In partnership with John Hansard Gallery, the Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities and the Public Engagement with Research unit, research scientists, post-doctoral researchers and postgraduate students working across a range of science disciplines at the University of Southampton were invited to take part in an ambitious pilot project bringing together science and poetry.
Poetic Science aimed to foster an environment of multidisciplinary, supporting postgraduate students, post-docs, and researchers in the sciences to develop creative engagement and creative communication techniques about their research through poetry. Working with the Poetic Science Creative Writer, Helen Eastman, participants accessed sessions developing skills in poetry and live performance.
All poem entries were read in front of a live audience and now available to read at your own leisure. This body of work represents the possibilities of making science accessible and tangible to the local community at large. Watch the event here.
Participants and their work:
Dr Helen Eastman
Dr Helen Eastman is a writer and director of theatre, opera and film. She trained as a theatre director at L.A.M.D.A., after graduating from Oxford University in Classics and English and has a doctorate in Classics from King’s College London. Read Helen’s work
Hannah Cox
Hannah Cox is Duty Manager/Retail Manager at John Hansard Gallery. Hannah began working for John Hansard Gallery as a Gallery Assistant after graduating from Winchester School of Art. Hannah has since developed the Poetry@JHG events as part of a Gold Arts Award, which led onto a growing programme of creative writing projects, including the Writer in Residence role in collaboration with ArtfulScribe. Read Hannah’s work
Dr Sadie Jones
Dr Sadie Jones works as the Astronomy Public Engagement Leader and over the last 4 years she has managed the award-winning #SotonAstroArt project. Her research involves using radio and X-ray telescopes to observe Supermassive Black Holes in distant galaxies. Read Sadie’s work
Dr Nihkil Mistry
Nikhil is a researcher in underwater acoustics, interested in using sound to ’see’ through our oceans and look into the life on the seafloor and also the interaction between sound and underwater bubbles. He is also very active in science communication, outreach and engagement, running numerous projects and producing content to help learn about the science of sound.” Read Nikhil’s work
Jim Anderson
Jim Anderson is a Professor of Mathematics, with a particular interest in geometry. His other enthusiasms include science fiction and the traditional Japanese martial art of aikido. Read Jim’s work
Jeremy Frey
Jeremy Frey is a Professor of Physical Chemistry. He is interested in imaging molecules and telling stories about how they behave, and how the digital age is changing the way we tell these stories. Read Jeremy’s work
Jonathan James
Jay is in his final year PhD researcher in Respiratory Immunology. During this time, he has discovered a love of expressing science in myriad forms in the hope of evoking his passion for it in others and improving the accessibility of science for all. Read Jay’s work