Night at the Vet College: Chicken, egg…what next?!

Evaluation ReportSpring 2014 

Report compiled by Grace Kimble 1

Responses to the question: What was the highlight of the event?  Answers written on postcards on exit, n= 80. Image created using Tagxedo; words are proportional to their occurrence. 

Contents

1. Aims of Evaluation 32. Event Context 4

2.1 Aims 2.2 Objectives2.3 RVC staff2.4 Advertising2.5 Web page 

3. Event  93.1 Live events 3.2 Stand descriptions 

4. Impact 114.1 Public

4.1.1 Who was there?4.1.2 Where had they come from?4.1.3 Why were they there?4.1.4 What did they do?4.1.5 What did visitors think of RVC Lates? 4.1.6 How did RVC Lates change visitor attitudes?

4.2  Staff5. Operational improvements 31

6. Recommendations 32

7. Conclusions 33

8. Initial outcomes 34

9. Strategy: future directions 34

10. Acknowledgements 342

1. Aims of evaluation

This evaluation report aims to summarise the impact of the public engagement event‘Night at the Vet College: Chicken, Egg, What Next?!’ which took place on Friday April 25th2014. This is RVC’s third late opening event for the public.

Evaluation aims to:• Document progress since the inception of Lates events (October 2012)• Provide evidence to meet requirements of The Physiological Society, who funded the

event• Collate evidence about the impact of the event for visitors, students and RVC staff• Provide insight to inform future RVC Access strategy

Evaluation Process

Event evaluation

•Visitors completed postcard feedback form on exiting RVC•Visitors were emailed an e‐survey the day after the event

RVC staff feedback

•RVC staff and students completed an online survey

Debrief meeting

• This evaluation draft circulated for comment• Final report produced

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2. Event Context 

2.1 Aims

‘Night at the Vet College: Chicken, egg…what next?!’ took place on Friday April 25th2014, from 1700‐2200, on the Camden Campus at the Royal Veterinary College,London. It is the third RVC late opening event; the first was initiated in October 2012 byformer Widening Participation Officer James Cannon. James worked with Lisa Pritchard,PhD student at RVC, to submit a successful bid to the Physiological Society to fund twosubsequent public engagement events. This is the second of the events funded for2013‐14 by The Physiological Society. The scheduling differs from previous events inthat it was held in Spring time, rather than October, and it was on a Friday night ratherthan a Thursday. The choice of time and date were linked to Professor JohnHutchinson’s chicken symposium ‘Chicken of the Future’.The aims of the event for public audiences were:• Educate people about physiology through anatomy and dissection – something

many of them will never have nor ever will have the chance to do otherwise.• Wipe out the stereotypes of scientists• Raise awareness of the various career streams available in this area in teachers.

(source: Funding bid application submitted Feb’ 2013)

Specific to this event, and using the RVC Evaluation framework Skills, Place, Emotion,Attitudes and Knowledge, we aimed to provide opportunities for visitors to:

• Skills‐ develop skills in science literacy• Place‐ understand that RVC is a site of leading science research and animal care,

based in Camden and Hawskhead, and including RVC farm.• Emotion‐ enjoy positive experiences visiting RVC Camden, trying out activities and

meeting new people• Attitudes‐ have a broader awareness of the roles involved in working and

studying at Camden and in biological sciences• Knowledge‐ to know about research projects, with details specific to each activity

Grateful thanks goes to the Physiology Society for their support of this event.

2.2 Objectives

• To run between 5 and 10 walk‐up activity stands for each event.• To run an animal dissection demonstration each event. The dissections will focus

on each physiological system in turn and how they differ between species.• To run 2 – 3 mini‐lectures of around 20 minutes in length each event• To encourage creativity alongside scientific attention to detail with drawing

workshops in our Anatomy Museum.• Recruit a minimum of 200 people for each event using advertising in papers to

create an extensive mailing list.

