- Twenty-three science communicators from across the world competing for the 2014 International Fame Lab title
- Judges to include Professors Jim Al-Khalili and Alice Roberts and Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham
23 of the best science communicators from around the globe are heading to The Times Cheltenham Science Festival this week for the seventh FameLab International Finals. The prestigious competition – organised by the British Council and Cheltenham Festivals - aims to discover charismatic, up-and-coming scientists who inspire people to see the world from a new perspective - in just three minutes.
Each contestant will deliver a three-minute presentation on their chosen topic - from the science inside our brains, to the exploration of the stars. Every presentation will be judged according to the golden rule of the 3 Cs: content, clarity and charisma.
Finalists from across five continents will compete to be named as the most exciting, accessible and charismatic science communicator by a panel of expert judges, in front of a packed audience at the festival and tens of thousands watching live around the world. This year’s finals will feature the national winners from Australia, Benelux, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.
Since its birth at the Festival in 2005, FameLab has grown into the world’s leading science communication competition. A partnership with the British Council since 2007 has seen the competition go global with more than 5000 young scientists and engineers participating to date in more than 23 different countries.
The 2014 UK finalist Caroline Shenton-Taylor, an industrial physicist and PhD graduate from the University of Warwick, emerged from tough competition to win the national final, and will be competing in the FameLab International semi-final 2 on Wednesday 4 June. Caroline triumphed at the UK Final with her presentation about the history of nuclear magnetic resonance and how a cup of tea stirred up a new approach to cross-disciplinary science.
Professor Russell Foster FRS, Chair of The Times Cheltenham Science Festival said “World class science not only excites our thirst for knowledge but underpins economic growth in every nation, and there has never been a more important time to communicate science to all sectors of society across the globe. FameLab provides the ideal crucible for scientists from around the world to learn and forge their ability to communicate science and convey the thrill of undertaking scientific research. I have been profoundly impressed by the atmosphere of good will and cooperation that FameLab generates between researchers from very different nations, cultures and backgrounds. The torch of international science communication burns very bright at FameLab!”
John Worne, Director of Strategy at the British Council, added: “The British Council exists to bring people together and science is the embodiment of international collaboration at its very best. You only have to look at institutions like CERN and the UK’s great research universities to find hugely committed people from all over the world working together in pursuit of a greater understanding of life and the universe. But science needs more leaders, policymakers - and the public - understanding its method, discoveries and achievements. We need more people like Professor Brian Cox; scientists who can take complex ideas and make them simple and compelling for us all. Famelab is all about scouring the world for the young scientists who can do this. And the best of the best are coming to Cheltenham to share their passion with the UK.”
The competition will be judged by international panels of science communication experts, including:
- Professor Jim Al-Khalili, OBE is a British scientist, author and broadcaster. He is a professor of Physics at the University of Surrey where he also holds a chair in the Public Engagement in Science. He is president of the British Humanist Association.
- Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, chair of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary committee on international affairs.
- Professor Mark Lythgoe, founder and Director of the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, He has given over 200 invited public lectures, and regularly presents programmes on radio and television.
- Dr Phil Manning, Reader in Palaeobiology and Head of the Palaeontology Research Group (PRG) at the University of Manchester. He has authored both children and popular science books and is a regular contributor to public speaking programs around the world.
- Jennifer Ouellette Los Angeles-based science writer who has had several books published and articles printed in a range of popular publications such as Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Physics Today and The Wall Street Journal.
- Maggie Philbin, British radio and television presenter with credits including SwapShop, and popular science programmes Bang Goes the Theory and Tomorrow’s World.
- Professor Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham, author, researcher and presenter. She has presented a range of programmes on BBC2 including Coast, Wild Swimming, The Incredible Human Journey, Origins of Us, and Prehistoric Autopsy
- Wendy Sadler, Director of Science Made Simple and recipient of the EU Descartes Laureate for her innovative work in science communication.
- George Zarkadakis, Greek novelist, playwright and science journalist who studied Systems Engineering at City University, London and has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence.
The number of participating FameLab countries has doubled in the past few years. This means that this year there will be two semi-finals, taking place on the Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 of June, to select the contestants that will compete at the grand final on Thursday 5 June at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival. Tickets are available at http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science/whats-on/list
Communicating science accessibly and attractively is an ever-growing priority for researchers worldwide. FameLab helps young scientists acquire valuable skills to communicate their work with passion to a non-scientific audience. By doing so, researchers do not merely change the common stereotype of the scientist as “the geek in the white lab coat”, but also justify public funding for their research.
For the first time, both the semi-finals and the final will be live streamed. You can also keep up with all of the action by following @FameLabUK and @CheltFestivals, and join the conversation using #FameLab. The audience will be able to vote for their favourite finalist.