Biochemical Society Science Communication Prize 2022

Abstract

For the past 11 years, the Biochemical Society has looked to identify and celebrate outstanding science communication by bioscience students with an annual Science Communication Prize. This year, the competition was open for creative and engaging entries aimed at the general public, in both written and media categories.We would like to congratulate all the entrants and winners on their fantastic pieces submitted for the Science Communication Prize this year. The Biochemical Society was delighted with the entries, which came from across the globe and covered a broad range of diverse topics, from the microbiome to HIV. The winners were selected by a panel of five judges with knowledge and expertise across the science communication sector: Agnese Abrusci (Media Editor at Nature), Dr Emma Yhnell (Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience at Cardiff University and Science Communicator), Dr Heather Doran (Public Engagement Manager, Leverhulme Centre for Forensic Science at University of Dundee; Science Editor, The Biochemist), Nikolaus Muldal (Education and Public Outreach Manager for the UK Atomic Energy Authority) and Dr Güneş Taylor (Postdoctoral Training Fellow at The Francis Crick Institute and freelance science communicator). Güneş said:The winners of each category received a cash prize – £300 for the first prize, £200 for the second prize and £100 for the third prize. The winning article entries in the written category also win the opportunity for their piece to be published in The Biochemist. Competition judge Emma Yhnell said:This year, the written category saw a range of entries on the molecular aspects of cancer, alcohol, love and the wonder of plants, to name a few. The first prize went to Zuzana Osifová (Charles University, Czech Republic), for a powerful and thought-provoking article on anorexia nervosa, titled ‘Meanwhile in an anorexic mind’. Zuzana is currently studying for a PhD in NMR spectroscopy, and when asked why she chose to write about anorexia nervosa, Zuzana said:Zuzana also generously donated half of her cash prize to a charity in Czech Republic that helps eating disorder sufferers.The judges were impressed with Natural Sciences undergraduate Natalie Bicknell’s (University of Leeds, UK) truly original and engaging newspaper entry on the fascinating internal clock of plants, titled ‘Breaking news: plants can tell the time!’ When asked about her chosen topic, Natalie said:We strongly encourage readers to view Natalie’s piece in the supplemental material to this article, where it can be seen in full.Undergraduate microbiology student Iris Floria (University of Glasgow, UK) submitted an eye-opening (and sometimes horrifying!) piece on cannibalistic microbes and the fight against antibiotic resistance, titled ‘Microbial predators: an unlikely ally?’ When asked why she chose to enter the competition, Iris said:For Iris, participation certainly paid off as she was awarded third prize in the written category.The media category of the competition allows entrants to explore a variety of creative visual techniques to communicate their chosen topic. This year’s entries certainly delivered.The first prize in the media category went to Biomedical Sciences undergraduate Rosanna Culver (University of Edinburgh, UK), for her inventive video using a roll of toilet paper to describe how vaccines work, titled ‘Rolling out vaccines: the fight against COVID-19’. When asked about entering the Science Communication Prize, Rosanna said:Recent PhD graduate Leonardo Feletto (University of Leicester, UK) received the second prize for his timely video on ‘How COVID-19 spiked the interest for structural biology’, using animations and special effects to highlight the key role that structural biology has on combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Leonardo said:The third prize in the media category went to PhD student Martyna Kasprzyk (University of Edinburgh, UK), for her animated video on ‘Deciphering the code of protein folding’. Of opting to enter the media category, Martyna said;Congratulations again to the six winners, and don’t forget to visit our website to watch and read the outstanding winning entries in full: Science Communication Prize – Biochemical Society.