Cork’s top newest voices from the world of science, technology, engineering and maths took part in this year’s "FameLab Cork" competition on 31st January. FameLab is the world’s leading science communication competition, and 13 local competitors took to the stage in the Triskel Arts Centre to dazzle with their interesting science. Held annually in over 30 countries across the globe, FameLab is designed to inspire, motivate and develop scientists and engineers to actively engage with the public and stakeholders.
At the Cork heat, 140 people from all walks of life enjoyed hearing quirky and captivating talks from the region’s leading science communicators as they competed for places in the national final. The judges from local schools and research centres had a difficult task on the night but decided that the overall winner was Mr Simone Iadanza, a PhD student in photonics at CIT and Tyndall National Institute, and a physics graduate of the Politecnico di Milano. Simone gave a thought-provoking talk detailing ‘how to stop the internet breaking in a few years’ time’.
Second place went to Ms Samantha Calthrop, who is studying for a degree at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences in UCC, for her engaging talk on why humans come in male and female forms.
Dr Lekha Menon Margassery, from the UCC School of Microbiology, claimed third place with her impassioned plea for the responsible use of antibiotics. Simone Iadanza and Samantha Calthrop will both progress to the FameLab national finals in Dublin in April.
The evening also featured a live link-up with Canada for an interview with Mr Tim Blais of YouTube sensation acapellascience, who gave insights into how his musical science videos have attracted millions of viewers.
Special thanks to the 2018 judges Mr Paudie Scanlon of Choláiste Choilm, Dr Ria O’Sullivan-Lago of INFANT and Dr Chrys Ngwa of INSIGHT.
About FameLab
FameLab® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK. The British Council has license to deliver the competition in over 30 countries internationally. NASA has license to deliver the competition in the USA. FameLab International is co-produced by Cheltenham Festivals and the British Council.
In 2017-2018, FameLab Ireland is delivered by the British Council Ireland, with funding from Science Foundation Ireland and support from Henkel Ireland Ltd and Cpl Resources Plc. The FameLab Cork heat is run by Tyndall National Institute in partnership with the research centres APC, CONNECT, INFANT, INSIGHT, IPIC and MaREI.
About the British Council
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. The British Council’s 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. For more information, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/ or http://www.britishcouncil.ie.