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2.3 StaffThe following staff were involved in the event, in addition to the RVC Access Team. Jack Sisterson(webpage), Angie Poole (IT) and Hannah Murray (Press release) provided support before the evening.

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Title Name Surname Role at Night at the Vet CollegeDr Siobhan Abeysinghe Activities stand 12: Inside the chicken mind

Richard  Addison PhotographerAsh Barnes AV support

Dr Veronica Brewster ILPHDawn  Brindle ACT stand 10Peter Brown Creature curriculum staff stand 1Nicholas  Brown Chicken suit!Paul Christian Farm stand 5Amy Clithero Directions student ambassadorAndrew Crook Ostrich Dissection, specimensNicola Davis Student ambassador‐ activity 1, Real Live Chickens!Rachel Drummond  Art activity 9

Dr Jo Edgar Activities stand 12: Inside the chicken mindWinston Edwards Security, Portering and Cleaning services

Dr John  Fishwick Farm stand 5Dr Penny Fletcher Society of Biology 8

Francesca  Gambuzzi Student ambassador stand 12Grant Hampson BarGeoffrey  Harrison Artist in residence's studio stand 11Jo Hedges Beaumont Veterinary Hospital stand 13John  Hunt Estates

Professor John  Hutchinson Initiator, activities stand 7, 2 talks: Chickens: Living Dinosaurs?Mel Kilburn Catering ManagerChristabel Maitland Education Co‐ordinator, Royal Society of Chemistry‐ stand 4Charlie Mays Pub quiz leader

Antonia MilnerStudent ambassador‐ activity 2, Anatomy Museum (drawing). Writing article

Tom Moody Lightwell, health and safetyLiam  Moore Director, Creature Curriculum‐ brought live chickensHenry Mosey Student ambassador stand 17‐ Prospectuses. First aid

Professor Mandy Nevel ILPHSarah Nicoll Ostrich Dissection, specimensRohan  Oosman Lab coat outfitJen Oraze Dissection room stands stand 16Stephanie Panayianotou Amazing adaptations specimens stand 15Joon Park Surgical gown outfit

Dr  Heather  Paxton Activities stand 7 SMLLisa Pritchard Lightwell key contact

Dr Jeffrey Rankin Activities stand 7 SMLDave Sherlock Jones Bar manager

Dr Martin Smith ILPH, 2 Talks: Food for ThoughtAnisha Tailor Outreach Officer, The Physiological Society‐ stand 3

Dr Jon Walton Activities stand 12: Inside the chicken mindChelsea  Warren Student ambassador stand 7Graeme Webster Farm stand 5Claire Willis Welcome desk student ambassador

2.4 AdvertisingThe event was advertised via the Press association therefore listings appeared in the Evening StandardWhat’s on guide, Time Out, and via Twitter and Facebook. The Crick Institute, the Royal Society ofChemistry, Society of Biology and the Physiological Society tweeted about the event. The BBSRC shared alink on their website, linked to the Great British Bioscience Festival which RVC Access and SML receivedfunding for participating in (November). The Poultry Site also featured an article.For the first time, Eventbrite was used to manage bookings. This had the advantage that adverts were alsogenerated to Eventbrite members. The service is free of charge and allows attendees to be emailed by theevent co‐ordinator. Education contacts were emailed, and alumni were sent news of the event.

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2.5 RVC web pageThe following description appeared on the website, leading to an online booking form which gathered information about visitors address, and how they found out about the event. 

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2.5 RVC web page (contd.)In addition, we had press release information:

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3. Event

3.1 Live eventsThe table below , on the back of the brochure, shows the live events which took place.

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3.2 ActivitiesThe map below shows the activities and stand available for visitors to see. In order toencourage people to visit many areas, an Egg Hunt narrative was used to encourage visitors tofind a message made by collecting letters on eggs.

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4. Impact

4.1 PublicPublic impact will be considered under the following questions, in order to characterise the audience and provide information on which to decide future public engagement event planning. 

