The IMS-MRL Public Engagement Strategy Committee consider nominations made each year for activities undertaken during the previous calendar year, for outstanding and enthusiastic contributions by members of staff to our public engagement activities.

2020

Our 2020 awards were presented at our online Strategic Advisory Board meeting in November 2021 by Professor Fiona Gribble.

The award was made to everyone involved in our ‘Online Academy’ for year 10 secondary school students which was developed and delivered by 8 IMS-MRL PhD students and postdocs as a hybrid event with practical elements. It was run as 5 weekly after-school sessions in the summer term with our partner school, North Cambridge Academy. It’s something that we expect to be able to reuse or adapt for future events. Congratulations to:

2019

As we were at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, we announced the awards through our internal newsletter, MetaboGnome, in March 2020. Congratulations to:

• Orla Woodward – for being willing to take a lead and to take responsibility, including instigating, planning and organising an IMS-MRL group contribution to the Suffolk Science Festival
• Antonia Hufnagel – for her important role in developing our ‘labrador laboratory’ activity and for sheer hard work in using it to engage teenagers
• Edson Mendes De Oliveira – for consistently supporting IMS-MRL PE activities and always in an engaging manner
• Rachel Foreman – for quietly passing on her enthusiasm for science to the next generation

2018

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 (inaugural!) IMS-MRL Public Engagement Awards, which were awarded in March 2019 at an IMS-MRL seminar by Professor Fiona Gribble. Awards were made to

Sophie Buller, Antonia Huffnagel, Emily Miedzybrodzka and Phoebe Wilsmore for their contribution to our 2018 Cambridge Science Festival Activities. They put a lot of thought and work into designing, making and presenting ‘the marble run’ – a very popular activity which has helped us to discuss our research related to hormone signals for hunger/satiety. The activity has proved suitable for use with a wide age range.

Sam Virtue for his willingness to try something new and to engage beyond the academic sphere. Following publication of his paper in Cell Reports, Sam wrote an article for The Conversation, which was picked up by national press, and posted on the Reddit Ask me Anything thread, getting 22K views in one week. Sam also joined The Naked Scientist for a Q+A session about his research which is now a podcast and was broadcast on BBC5 Live and on Australian radio.