2025 events
Organised by the Impact Funding Team, the ESRC Festival of Social Science has run at the University of Southampton since 2019. Each festival year has focused on a different theme and has produced a wide variety of events.
This year's theme is 'Our Working Lives'. With last year's festival theme being 'Our Digital Lives'.
AI + Imagination: Stories For A Greener Planet
Age: Children & families
Type: Participatory/Interactive
Host: Dr Bindi Shah, Associate Professor in Sociology, Dr Chiying Lam, Lecturer in Community Music & Social Justice, Dr Tuyen Nguyen, Lecturer in AI and social human-robot interactions, all at Southampton University
Date and Time (UK Time):28/10/2025 10:30 - 12:00
28/10/2025 13:30 - 15:00
BIPC Meeting Hub, Central Library, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 7LW
Summary
Join us for a free 90-minute creative workshop at Southampton Central Library, where children will explore climate action through storytelling and new technologies. The session includes guided story writing using Generative AI, image creation, and a live reading of each story by our friendly robot Buddy. Timings include short introductions to climate themes and storywriting, followed by hands-on creative activities on a laptop and a wrap-up with feedback. Families can receive a digital copy of their child's story after the event. No prior experience needed-just imagination and curiosity!
Description
This creative workshop invites children and families to explore climate action through storytelling and new technologies. Participants will reflect on environmental change by imagining characters and habitats, then use Generative AI tools to write and enhance their stories. The session introduces children to digital tools they may not have encountered before-helping build confidence and curiosity in a fun, inclusive setting. A highlight of the event is hearing their stories read aloud by Buddy, our friendly story-reading robot. Families will leave with a better understanding of how creativity and technology can come together to inspire climate action and learning-and a story to take home and share.
AI + Imagination: Stories For A Greener Planet
Be Flood Ready: Mapping, Managing, Responding
Age: Young People
Type: Other
Host: Sien van der Plank, environmental human geographer at the University of Southampton Lily Sharp, PhD student
Date and Time (UK Time):22/10/2025 15:16 - 18:00
Room 1061, Building 44, University Rd, Southampton SO17 1BJ
This event can be booked by secondary school teachers, by emailing morethanmaps@soton.ac.uk with student and staff numbers.
Summary
This two-part workshop provides school students with skills to create a map with key flood information about Southampton, and to engage in critical game play to explore flood adaptation. In Workshop 1, students will create a basic Story Map using ArcGIS Online with key information about flood risk, warnings, and preparedness advice in Southampton. Workshop 2 will focus on how people experience and respond to flooding, using critical climate games to tackle this challenging topic. The workshops will be highly interactive, with the emphasis on students learning mapping and critical thinking skills.
Description
We hear about flooding in the media regularly, whether in Southampton, elsewhere in England, or abroad. At this event, we invite you to learn geospatial and human research methods to learn more about past flooding to be better prepared for future flood events.