Methods

Visitor responses to the event were gathered using two methods, with a range of closed andopen question types:

a) A postcard survey on exiting the event. This survey was designed to gatherdemographic information and to give space for open responses to three questions;the event highlight, recommendations for improvement, and what surprised visitorsabout the event. Answers provided formative information about how to improve theevent, and summative information about the novel aspects. 80 postcards werecompleted.

b) An online survey sent to all attendees further explored how the event had met aims.Further demographic information was collected. 54 surveys have been completed todate (30.04.2014).

Qualitative and quantitative data will be presented to demonstrate progress compared toprevious events, and to show the extent to which the event aims have been successfully met.

• Who was there?

• Where had they come from?

• Why were they there?

• What did they do?

• What did they think of it?

• How did it change their attitudes?

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4.1.1 Who was there?

The following data are results from questions which were asked using the postcard exit survey, n=80.Number of visitors462 tickets were booked, in 185 groups of visitors attended on the evening. 

New audiences51% of visitors who responded to the e survey had never visited RVC before. 

The majority of visitors were 11‐17. Thisis the first time the event has beenmade open to under 18s, with only thebar remaining specifically for over 18s.The wider age range was beneficial interms of attracting groups ofprospective students and their parents.

Number of visitors

The largest sector of Night at the Vet College were students. The education sector; includingeducation managers, teachers and nursery nurses was the second most common occupationfor visitors. This may be linked to advertising to RVC schools contacts.The event aimed to engage the general public. There is starting to be evidence thataudiences other than science supporters are attending.

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4.1.1 Who was there?

The following data are results from questions which were asked using the postcard exit survey, n=80.

The majority of groups surveyed contained two visitors. There were a number of familygroups and groups of teenagers attending.

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As part of  Widening Participation’s commitment to diversity, we asked e‐survey respondents to write their ethnicity, in order to consider the extent to which the attendees reflected the general population.

4.1.1 Who was there?

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The following data are results from questions which were asked using the postcard exit survey, n=80.

This information shows that the audiencewho visited Night at the Vet College are morehighly qualified than the general public. Inthe 2011 England and Wales census, level 4qualifications (degree and above. Wherecomparable data are available (light purplebars) they have been included for illustration.As shown in the infographic right (source:Office for National Statistics) 29.7% of peopleaged 16‐64 have a degree or above, whereasit is approximately 52% for Night at the VetCollege attendees.

4.1.2 Where had they come from?

Event Reach

The data below are  anonymous records showing postcode data (exit postcard, n=80). It showsthat visitors were within 2 hours travel of the event.

Arrival

The table left shows when groups of visitorsarrived. Over half of the visiting groups arrivedbefore 6pm.This is likely to be linked to Professor JohnHutchinson’s 6pm Lecture ‘Chickens: LivingDinosaurs?’ which was on at 6pm.

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16:30 1217:00 2917:30 3118:00 3718:30 319:00 1119:30 220:00 5

4.1.3 Why were they there? 

The postcard exit survey asked visitors: what was your main reason for attending the event? Thisquestion allows visitors to be grouped by their aims for the evening.

In October we found that visitors could be grouped into those who were:1. RVC connectionsAlumni or former employees, or people whose family work or study there wanted to see thesite, see if there were any changes, remember being there, and to find out about what theirfamily do all day!2. Science supportersSome people who work in related industries such as biomedical research wanted an insight intolatest research at RVC. They might be scientists, or teachers looking for subject enrichment orcareer information for their pupils.3. Curious publicPublic who did not have connections with RVC were attracted by the unique opportunity to seedissections, and the fact that it is a free event and a new experience.

The two new segments to emerge from the April 2014 event are4. Fun seekersPeople who wanted to enjoy themselves by going somewhere new and doing novel activities.

5. Prospective studentsYoung people who had found out about the event through their colleges or secondary schools.Over 16 year olds attended in groups, some accompanied by teachers.

