WIREDGOV

In a year that has already seen the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle and the landing on Mars of the Curiosity Rover the opportunities for the media to raise awareness of amazing science has never been greater. To celebrate the work of science journalists and their importance in promoting contemporary scientific ideas and discoveries today sees the launch of a new prize for physics journalism. The prize offers the opportunity of an expenses paid trip to Japan, to visit world-leading facilities carrying out research at the frontiers of physics.

The prize is for a work of journalism which is published or broadcast, and which is accessible to the general public. Eligible articles will cover physics research and related areas of technology, the working lives of physicists, engineers or other people working in physics, the application of physics in industry, or interdisciplinary research linking physics and other scientific disciplines. The aim of the prize is to increase the amount of great physics coverage in the media and hopefully lead to an increase in the number of stories that can inspire the next generation of physicists.

The prize is sponsored jointly by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

STFC Chief Executive Professor John Womersley said:

“A major influence on everyone’s perception of physics is of course the media. We are lucky to have many excellent science journalists in the UK. But we want to use this competition to encourage even more coverage, especially by new young writers who can help inspire the next generation of budding physicists.”

Speaking at the Institute’s annual awards ceremony, IOP President Professor Sir Peter Knight linked the new award to the shocking statistics on girls’ participation in physics, published earlier on 3 October in the report It’s Different for Girls. He said:

“It’s simply unacceptable that nearly half of all co-ed maintained schools in England do not put a single girl forward for A-level physics. We all need to work together to tackle this inequity.

“We know that there are many different factors involved, but one is almost certainly girls’ perception of physics, which is clearly influenced by its portrayal in the media. We hope that this new award will encourage journalists to highlight the excitement and relevance of physics in the modern world.”

One of the judges of the competition is STEMNET Chief Executive Kirsten Bodley. Kirsten and her team work with thousands of businesses and schools across the UK to inspire young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Kirsten sees the competition as ‘a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible research being undertaken within the physics community at present and at the same time offering young people a chance to see just how amazing and inspiring contemporary physics research can be. Hopefully a few more young people will read these stories and realise that a future in physics research could be for them. It is not about boffins but about smart people pushing the boundaries of scientific research.’

The IOP-STFC Physics Journalism Prize complements the European Astronomy Journalism Prize, whose first winner – the BBC’s Katia Moskvitch – was announced on 5 September.

STFC collaborates with Japanese institutions on a number of ground-breaking projects in Japan including JPARC’s T2K experiment, which directs a beam of neutrinos 295 kms underground across Japan, and its world-class spallation neutron source and the Riken Institute in Tokyo which has just announced the discovery of element 113.

• Terms and conditions of the IoP-STFC Award for Physics Journalism

Media Contacts

For further information contact:

STFC Media Manager
Jake Gilmore
Tel: +44 (0)1793 44 2092
Mobile: +44 (0)7970 99 4586
E-mail: jake.gilmore@stfc.ac.uk

IOP Senior Press Officer
Joe Winters
Tel: 020 7470 4815
Mobile: 07946 321473
E-mail: joseph.winters@iop.org

Notes for Editors

STFC

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security.

The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar.

STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:

• in the UK: ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and LOFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd
• overseas: telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii

It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Follow us on Twitter @STFC_Matters

http://stfc.ac.uk (link opens in a new window)

The Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society and charitable organisation promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.

It has a worldwide membership of around 45 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policymakers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics.

Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
Web-site: www.iop.org.