Centre members take part in a wide range of public engagement activities to promote their research

Engaging the public in the scientific dialogue related to the issues around environment and health is vital to maximising the impact of our research beyond the realms of policy and academia. The Centre supports its researchers in a range of public engagement activities and also organises several Centre-wide events that showcase our research as a whole.

Some of our latest public engagement activities can be found below, but check our News tab to find out more.

The Great Exhibition Road Festival - June 2023

This year at the Great Exhibition Road Festival (GERF), our researchers from the MRC Centre for Environment and Health and the NIHR HPRUs in Environmental Exposures and Health and in Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards engaged with GERF visitors in interactive ways to raise awareness about environmental pollutants, showcase their new research and the techniques they use to make new discoveries.

We had the WellHome Study Team raising awareness about indoor air pollution while the SCAMP Team encouraged visitors, old and young, to check their screen time and feed into live data collection during the festival. We also had an interactive exhibit to demonstrate how we evaluate biological age and how these assessments can be used for health research. Our colleagues from the MRC Toxicology Unit’s use a pipetting demonstration to explain to visitors the process that toxicologists use to make new discoveries in the lab. Some of our MRC researchers also partnered with illustrator & printmaker Lucille Clerc on a public artwork highlighting the impact of air pollution on the lungs and exploring actions that could be taken to reduce exposures.

Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London- Celebrates 30years

2023 marks the 30th anniversary of an extremely successful Environmental Research Group (ERG). In partnership with the Imperial Policy Forum, this provides a unique opportunity for us to:

  • Showcase some of the major achievements that have been made in the area of air pollution research over the past 30 years
  • Highlight how climate change influences air/water quality and health
  • Look to our future as we discuss some of the challenges and potential opportunities for ERG and Imperial College and colleagues from the wider Environment and Health community to have impact in this arena.

Two of the key initiatives planned for 2023 are a Two-day symposium on 6th & 7th June and a Seminar Series of six afternoon seminars. The overarching theme for these events is 'Environment and Health Challenges in a Changing World'.

SCAMP study celebrates research challenge pupils - March 2023

On Monday 20 March 2023, colleagues from the School of Public Health, the MRC Centre in Environment and Health and the Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, along with schools from across London, gathered to celebrate the achievements of the Research Challenge pupils who contributed to the latest phase of the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP).

Founded in 2014 with contributions from over 30 researchers across six universities, SCAMP has entered a fourth wave entitled the ‘Research Challenge’ which has given sixth form pupils the opportunity to lead the research in their respective schools. The 80 Research Challenge pupils have been providing fresh insights into how their peers interact with mobile phones and have collected cognitive data and biosamples from over 1,000 of their peers.

Community groups receive free air sensors to monitor and tackle local pollution

Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the next round of thirty community groups to receive free sensors in the monitor and tackle local air pollution as part of the Breathe London Programme, with assistance from Imperial Researchers from the Environmental Research Group.

The initiative – having now awarded 40 sensors to 40 community groups since 2021– empowers communities across London living in areas impacted by poor air quality and with limited green spaces to track their exposure to harmful pollution and raise awareness of the importance of clean air. Poor air quality has been shown to have many health impacts including increased risk of dementia, lung cancer and low birth weight. It can also stunt children’s lungs and worsen chronic illnesses such as asthma.

The MRC Centre and NIHR HPRUs CRTH and EEH at New Scientist Live 2022

The MRC Centre for Environment and Health together with the NIHR Health Protections Research Unit’s in Environmental Exposures and Health, and Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards attended again this year the New Scientist Live 2022.

The NSL 2022 event took place on the 8th and 9th October at ExCel London and we were also there with our stand.

Within the MRC CEH, CRTH HPRU and EEH HPRU we investigate the complex relationships between genes and environment, investigating the effects of air and water pollution, ionising and non-ionising radiation and the future impacts of climate change on human health.

On our stand we had quizzes, interactive games and science activities to highlight the type of work we undertake everyday to understand how our environments shape out health and wellbeing. It was a great success and we enjoyed it a lot!