Science Challenge returns
RCSU Science Challenge is back for another year, with a total prize pot of £4000 and an all expenses paid trip to CERN up for grabs
The RCSU Science Challenge returns! With a total prize-pot of over £4,000 to give away and the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to CERN, Geneva, this is a competition you don’t want to miss. The Science Challenge was created in 2006 to encourage scientific debate, reasoning and the communication of science in a public-friendly context. In previous years this has meant the setting of questions by high-profile judges which must be answered through an essay. The competition is open to all Imperial College students, and 500 schools nationally.
The Science Challenge 2013 brings a new edge to the competition, keeping three questions open to be answered by an essay, but for the first time introducing a dedicated question which must be answered through the glorious format of video! Video entries must be answeredin less than three minutes running time, using any props or setting that you deem necessary – and team entries are very much welcomed; whilst essay questions must be answered in an essay of around 800 words. A key factor in both entries is that your answer must be in a ‘public-friendly context’, that is, a compelling scientific argument that any member of the public who possesses only a basic scientific knowledge could understand.
Our Judges this year are an all-Imperial elite, and will be speaking at our Launch Event this coming Thursday, 24th. Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Science and Society and TV personality leads the panel, with Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Professor Sir Roy Anderson, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence and current Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial, and Dr Jad Marrouche, a research associate both here at Imperial and at CERN, who has made both the CERN and video prizes possible, completing the full judging line-up.
At the Launch Event, the Judges questions will be released, the full list of prizes announced, and each Judge will give a speech detailing the background of their question as well as their experience with science communication. Professor Maggie Dallman, Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (generously sponsoring the event), will also be giving a guest speech; and there will be the chance to win tickets to our Grand Final (whether you are successful in the competition or not!).
To register yourself for the Launch Event (which includes free foodand wine!) visit: http://rcsu.org.uk/exec/sciencechallenge2013/
