News

Science beyond the lab: three ways to get involved

 29 July 2015  

Deborah Oakley

This summer you could share your science with thousands of people. Enter the Wellcome Trust’s image competition and showcase the visual impact of your research, or plan how you will interact with the public at the Royal Society’s next Summer Exhibition. If your colleagues are already working hard to promote science, perhaps they’re worthy of nomination for the John Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science.

Public engagement science

Visitors explore the Wellcome Trust’s mobile gallery in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast last year (clockwise from top left). (Credit: Wellcome Trust Photography Ben Gilbert).

Wellcome Image Awards 2015

Are you a scientist, photographer or artist? Have you produced any quirky, intriguing or beautiful images of biomedical research or contemporary healthcare? Enter the Wellcome Image Awards for the chance to see your images on display in science centres and public galleries across the world.

Winning images will be published in the Wellcome Images library, which is “an excellent way to engage with the public and to increase their understanding of your work”, according to the Wellcome Trust.

Judges are looking for high quality pictures produced using all artistic media and imaging techniques, from hand-drawn illustrations to super-resolution microscopy and functional MRI scans. Entries will be assessed on their quality, visual impact, and ability to communicate and engage.

Find out more about how to enter. Deadline: 9 September 2015.

Summer Science Exhibition

The call for proposals for the Royal Society’s 2016 Summer Science Exhibition is now open. Over 10,000 members of the public and 2,000 school students visit the exhibition each year, which gives you the chance to raise the profile of your research, technology or institution with key influencers, including potential funders, government and the public.

Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2012

Children get stuck into hands-on displays at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition in 2012. (Image copyright, Royal Society).

A committee of judges is looking for ground-breaking science that’s relevant to a broad-audience and can be communicated through hands-on, interactive exhibits.

Find out more about how to develop and submit your proposal. Deadline: 12 September 2015.

John Maddox Prize

Do you know someone who has promoted sound science and evidence? Nominate them for the 2015 John Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science.

The John Maddox Prize rewards an individual who has promoted sound science and evidence on a matter of public interest. Its emphasis is on those who have faced difficulty or hostility in doing so. Nominations of active researchers who have yet to receive recognition for their public-interest work are particularly welcomed.

The winner of the John Maddox Prize will receive £2000, and an announcement of the winner will be published in Nature. The award is presented at a reception in November.

John Maddox, science journalist

Sir John Maddox has been called ‘Britain’s greatest science journalist’. (Image copyright, Royal Society).

Find out more about the prize and how to enter. Deadline: 20 August 2015.

Deborah Oakley
Science Communications Officer
MRC Clinical Sciences Centre
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