The graph below shows data from the e‐survey (n=54), showing the importance of emails andschools in advertising the event.

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The graph below shows data from the e‐survey event, where visitors were asked to tick the stands they had attended. The implications of this data are that the more distant rooms were not well attended. Whilst this approach had been taken to allow a greater capacity for the event (500 as opposed to 200 in October 2013), it seems that it would be better to return to grouping activities closely together, even with the risk of crowding, rather than risking some activities not being seen. 

4.1.4 What did they do?

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The chart above shows data from e‐survey respondents. These patterns of attendance will be considered in addition to feedback from staff when planning future live event schedules.    

4.1.4 What did they do? (continued) 

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Identification of bones, handling specimens

Overall, how would you rate  Night at the Vet College?Where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent, Night at the Vet College received the rating 4.32 on average (n= 54, e‐survey respondents)

96% would recommend Night at the Vet College to a friend

Did you learn any new skills?

Anatomy drawing

Yes, I liked making the DNA molecule on the Biology stand

I had to crouch and flap my wings in front of a screen at the motion 

stand :)

4.1.5 What did visitors think of Night at the Vet College? 

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Please rate your enjoyment of Night at the Vet College (1‐5, 5 is high): 4.5

N = 54, e‐survey

Did you find out any new facts or information at the events?

Behaviour• Yes, I learnt about chicken behaviour, eyesight limitations and cognition• Yes, several, about chicken welfare mainly

Anatomy• Information about ostriches and their anatomy• the incredible dissection• General animal anatomy and detailed bird anatomy • I had never seen a dissection of a bird before, and especially not an ostrich, so it was a brand new 

learning experience for me!• Yes! I learnt interesting facts during the dissection. For example, I now know that birds eat stones in 

order to help them break down grass they eat.• About the birds hollow bones• Lot of new information about birds at dissection (no diaphragm, liver next to heart, bones in eye, lung 

structure, ovaries and egg development) • I found out a lot about anatomy of the bird (particularly ostriches and chickens) from Andrew Crook• the facts about birds muscle movements, why they have no diaphragm, why they eat stones and many 

more.• How small brains are! 

Evolution• I understood better how chickens and other birds could have evolved from dinosaurs • Adaptations• I found out a lot, I learnt about the anatomy of birds and how they are related to dinosaurs• I found out why penguins don’t freeze to the ice"• feathered dinosaurs and palaeontology• Yes. That birds have an evolutionary relation to certain dinosaurs.• Dinosaur talk was very informative.• at "Chickens, living dinosaurs?" (Surprising amount of 'chicken' features came from dinosaurs).• Absolutely, the evolution of chickens• Pretty much everything in the dinosaur bit 

Consumer choices• The differences between barn eggs and free range.• Food for thought was particularly interesting• milk quality• Greater thinking behind egg production and amazed by the research that goes into it.• Yes, I learnt so many exciting new bird facts! Especially about eggs. Learning about eggs from the 

people with the egg stand was amazing!• "Food production with Martin"

4.1.5 What did visitors think of Night at the Vet College? 

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Did you find out any new facts or information at the events? (contd.)

Developmental biology• Learnt lots of biology.  Reasons for chicks not hatching.  

Access to RVC • Yes lots of facts and I am very interested in the food for thought online course• Admissions information• Found out lots of interesting things at the lectures! I also learnt loads about the vet school and what it 

is like to study at RVC!• Students visits to the farm and possibility of RVC visits to our students.• Lots!  My daughter now wants to be a vet.

Comments from e‐survey, n‐54.

Comments selected where visitors have used subject specific vocabulary, or adjectives/ punctuation for emphasis. 

