Across the Continents: communicating ecology to schools in Cambridge and Southeast Asia

Across the Continents is an exciting pioneering project combining expertise within current species conservation research and museum learning. Taking advantage of the planned dissemination outcomes of four well-established NERC-funded projects, the team tested
how the newly-renovated University Museum of Zoology could act as a stage for engagement activities and as a source of expertise in communicating with a variety of audiences.

This new way of working seeks to inform future collaborations, with a view to make a case for future grant applications to not only consider the Museum as a source of guidance in public engagement activities, but also as a partner right from the initial application stage through to evaluation and impact measuring. Here I will set out the Across the Continents project case study, the lessons learned and successes achieved, and consider why more museums should be seeking to promote their aptitude in sharing the unfamiliar.