UWB Crest

School of Social Sciences

Dr Alexandra Plows - other activities


Recent Conferences

  • 2-4th Sept 2010 paper presented at EASST, Trento. Paper title: ‘Unpacking public engagement with human genetics: An ethnographic approach’. Grant of  £500 awarded by Cesagen (Centre for the Social and Economic Aspects of Genomics) towards costs of attendance.
  • ”11-17 July 2010, XVII ISA World Congress of Sociology: Sociology on the Move, Gothenburg, Sweden.  Presented two papers (1) Public Engagement with Human Genetics as Policy Practice and as “social Movement”” and  (2) (joint paper with RM and Corrina Patterson) Locating the “local”: Methodological Issues in researching of grass-roots civil society
  • 5-8 July 2010, presented a paper (jointly with Robin Mann) at the 2010 ESRC Research Methods Festival entitled ‘’ Convergence space: Researching civil society networks at the local level’’
  • 28-29 June 2010, presented two papers at the WISERD Annual Conference, entitled, "Exploring the local life of civil society: A pilot study of a north Wales locality" (in collaboration with Corinna Patterson and Robin Mann) and “Stakeholder Perceptions of Place Shaping and Geographies of Participation" (in collaboration with Stephen Burgess)
  • Poster presentation at WISERD Annual Conference “Knowing Wales: People, Place, Policy” on “An evaluation of the Women’s Turnaround Project (WTP) in North Wales” with M Feilzer, M., A Plows, J Yates and K Williams, K. The project is a collaboration between WISERD and WCCSJ (Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice), at Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities
  • WISERD Localities @ Bangor Poster presentation at WISERD Annual Conference “Knowing Wales: People, Place, Policy” on The A55 Corridor Localities in North Wales
  • 7 April 2010, presented a paper (jointly with Robin Mann) at the BSA Annual Conference: Inequalities and Social Justice entitled ‘’ Emergent Hybridization? A Case Study of Grassroots Civil Society in North Wales’’
  • October 2009 The future of public participation: cultures, contexts and challenges.  Paper title: Challenging [DNA] codes: Public Engagement with Human Genetics Outside the Policy Process
  • June 2007 Women in Biotechnology, http://www.wonbit.net/ Paper Title Egg Donation in the UK; Tracing Emerging Networks of Feminist Engagement
  • June 2007 International Sociological Association Research Committee on Social Classes and Social Movements: Globalisation, Conflict and the Experience of Localities.
    Paper title: Embodied and local resistance to genetic bioscience within the global ‘bio- economy’
    http://www.isarc47.org/Pages/ISA%20RC47%20Conference/Index.html
  • March 2007 4th CESAGen/CSG International Conference: Genetics and Society - Retrospects and Prospects.
    http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/cesagen/events/pastevents/conferences/title,2929,en.html
  • October 2006 Gender Research Forum seminar, Queens University, Belfast.
    Paper title Women in the Frontline? Feminist Issues in Genetic and Reproductive Technologies.
    http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/GenderResearchForum/PreviousEvents/

Recent Events Organised

European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) conference 2011: panel co- organiser: ‘Climate Justice and the Scale of Contentious Politics’ http://www.ecprnet.eu/conferences/general_conference/reykjavik/panel_details.asp?panelid=32 

WISERD conference 2011 panel co-organiser: ‘Citizenship, Participation and Civil Society’ http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/training-events-2/conferences/

Organised the ‘Community, Environment and Sustainability in Wales’ WISERD Networking Event, June 2011. This event brought together grassroots activists, NGOs, policy makers and academics from across Wales and further afield, with interests in local community sustainability and environmental campaigns and initiatives. http://www.bangor.ac.uk/so/full.php.en?nid=5097&tnid=5097

Organised a visit from the Wellcome Trust to Bangor University in May 2011 to outline funding opportunities in  bioethics, medical humanities and public engagement

Bangor social sciences seminar series co-organiser 2009/10 and 2010-11 http://www.bangor.ac.uk/so/research/seminars1011.php.en

Organised Behaviour Change panel for Participation Cymru residential training event, June 2011; knowledge transfer drawing on findings from the WISERD localities programme www.participationcymru.org.uk