4.1.5 What did visitors think of Night at the Vet College? 

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4.1.5 What did visitors think of RVC Lates?(continued)  

Improvements

Layout• I think the event shouldnt be spread out as much, certain areas were hard to find • My only fault was that the map was quite confusing to navigate, but that was the only 

thing that could have been improved and staff were willing to show us round when we got lost

• Would be good to list the sideshows and exhibitions instead of events only.• Better signage as we got a bit confused/lost at times• Map was hard to read • I suggest that the programme provided is more detailed as I didn’t know the artist in 

residence was there or the RVC Farm people. I • Dissection • "Very good night, thanks. A lot of people were very disappointed they could not see the 

dissection. It was a pity that there was only one opportunity to see it and you had to be there early. If I had of know you had to sign up for the dissection I would have done this earlier. I am unsure you the facilities available but it may have been an idea to put other people in another room and video conference the dissection“

• Larger capacity for dissection• the seating, especially in the dissection was uncomfortable.• Maybe much larger signs  of a certain colour and  bigger font to help distinguish from 

other signs/notices around...I completely forgot how to get to the dissection lab gallery bit.• Maybe a bit more music  and 'drinks on reception' to get the atmosphere going?

Activities• There could have been more focused activities for future 'young vets‘• The timings need to be adhered to more rigorously or altered to ensure things don't 

overrun.• We tried to watch the 20.15 Food for Thought lecture but as it was late starting we had to 

leave to be able to catch the Living Dinosaurs talk.• We'd have liked to attend the pub quiz but the start time for too late as we had to travel 

afterwards

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4.1.5 What did visitors think of RVC Lates?(continued)  

Thanks 

• Thank you RVC for providing such a fantastic night and for the staff for putting so much effort into it.

• Thanks so much, it was an incredible evening

• I brought a non‐RVC employee along to the event and they very much enjoyed the night.

• Fabulous fun and informative night. Would love to attend again! :‐)

• Good that it was family friendly

• "It was an absolutely fascinating and enjoyable evening. I would recommend it to everyone. There was so much variety and all of the staff were very enthusiastic and friendly.  Overall it was an epic evening !“

• Great evening!

• Students were lovely and friendly, gave lots of information about work experience.

• My son, who is 12, also attended and he loved the 'Chickens living dinosaur' lecture and seeing all the skeletons. we found all staff and students really welcoming and helpful.

• "Love all the passion p have for their subjects. Next generations benefit went to a mixed grammar in 70's, science perceived by most pupils as beyond them, mainly thanks to ignorant and 'labelling' by many teachers. Looking forward to next RVC Late already“

• I very much enjoyed the event and will attend the next one! Thank you for organising.

• I thought Siobhan in particular was really enthusiastic and knowledgable.

• I'm head of Pathology at AHVLA, and took my family to see RVC. We travelled after work ands school (from Surrey) so we couldn't arrive until about 6.45. It was a very tight timetable and lectures were back to back which didnt allow slippage time. It would have been useful to have known the food timetable ‐ all hot food was finished by the time we came out of the dissection.  The staff and students were excellent ‐ very informative and helpful. It was thoroughly enjoyable ‐ wish we could have got there earlier.

• "Enjoyable, and very helpful student ambassadors. 

• A throughly enjoyable evening, I felt proud to be a part of the RVC 23

What surprised you about the event?Postcard question

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4.1.6 How did RVC Lates change visitor attitudes? (continued)

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4.1.6 How did RVC Lates change visitor attitudes? (continued)

Will you do anything differently in future as a result of visiting Night at the Vet College? 

• I will try and find courses like food for thought and take part in it.• I will look more closely at the eggs i buy and make sure they are either free range or organic.• I'll never think of a stone in the same way• My partner will buy cheaper eggs as the knowledge about welfare of hens has increased• Enrol in food for thought course• Check for similar opportunities more frequently• Respect birds• I am going to attend a lot more similar events as I hope to attend the RVC in the future, the 

food for thought stand made me think more about what I am eating, I also signed up for some lessons and events online.

