Global Science Communications competition

Global Science Communications competition.

FameLab India, Global Science Communications competition –  South India finals on 30 November 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

  • Overwhelming response from South India: Shortlisted participants from leading institutions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka
  • Finalists to receive exclusive two-day masterclass in science communications from eminent science communicator Prof Iain Stewart, Plymouth University, UK
  • FameLab finals on 30 November 2016, 4 p.m. onwards at Tagore Theatre Thiruvananthapuram is Open to ALL, entry is FREE!
  • Winners will compete at India Nationals with the India Finals representing India at FameLab International Grand Finale at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK in June 2017

FameLab, the world’s largest science communications programme brought to India by British Council, has received an overwhelming response from South India. With entries from top educational institutions from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka, 30 participants have been shortlisted to compete at the South India Finals scheduled on 30 November 2016. The regional winners will compete at the India finals later, to be held at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune in January 2017. The India winners will represent the country at the FameLab International Grand Finale at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK in June 2017.




FameLab aims at presenting scientific concepts in an interesting and innovative manner to the general public. The South India finals will have representation from institutions such as IIT-Madras; University of Kerala; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli; National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore and Manipal University, Karnataka. The 30 participants will participate in an exclusive masterclass, where they will receive training in science communication from eminent science communicator Prof Iain Stewart from Plymouth University, UK before the South India Finals. This training provides a life-skill helping STEM workers reach new audiences with science.

Commenting on the encouraging response from South India, Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India, said, “We are overwhelmed with the response we have received for FameLab in South India. The applications reinforce the fact that Indian youth are brimming with fresh scientific ideas and an innate need to express themselves. With the global platform that FameLab presents, science communicators get an opportunity to further their skills and enhance their potential.

Dr Suresh Das, Executive Vice President of Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) and Principal Secretary S & T Department said: “Congratulations to all the teams who have successfully made it to the South India Regional Finals of FameLab to be held at Thiruvananthapuram. KSCSTE is very happy to be associated with this exciting event.”

Prof P K Radhakrishnan, Vice Chancellor, University of Kerala said,” FameLab would help to communicate scientific concepts and outcomes to the society. By jointly organising the regional finals in Thiruvananthapuram, we are adding great value to higher education.”

The British Council is partnering with the University of Kerala and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) for the regional finals in South India.

FameLab finals on 30 November 2016, 4 p.m. onwards at Tagore Theatre Thiruvananthapuram. Open to ALL, entry is FREE!

FameLab encourages scientists and STEM workers to inspire and excite new audiences with science. The training and competition format provide a platform for STEM workers to show the public the exciting side of science; enhance their communication and presentation skills; engage with like-minded individuals; and join a unique, international alumni network.

FameLab works towards encouraging scientists to inspire and excite the public’s imagination with a vision of science in the 21st century. The competition will provide a platform for researchers to put forth their ideas to the public in an interesting manner; enhance their communication and presentation skills; and engage with like-minded individuals and alumni network besides. Shortlisted applicants from each region will get an opportunity to attend a fully funded science communication workshop jointly delivered by UK and Indian trainers in each region. The FameLab finalists will also get an opportunity to attend a science communication masterclass lead by the best UK trainers. .




Cheltenham Festivals began FameLab in the UK in 2005 but, with British Council involvement since 2007, the programme is now truly international, taking place in 27 countries in 2016. National FameLab programmes currently run in Australia, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

There is growing, unprecedented global FameLab network of 5000 multi-disciplinary, multi-national, early-career researchers, connected with research, industry and education networks, that are helping to address the issues of diversity and mobility (including social mobility) to support the future growth of the STEM pipeline and the wider social economic benefit this delivers. More than 200 local partners including ministries of education, ministries of science, universities, science foundations and academies already support FameLab, underlining its importance to science communication across the world.

The UK is the world leader in the area of science communication – there are academic programmes in the field and a number of annual, exciting science festivals. Science Communication is a recognised profession and the UK’s experience in science communication has changed the way the media report on scientific topics.

For registration or more information on FAMELAB, please log on to:

https://www.britishcouncil.in/famelab




Professor Iain Stewart

Scottish geologist, a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. He is Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth and also a member of the Scientific Board of UNESCO’s International Geoscience Programme.

British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.