Communication of the project (dissemination) is a core dimension of the TRACKDEV project. It serves to promote and inform both the lay and specialist communities about the discoveries made and the activities carried out during the lifetime of the project. It is also an integral part of the training provided to the early stage researchers (ESRs). The ESRs have engaged in the following activities:
Three of the ESRs' work featured in the following WIRED MAGAZINE article: March 2013 issue. ‘Meet London's Babylab, where scientists experiment on babies' brains’ and Maria Laura Filippetti, was interviewed about her work on Moebius Radio24, on 9th March 2013. In order to reach a broader audience, the ESR's also produced podcasts (hosted on the project website) describing their work and experiences as Marie Curie fellows. Finally, several of the fellows participated in open days at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, organised by the IntoUniversity charity, which targets disadvantaged teenagers to inspire them to continue their studies into higher education.
All ESRs have presented their work at national and international conferences across the EU and further abroad (giving a total of 37 poster and oral presentations). Examples include presentations at the International Conference on Infant Studies (USA), the Society for the Research in Child Development (USA), European Conference on Eye-Movements, and the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (USA). These large conference provide an opportunity to disseminate not only to other specialist scientists, but also interest members of the public, policy makers and science journalists. The work was so well received that Irati Saez de Urbain was awarded First Prize in the student software competition at the 17th European Conference of Eye Movements, Lund, Sweden for her innovative software providing an easy-to-use platform for researchers to explore and manipulate infant eye-tracking data.
As part of our dissemination strategy, we organised an end-of-event workshop, the TrackDev Symposium, in central London that attracted over 200 participants. The ESRs presented their work throughout the day. The event was book-ended by two eminent invited professors who gave a historical perspective and a future directions perspective respectively.
Although the work has already been widely disseminated, we anticipate further dissemination activities over the next 5 years. We expect that the ESRs will continue to publish both peer reviewed journal articles and generalist book chapters, as well as to present their work at further conferences and workshops, now that they have finished their Phd. All 7 have found jobs in research and will therefore continue to promote their current and future research. The impact of this project will therefore far outlast the dates of the project itself.