• I am interested in chicken welfare now! Will research more into chicken biology as a result.• I will come again :) I might do a student shadowing thing in Year 12• I will look at more university courses on veterinary, and I am now influenced greatly to apply to 

the RVC when I have finished my A levels• Eat at the fantastic cafe ‐ It was very good!• I will pay more attention about Royal Veterinary College and veterinary• I will make sure I attend more than one event!• Get there I time for the dissection• will be recommending our students visit.• Spend entire evening there.• speak to more people• Try and arrive earlier (we arrived about 18.30) to book into lectures and demos• Undertake more avian dissections at work!

Did you find out about career choices?35% YES

4.2 StaffData based on 22 responses to an online survey. (see  http://goo.gl/EfWhnx)

What did you enjoy about being part of the event? 

Meeting new people‐ public and other RVC staff• Interacting with lots of members of the public promoting the RVC• Interacting with the public was a lot of fun. They had good questions and I enjoyed telling 

them about our research.• It was great to meet a wide variety of people with many different interests from students to 

just general interest in animals.• Getting to speak to students and parents about what the RSC does and how we support 

education. We don't normally talk to parents.• I always like speaking to the public about agriculture and enjoy the variety of questions that 

are asked.• As always meeting and greeting members of the public and enjoying witnessing their 

enjoyment of the dissection demonstration.• It's good to do these and see the enthusiasm of the audience.• The range of people and their eagerness to learn. The people involved were also great and 

very informative.• Being able to show Mark Clements from Poultry International round the RVC and attend the 

different lectures/dissections• A good range of interested and engaged attendees. Chatting to people about RVC• I enjoyed interacting with the public and chatting to them about the college and science in 

general. I thought it was nice to chat with younger children as well and making science interesting for them.

• Meeting new people and talking about my work. I can go on and on!• What I would say I enjoyed the most though is speaking to prospective students about the 

RVC and applying to vet schools etc :)• Good to meet members of the public and prospective students and share our passion for thr

work or the RVC, teaching and research.• Public interaction• I enjoyed meeting staff & students that I hadn't met before. 

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4.2 StaffData based on 22 responses to an online survey. (see  http://goo.gl/EfWhnx)

What did you enjoy about being part of the event? 

Showing RVC activities to the public• I think it is important that the College invites the local community and those further afield in 

to see what the college does.• It was nice seeing so many members of the public enjoying the campus. • Helping with the dissection was interesting, as well as really good to see so many members of 

the public enjoying something which can end up feeling fairly common place in vet school (dissections that is, not specifically an ostrich!)

• Interesting to see how college/science is presented to public

Atmosphere• diverse events and fun atmosphere; nicely circumscribed topic• I loved the chickens and working with Liam and Peter who brought them and were our 

chicken experts! Penny was a massive hit ‐ definitely great to have her there! 

Being part of RVC• It was great to be asked to join forces with College and put on something like this for the 

public. I felt it was an exciting venture.• I always enjoy being part of the RVC team, supporting and promoting the college• I  think it was important that we had a presence at the event.

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4.2 Staff

Did you learn anything new?

Science• I learnt lots about bird anatomy!• I learnt a lot about a variety of research projects undertaken to further understand how

the chickens brain works.• I learnt more about intensive farming and stop motion animation and how it is useful in

veterinary science.• Also learnt some facts about chickens/ostriches etc!• Yes, it was a great review of anatomy for me as well as learning more about bird

adaptations.• Learnt more about the research being done by the Structure and Motion Lab• Yes ‐ I learnt many interesting facts about chickens!!• Breeds and origins of chickens• The formulation of grains that make up farm animal food.

Other roles/ organisations• Got an appreciation for what a veterinary journalist does! Yes, I learnt a lot about birds

from Andrew Cook!• Found more out about the society of biology and how to engage the public in science.

Public perception• Yes, I learnt that many more people were aware of what I was up to than I thought.• How much interest there was from people who simply did not know who or what the

RVC did

Animal Handling• I had to re‐learn bird handling as I did not know how to handle tame chickens at all (I

always expect them to run away at first sight!)

And…Don't dissect ostriches for the first time in front of an audience!

