UK Study Visit 29 June – 2 July 2015

A Study Visit to UK “Building effective energy communication capacity amongst the academic community in Ukraine, project “Academia” took place on 29 June – 2 July 2015.

Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas was presented by the Head of International Relations Department, Associate Professor Artur Voronych.

Objectives of the study visit:

Science communication from a UK government perspective
Science communication: recent research in the UK on the current situation for communicating with the media, the science community and the public. Universities were the main focus but there was also a lot of work done in the private sector and with the Research Councils.
Geoscience with a focus on shale gаs
Public engagement with energy issues and the social impacts

During the visit there were held the following meetings:

The meeting at the UK Government Department of Business, Innovation and Skills with the Director of Communication Mr Russell Grossman and his science specialist team.
The meeting at the Natural History Museum - a leading international scientific research centre to develop and pass on valuable skills in science, curation and public engagement. 300 scientists with 70 working abroad at any one time. Many leading masters and PhD programmes. Reimar Seltmann&Alla Dolgopolova introduced on Museum Ore research & Ukraine cooperation. The participants visited Imaging and Analysis Centre. The Natural History Museum’s versatile Imaging and Analysis Centre contains an extensive range of sophisticated instruments that can be used for a wide variety of research purposes. It is staffed by specialists experienced in the preparation and analysis of: geological samples including mineral specimens; biological samples; synthetic materials. Professor Michael Bradshaw, Professor of Global Energy, Warwick Business School has presented findings from the study he undertook for UKERC. Prof. Bradshaw's other research has focused on the geopolitical economy of global energy. For almost 20 years he has studied the development of the Sakhalin oil and gas projects in Russia's Far East. This has led to research on energy security in northeast Asia. He is currently examining Russia’s plans to develop its liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. From 2008 to 2011 he was engaged in a programme of research examining the relationship between energy security, globalization and climate change. In October 2013 Polity Press published his book entitled Global Energy Dilemmas. He is currently completing a research project on Global Gas Security that is funded by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). He plans to continue his research on the global geopolitical economy of the gas industry and is now working on the prospects for the development of shale gas in the UK and Europe (he is involved in a Pan European project on shale gas). He also plans to continue research on North American fossil fuel abundance and the global geopolitics of fossil fuels with further support from UKERC. Professor Iain Stewart, Professor of Geosciences Communication in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at Plymouth University, has discussed his role and presented research into sub strata. Besides, Iain Stewart is a well-known presenter on the BBC, and is involved in the creation of educational films and programs for the BBC.
The meeting at the Science Museum. Ben Verinder (who recently led a national research project to assess science communication in the UK) and his team have presented key findings into the strengths and weaknesses of the science communication in the UK. The presentation was followed by the Open discussion.
The meeting at the Imperial College of London. Theme – the social impact of science, with a particular focus on energy, hosted by the UK Energy Research Centre (UK ERC). The British participants of the meeting: Lindsay Wright - UKERC, Natasha Tobin - Bournemouth University

There were also scheduled the areas to continue learning during the next training workshop on science communication that will take place in Kiev on July 21-22, 2015.

Major gains of the visit for the Ukrainian delegation – learning points, new experience, similarities and differences between UK and Ukraine. There were discussed the ideas (issues) for actions and development in energy science communication in Ukraine; the ideas for potential UK - Ukraine partnerships and cooperation.

The participants of the Study Visit express great appreciation for the organization of the visit to the representatives of the British Council in Ukraine (http://www.britishcouncil.org.ua/) and Shell company (http://www.shell.com/).

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