Frequently Asked Questions
What will the Summer School involve?
The summer school will run over three days. We will start at 11am on Monday 22 September and end at 2pm on Wednesday 24 September. For many participants, this should enable travel to be completed within the three-day window.
The summer school will focus on topics of concern for environmental social scientists, with contributions from experts working in these areas. This year, we aim to take advantage of the attractive outdoor opportunities in the beautiful grounds of Cumberland Lodge. Peer-to-peer learning and networking will be an important part of summer school.
Who is eligible to apply?
You can be working in any sector, but must be working in the UK.
Delegates can be at any career stage, but we especially encourage those at an early career or mid career stage to register.
You can be from any discipline, but your work must use social science perspectives and methodologies to understand environmental challenges. This might include (but is not limited to) work in the areas of decarbonisation, sustainable development, just transitions, biodiversity, land management, nature engagement, transport, and sustainable consumption.
What is the time commitment?
The Summer School is a three day residential event and the expectation is that delegates will be able to attend the full event.
I have previously attended an ACCESS Winter/Summer School, can I apply again?
Previous attendees at ACCESS Winter/Summer Schools are welcome to apply but priority for spaces will be given to those who have not attended previously.
What is the cost of participating?
There is a registration fee of £125, ACCESS will cover the full costs of two nights’ accommodation and all meals.
Participants will cover their own travel costs and travel insurance.
The cost of attendance is subsidised by ACCESS, to enable cross-sector networking and professional development, with the goal of increasing the visibility and impact of Environmental Social Science.
Participants will need to have paid the registration fee in full in advance, by Friday 4 July.
What is not covered in the registration fee?
Travel costs (including any insurance) to and from the summer school are not included in the attendance fee. Participants are required to be responsible for their own travel insurance in conjunction with the event – we recommend you contact your organisation to confirm you have cover. If you do not have travel insurance via an organisation, we recommend you acquire your own travel insurance privately.
Why do I need to complete an application to register?
Each summer school has limited places, as we believe the event works best with a smaller group to offer maximum interaction and networking for the delegates. We have found a smaller number of participants offers the chance to socialise with each other on a meaningful level, to get to know each other across the group and to understand each other’s research and interests. We also encourage the speakers to stay for some or all of the duration of the school, so all the participants (both delegates and speakers) can have the chance to interact.
Where there are more registrations than places, ACCESS will offer summer school places based on details provided in the registration form with consideration to the overall mix of participants across discipline, sector and topic focus. We will operate a waiting list in this scenario.
I have a disability, can you accommodate my attendance?
We actively welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and those who may require additional support to enable participation. At ACCESS, we work to ensure that Equity, Diversity and Inclusion underpin all of our activities (see our Guiding Principles), and we strive to implement EDI best practice wherever we can.
We aim to make the summer school widely accessible, whether or not participants have declared a disability. There will be a named contact with responsibility for EDI at summer school, and all participants, whether or not they have declared a disability, should discuss accessibility or support needs with Kirstie Hatcher: k.hatcher@surrey.ac.uk
I would love to register but attending would incur additional costs outside the Summer School registration fee that I couldn’t meet personally – should I still register?
ACCESS aims to ensure that people who register successfully for a place can attend a summer school. If your organisation covers the registration fee but you envisage other costs that would need to be met outside of the parameters of your organisation’s responsibility, please contact Kirstie Hatcher to discuss k.hatcher@surrey.ac.uk.
If you cannot find the answer to your question above, please contact Kirstie Hatcher on k.hatcher@surrey.ac.uk.
