LHC Communications, 7th March 2006

Julia MaddockPress Officer

Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

Directs, co-ordinates and funds research in

• Particle physics• Astronomy• Particle Astrophysics• Solar System Science

National, European & International Programmes

International

• CERN £75M (€109m)• ESA £47M (€68m)• ESO £17M (€25m)

FY:2004-05

Strategic Planning and Communication Directorate

• Planning & Analysis• Process Management• Influencing• Marketing &

Communications• Monitoring & Evaluation

Strategic Planning andCommunication Directorate

Objective

Win Increased Funding

Aims• Increase Awareness:

scientific/social and economic value and benefits of R & D in fundamental physics

• Increase Recognition:strategic role that PPARC plays in generating these benefits; UK’s role in the world

• Position PPARC:participate/exert greater influence in national science policy formulation and decision making

• Gain and Increase Support:PPARC’s bids to secure increased funding/PPARC’s science

Achieving this• On-going media activities to highlight science results,

milestones and opportunities. Press visits to facilities.• Opinion-formers campaign, meetings with MPs, magazine

dedicated to parliamentarians• Large programme of outreach activities with support for

science museums, grants to researchers, a range of publications for teachers, students and the general public

• Frontiers magazine

• Dedicated Campaigns where enough of this comes together eg UK Goes to the Planets 2003-2006.

LHC Campaign

• PartnersResearch groups at 24 institutions, CERN, CCLRC,

PPARC…

• Lots of ideasDisplays, websites, events, media work, filming,

photography…

• Lots of audiencesSchools, teachers, general public, politicians, media…

Need a co-ordinated campaign

Developing a Strategy

• Steering group set up of interested partners (scientists, funders, media and others) to set strategy

• Met twice in 2005, producing a strategy document with agreed priorities and costed plans

• Presenting those plans to the PP community in April 2006

• Putting early stages into action now

LHC Communications PrioritiesAudience

• public – Best reached via the media, especially television and high-profile newspaper articles. – Survey suggests about twenty per cent of UK adults are disposed to be interested in new

scientific developments.

• policy makers and opinion formers – It is crucial that Members of Parliament, the House of Lords and government officials are clear

about the great value of this research, in intellectual and economic terms.

• students aged 14-16 – This is the age when students select their subjects for A-level/Scottish Highers. It is vital that

we persuade more of them to chose physics. – Other important audiences are gifted 12-14 year-olds and students aged 16-18 who are

already studying science at post-GCSE-level and thinking about University subjects. – In order to inspire these students, we must win the active support of their teachers

LHC Communication PrioritiesMessages

The principal messages that we wish to communicate about the project are:

• This extraordinarily ambitious facility – the biggest in the history of science - seeks to shed light on some of the most fundamental questions in science

• It is an exciting international venture that involves thousands of people from dozens of countries collaborating harmoniously; the UK has a leading role

• There are valuable technological spin-offs from this type of work: a classic example is the invention of the World Wide Web at CERN

• The scientists involved are keen that the public, whose funding has made this facility possible, share the excitement of this adventure

• Young people, from every background and with many different talents, can be part of scientific activities like this if they study physics and closely related subjects

• British industry benefits considerably from this project • At modest cost to the public purse, the project will tell us fundamental

things about the way the universe works

LHC Communication PrioritiesActivities

• TV and radio coverage • National Schools Programme • National touring exhibition • Public events across the UK • Receptions for VIPs and opinion formers • Update meetings for journalists • Continually updated website

Delivering LHC Communications

• Exploiting the opportunities for communications around the LHC in 2007 requires ground work now.

• Website – http://www.particlephysics.ac.uk • Resources

– Film– Photography– Simple explanations

• Television• Journalists• Researchers

Television and the LHC

• TV Producers EventPPARC are organising an event to show TV producers of factual entertainment how interesting and exciting the LHC is by looking attopics that will appeal to producers

– Extra dimensions– Baby black holes– Supersymmetry– Exploring time and space

Aim is to prompt action now whilst producers can still film at the LHC and

get several documentaries in progress, to air in 2007/8

PPARC are also directly supported one documentary maker to capturefilm now for the ATLAS project.

Journalists and the LHC

• Media TripsThe real impact of the LHC can only be appreciated by visiting CERN.We have instigated a programme of visits for key journalists, each ofwhich informs them for the future but usually results in immediatecoverage as well. Where possible these visits coincide with milestones and introduce journalists to UK scientists at CERN

• UK Press BriefingsWe will arrange a press briefing in London prior to LHC switch-on tofully brief the news media.

• CERN Press BriefingsWe will support UK media involvement in CERN press briefings – especially “Switch-on”

Researchers and the LHC

• Media VolunteersInterest in communicating the LHC via the media is widespread. A

singlerequest for scientists to help has produced 25 volunteers, ranging from PhD students to former directors at CERN. We are collecting data on thevolunteers so that we can make the most of opportunities to use rolemodels who are younger, female or from an ethnic minority.

• Media TrainingAll these volunteers are being encouraged to take up the media trainingPPARC offers to researchers it funds. Training is also being offered to PhD students who are not eligible under the usual scheme but areparticularly important for inspiring the next generation of scientists.

Resources

• FilmBuilding up film of UK labs and components• PhotographyArranging photography

showing UK researchers and theircontributions to the LHC• Simple ExplanationsDeveloping simple briefingmaterials, explaining keyconcepts associated with the LHC and its science

Timeline

• 2006– TV Producers event– Trips to CERN for media– Media training for researchers– Collecting resources such as photographs– Planning for dedicated education materials,

museum exhibition– VIP visits to CERN for political figures /

opinion formers

Timeline continued

• 2007– Exhibition tours museums nationally– Press Briefing to mark LHC start-up– Press Releases to mark key milestones

(beams starting, first collisions, first data)– LHC section on public website– VIP reception to make political figures

aware of LHC starting– Documentaries start to air

Timeline continued

• 2008– Press briefing to explain early LHC results?– Regular announcements on the outcomes

of the LHC work– Further television documentary coverage– Fame & Fortune for all once the Higgs is

found?