Some staff didn’t get the time to walk around other stands, and this could be improved byhaving more scheduled student ambassadors for breaks.

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4.2 Staff

How could we improve the event?

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Layout• Have clearer signage or separate location for RVC access as being at the reception desk

people often didn't realise.• More people directing the visitors so they don't get lost.• The locked doors became a problem for guests later in the night which then created

confusion. Also the egg train did not seem to come across to the guests. I was station16 and was explaining what it was... but that did make people go back to other stands.

• We would need to be in an area with guaranteed footfall if we were to take part nextyear as there were very few people who came into the refectory and we were quiteisolated. The room was also very cold which didn't encourage people to linger.

Activities• Things got really slow when there were talks and dissections going on...but overall I

think it was well planned.• Footfall past our stands in the lightwell didn't seem great. Also it got quite cold by the

end of the evening• Make sure I'm involved in the planning. The bird session was difficult to arrange, and

this time we were lucky. The ostrich also cost us £300.• less hectic, but that was imposed on us by other RVC events and out of our control,

mostly. However, I feel that we might have packed in too many activities and soattendance at some of them was sparse at time? Just my perception from a limitedviewpoint (I was too busy to see how other stands etc did).

• Don't book same speaker twice in same night perhaps; attendance at 2nd one seemsto suffer a lot. My experience anyway.

• The child friendly events could be improved, maybe having more of them and puttingthem in a more accessible area, and potentially starting the event earlier for theyounger children

• A second dissection at a later time or a second one running concurrently. If not, couldthe footage be streamed to the great hall for the overspill crowd?

4.2 Staff

How could we improve the event? (contd.)

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Capacity• I think the capacity could be doubled at least to make it busier• Difficult in London to recreate the farm and be as interactive as we can be when we do

similar things here. I think a video of activities would be more captivating for our visitorsand would help support our words.

• It would be to have more visitors• More people!

Food• Food provided for staff and student ambassadors was made available from 7:30pm in the

student union room. Dissection demo ran from 7:00pm until well past 8:00pm and by thetime the dissection demo student ambassador and myself got there all food (except a fewbiscuits and a bit of cake) had gone.

• have the catering advertised a bit more• By the time I got to have a break, there was no savoury food left and this would have been

useful to keep me going as the event was an evening event so by 8pm I could have donewith some food/sandwich (rather than left over cake)

• Food being provided!• It would also be helpful if someone brought food round as we were on our own on the

stands and missed the hot food.

IT support• IT support for speakers‐ the system is buggy and there should be someone there.

Lighting• As I was outside with the live chickens I would say the only thing I would want to improve

from my experience would be to have some lighting outside and/or if it were to rain again,being inside would be better as everyone got quite cold and wet!

5. Operational improvements

The following recommendations from the previous event (Oct 2013) were carried out

Staff profiles and stands• Activities were highly rated and interactive and should continue with this engaging

approach.• A briefing meeting before the event should be used to allow researchers to learn about

other stands and make links between them, so that visitors can be signposted to relatedresearch during the evening.

• One of the agenda items at the briefing meeting should be ‘Risk Assessments’.• Student Ambassadors should stay on the same stand all evening.• Consistent with other RVC events, refreshments will be provided in future for research staff,

who are attending outside of normal working hours. Breaks will be at designated times.Advertising and attendance• The web page needs to accept bookings on the day.• Higher capacity, wider advertising, and using a visitor texting service recommended.Event• Advertising should state that the Haxby Bar is a student bar, to manage visitor expectations.• The research stand area needs to be enlivened during the dissection event. Scheduling is a

key area to address• Posters should meet the needs of both advertising the event to RVC staff and letting visitors

know where and when live events are taking place.• It is recommended to have a pub quiz style event instead around 9pm.• Use the pod and offer guests Wi‐Fi passport to make more of a social media impact• ACT and Talkington Bates should have stands.