October 2007 organised panel “Public Engagement: More than Just Window-Dressing?” for Genomics Network conference http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/esrcgenomicsnetwork/events/pastevents/conferences/title,2782,en.html

2006 Co Organiser of Feminist Seminar Series, Cesagen
Feminist seminar series: Feminist Issues in Biopolitics
Output: ‘Should scientific researchers be allowed to ask women to provide their eggs for disease research? A statement of concerns in response to the current HFEA public consultation: Donating eggs for research: safeguarding donors.  This document was cited in the House of Lords in March 2010; see http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldhansrd/text/100315w0003.htm

 

Recent Policy and Stakeholder Engagement

Delivered talk on behaviour change at workshop organised by The Wales Rural Observatory, August 10th 2011, attended by a range of academics and practitioners (drawing on findings from the WISERD localities programme, previous research on environmental protest, and feedback from the Participation Cymru workshop on behavior change organised earlier in 2011)

Organised ‘Community, Environment and Sustainability in Wales’ WISERD Networking Event, June 2011. This event brought together grassroots activists, NGOs, policy makers and academics from across Wales and further afield, with interests in local community sustainability and environmental campaigns and initiatives. http://www.bangor.ac.uk/so/full.php.en?nid=5097&tnid=5097

Organised Behaviour Change panel for Participation Cymru residential training event, June 2011; knowledge transfer for policymakers and practitioners drawing on findings from the WISERD localities programme http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/2011/06/

March 2011 Delivered presentation (with colleague Dr Robin Mann) to Bangor WISERD Associates and invited stakeholders on Knowing Localities: Making use of the Stakeholder Interview Series, feeding back research findings and identifying availability of dataset for WISERD Associates

February 2011: Online article for science communication research centre ‘Observa – Science in Society’. Article title: The Emerging Politics of Human Genetic Technologies webmounted 22/02/2011 http://www.observa.it/view_page.aspx?ID=1006&LAN=ENG

Jan 2008 briefing to the Sustainable Development Commission on the implications of synthetic biology and Converging Technologies (powerpoint available)

June 2007 responded to UK Gov consultation on stakeholder engagement Effective consultation: asking the right questions, asking the right people, listening to the answers.
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/policy/scrutinising-new-regulations/reviewing-consultation-process/page44083.html

March 2007 responded to review of Police and Criminal Evidence Act specifically in relation to retention and use of DNA samples
http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/powers-pace-codes/PACE-Review/

November 2006 responded to the HFEA consultation: Donating eggs for research: safeguarding donors through a variety of public engagement and stakeholder- led outputs.
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3F57D79B-A850329D/hfea/hs.xsl/1417.html

2004 responded to the Human Genetics Commission public consultation Choosing the Future: Genetics and Reproductive decision-making
http://www.hgc.gov.uk/Client/news_item.asp?Newsid=40

 

Media Engagement

December 2009 Interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk
with a chief executive of a Cambridgeshire fertility clinic please note this 'i player' link below to play the interview will only be live until 18.12.09

December 2009 Interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s “Drive Time” afternoon programme on Proposed policy moves by the HFEA to consider payment for egg donation for fertility treatments (paying additional 'expenses' to egg donors)

April 2009 Wales On Sunday (Apr 5 2009 by Darren Devine)  consulted and quoted at length on the role of violence in political protest

Jan 2008 Signatory on the following: Open Letter to British Food Journal Editor & Editorial Board Wormy Corn Paper Must be Retracted
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8698

August 2007 interviewed on the BBC4 documentary The Secret Life of the Motorway (repeated 2009)

December 2006 press release ESRC Genomics Network responds to decision to extend egg sharing licence

May 2006 joint signatory of letter to The Guardian (letters) Controversial conceptions Tuesday May 9, 2006

19 January 2011- IVF egg donors 'to be paid thousands': Watchdog wants to lift £250 limit on compensation: read more... Also available here

17 January 2011 - Interview on BBC World Service - Europe Today (Paul Henley) re: cash compensation for people who donate eggs/sperm to Fertility Clinics should be paid.