Organisation type
Charity/third sector
Membership organisation
Sector
Disability, diversity, equity and inclusion
Education, training and skills
Science, technology and innovation
Service
Physics is still widely perceived as difficult and dominated by white males – a view backed by data and lived experience. This lack of diversity means the physics community misses out on talented young people who do not see themselves reflected in the subject.
To shift perceptions and encourage more young people to continue with physics post-16, the Institute of Physics asked Barley to promote Limit Less – its diversity communication campaign championing girls, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, young people of Black Caribbean descent, disabled students and LGBT+ young people.
We wanted to show that physics can be creative, collaborative, practical and fun.
We set out to reframe physics as creative, collaborative and relevant to everyday life. Early interviews with IOP members and students revealed that many young people felt more confident in subjects such as art, design, sport, humanities or languages. This insight shaped our central idea: meet young people where they already feel strong.
We proposed launching The Eurekas – a UK- and Ireland-wide competition for 11–16-year-olds answering one question: what’s the point of physics? To widen participation, entries could take any form, from videos and performances to poetry, artwork or baking. Cash and voucher prizes were included to motivate students, teachers and parents or carers.
To bring the campaign to life, we:
Created The Eurekas sub-brand and a dedicated website
Recruited science communicator Shivani Dave as an accessible and inspiring ambassador
Engaged amplifier audiences – teachers, parents and carers – to reach young people appropriately
Ran paid and organic social campaigns
Activated IOP’s database via newsletters
Delivered national and local media outreach
Convened a judging panel including Shivani Dave, physicist and author Femi Fadugba, and IOP Deputy Chief Executive Rachel Youngman
Students across the UK and Ireland embraced the challenge, exploring physics in unexpected and imaginative ways. As a pilot year, The Eurekas exceeded expectations, attracting more than 100 submissions from almost 200 young people – with most shortlisted entrants coming from the underrepresented groups at the heart of the campaign.The entries demonstrated powerful creativity and a growing confidence in the subject. Several winners shared how taking part reshaped how they see physics and what they believe they can achieve. The competition has laid strong foundations for future engagement, giving young people new permission to see physics as something that belongs to them.
schools involved
students
submissions
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