The following were not actioned:• Posters on both sites‐ the intranet was used instead, plus staff and student emails• Background music quieter‐ the necessary amp adaptor was not present on the evening• Lectures need not to be scheduled concurrently with dissections‐ this was the case in the

initial programme, although a last minute change did cause a clash

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6. Recommendations

Staff and activities• Schedule breaks on stands• Have fewer talks, each running once.• Repeat the dissection event• Cluster activities in one or two places• Include more interactive activities for young vets• Videoconference the dissection to another room, or link footage to the dissection rooms

Advertising and attendance• Double the capacity to 1000• Continue to increase the ways the event is advertised

Event• Hold the event on a Thursday• Make the layout simpler• Make sure staff get food• Advertise food better• Make sure music is on in the main area

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7. Conclusions

Night at the Vet College 2014 met objectives:• To run between 5 and 10 walk‐up activity stands for each event.• To run an animal dissection demonstration each event. The dissections will focus on each

physiological system in turn and how they differ between species.• To run 2 – 3 mini‐lectures of around 20 minutes in length each event• To encourage creativity alongside scientific attention to detail with drawing workshops in our

Anatomy Museum.• Recruit a minimum of 200 people for each event using advertising in papers to create an extensive

mailing list.

The aims of the event for public audiences were (from the Funding application Feb’ 2013)• Educate people about physiology through anatomy and dissection – something many of them will

never have nor ever will have the chance to do otherwise.Visitors enjoyed anatomy and dissection events• Wipe out the stereotypes of scientistsStaff and students were seen to be friendly, enthusiastic and approachable• Raise awareness of the various career streams available in this area in teachers.35% of visitors found out about careers. Education visits have been booked as a resultSpecific to this event, and using the RVC Evaluation framework Skills, Place, Emotion, Attitudes andKnowledge, we aimed to provide opportunities for visitors to:• Skills‐ develop skills in science literacyThere are examples of skills development in identification, and being aware of the scienceunderlying bird evolution, motion, and food choices• Place‐ understand that RVC is a site of leading science research and animal care, based in Camden

and Hawskhead, and including RVC farm.Approximately half the attendees had never been to RVC before.• Emotion‐ enjoy positive experiences visiting RVC Camden, trying out activities and meeting new

peopleVisitors rated Night at the Vet College 4.5 out of 5 for enjoyment• Attitudes‐ have a broader awareness of the roles involved in working and studying at Camden and in

biological sciencesVisitors commented on the friendliness of staff, and there were comments showing that peoplewill consider study options in future. There was evidence that some visitors will approach foodchoices with new information.• Knowledge‐ to know about research projects, with details specific to each activityVisitors learnt about animal behaviour, anatomy, evolution, consumer choices, and RVC access.In addition, staff and students enjoyed meeting new people, showing RVC to the public, the atmosphereand being part of RVC. Some collaborative projects have arisen after the event.Staff commented on learning about science content, different roles at RVC and external organisations andunderstanding more about public perception. 33

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10. Acknowledgements

With thanks to all staff and students who took part (page 5) from RVC and externalorganisations; and staff who attended to support the evening.

News of event publishedExample article by Poultry International journalist: http://www.wattagnet.com/Lessons_learned_at_the_Vet_College.htmlMandy Nevel is speaking with them regarding future collaborations for ILHP. 

Collaborative projectSiobhan Abeysinghe is writing a grant proposal which includes a public engagement event about animal behaviour, collaboratively with the University of Bristol. 

Raising teacher awarenessFiona Crean from Elinor Palmer School in Islington is a deputy head teacher who attended the event. She brought her Year 2 class on a trip to see Bird Adaptations on May 14th, as in the images below. 

8. Initial Outcomes of the event

In July 2014, a meeting will be held at RVC in Camden to plan the next event. The followingareas will be considered for future long term directions1. Aims2. Funding3. Content4. Audience5. Capacity.6. Sites7. Frequency8. Time of year9. Time of day10. Partner involvement

9. Strategy

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