits for everyone.

On Sunday 24th April, new and more established FCDT students attended an outreach workshop at the Department of Physics at the University of York. Katherine Leech, who spends part of her role on FCDT outreach, designed and hosted the event. The workshop combined training provided by both staff and students on current activities and demonstrations including the ever-popular Sun Dome (first created by CCFE) and discussion sessions about strategy and audience. The day was rounded off nicely by great pub dinner at the local hostelry, The Deramore.

The workshop generated lots of ideas for future activities including areas not previously explored by our students before. Expect to see lots of interesting ideas coming from our students in the coming months!

Training and participation in outreach certainly pay off. At a recent Departmental Awards ceremony run by the Physics department at the University of York, four of our FCDT students won awards for their outreach activities. Ellie Tubman, Hannah Willet, David Shaw, and Matt Thomas were all recognised for “significant contribution to outreach” for activities run by the department, wider FCDT events, industrial outreach, and events organised by themselves. The FCDT are very proud of their achievements!