12.28.2020

Scientists and engineers in UK and Ireland can enter a £600 writing prize for free


If you are a scientist or engineer who writes regularly about your subject, how can you know if you’re doing well? If you’re located in the UK and Ireland, or write for people based there, you can now enter your work for recognition by the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW).

As well as validation, The Dr Katharine Giles Award for best popular article written by a scientist or engineer comes with a £600 prize and media skills training. Dr Katharine Giles was a Lecturer at University College London who carried out ground-breaking research on sea ice, ocean circulation and wind patterns. She was also a passionate science communicator. Dr Giles was tragically killed in a cycling accident in 2013. The award is funded by the Dr Katharine Giles Fund, overseen by her mother, Dorrie.

This award is organised in association with stempra, the membership network for science PR and communications professionals, and is for a specific article aimed at a general audience. Entry for this award opens on January 4 2021, closes at 23:59 on February 1, and is free to all. Full guidelines are available at this page.

However this is just one of many awards the ABSW runs – see the full list here. You can enter up to three categories – however entry in the other awards either costs £55, or is free if you are an ABSW member. If you are any form of student who does science writing you may be able to join the ABSW for just £20 – click here for more details. 

Good luck to all who enter!

12.21.2020

What does a lonely brain look like? What's the deal with the new British coronavirus strain? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Dec 14 - Dec 21 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In the last weekly roundup of the eventful year that has been 2020, find out how DMT is being used to fight depression, and explore how part of the coronavirus could become incorporated into our DNA. Happy holidays, stay safe and join us again on January the 4th for more from the world of science news. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

Scientists show what loneliness looks like in the brain by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology news.
“The findings fit with the possibility that the up-regulation of these neural circuits supports mentalizing, reminiscence, and imagination to fill the social void,”
Credit: Leszek Pietrzak via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Psychedelic drug DMT given all clear for depression treatment trials by Ben Nealon at Science Prism.
Hearing aids could use some help by Paula Span for The New York Times.
The first COVID-19 vaccines: What’s mRNA got to do with it? by Dr. Ricki Lewis for DNA Science at PLOS blogs.
Holiday Instability by Physics Central.
Gravitational waves probe exotic matter inside neutron stars by Clara Moskowitz for Scientific American.
We may have seen a huge explosion in the oldest galaxy in the universe by Jonathan O’Callaghan for New Scientist.
Finding love in a hopeless place: How deep-sea anglerfish evolved to fuse with their mates by Alia Sajani for ImmunoBites.
Dust from receding glaciers may have major atmospheric impacts by Emily Harwitz at the American Geophysical Union blog Eos.
Where do stem cells come from? Expert answers by Dr. Paul Knoepfler for The Niche.


To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks

12.14.2020

How is a re-engineered psychedelic helping to treat depression in rodents? What have we learned about the Coronavirus, one year on? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Dec 7 - Dec 13 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best in the business from the world of science news, explore the surprisingly complex physics behind sandcastles, and discover how traditional remedies put many endangered species further at risk. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
A drug called Ibogaine is a pretty knarly hallucinogen and can cause heart-attacks. But re-engineered, it's showing promise in treating rodent models of depression.
Credit: Nick Harris via Flickr (CC-BY-ND 2.0)
To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks

12.07.2020

How does belief in conspiracy theories lead to accepting pseudoscientific medicine? How can being happy prevent cognitive decline? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 30 - Dec 6 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, meet Kurt, the first cloned Przewalski’s horse, and get the latest on the coronavirus vaccine that's starting to be administered to the public. Is an end in sight? ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
“Typically viewed as harmless, pseudoscientific practices can range from extremely dangerous (drinking methanol or injecting disinfectants) to deceptive ones, leading people astray from evidence-based practices,” 
Credit: Giancarlo Foto4U via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks