The Public Engagement Project (PEP) supports and trains faculty members to use their research in the public realm to contribute to social change and inform public policy. Scholars learn new skills from experts and from each other to communicate and engage with the media, community groups, policymakers, and others in the public arena. PEP helps faculty members to reach institutions and individuals who want to use research findings, as well as to reach across disciplines within academia. By developing a new generation of public intellectuals, the project hopes to improve the public’s understanding and use of research, as well as improve the quality of research intended for public use.
The Public Engagement Project is a collaborative initiative of the Center for Research on Families, the Center for Public Policy and Administration, the Department of Sociology and the Psychology of Peace and Violence Program.
Throughout the year PEP holds workshops and trainings for Umass faculty.
UPCOMING EVENTS
TBA
PAST EVENTS
Workshop: "Effective Public Engagement" - June 9th, 2011 at the Berkshire Conference On the History of Women (Big Berks)
Reading: "Public Engagement Project Co-founder Amy Schalet Releases New Book" - November 24, 2011
Workshop: "Studying Stories That Can Change Policy: Narratives in Science Communication, Policy Analysis, and the Policy Process" - October 26, 2011
Panel: "In the Heat of the Moment: Staying on Message Amidst Controversy" - April 14, 2011
Lecture: "Man Men, Working Girls & Depressed Housewives" - February 10, 2011
Workshop: "Research Methods for Social Justice" - April 1, 2010
Workshop: "How to Make Friends and Influence Policy: Working with State and Federal PolicyMakers" - October 28, 2009
Panel: "The 2008 Presidential Election: A Sociology Department Forum" - November 3, 2008
Workshop: "Writing Op-Eds and Getting Them Placed" - Spring 2008
Panel: "Taking Research on Families Outside of the Academy: How to Craft Effective Media Messages" - October 3, 2007
* Center for Public Policy and Administration: PEP: http://www.masspolicy.org/PEP/
* Peace Psychology Program: PEP http://www.umass.edu/peacepsychology/PEP.htm
For more information contact Wendy Varner - wendy@sbs.umass.edu
