A Physicist from the University of Glasgow has won the Scotland Heat of FameLab UK 2015, the competition to find the new voices of science communication.

Lewis Mackenzie had just three minutes to pitch a complex scientific idea to the panel of judges, which included previous winner and University of Glasgow student, Richard Middlemiss, Technology curator of the National Museum of Scotland Elsa Davidson, Professor of Organic Chemistry from University of Aberdeen Marcel Jaspars and Professor of High-Pressure Chemistry from University of Edinburgh, Colin Pulham.

FameLab 2015 competition advert

‌Covering topics such as the universe described through the foam in beer, the mathematics of music, the mystery of our ancestor’s lives and the genius of James Clerk Maxwell, eight budding communicators from across Scotland took part in the competition held at the National Museum of Scotland.

Eyes

Lewis wowed the judges with his presentation on using photographs of eyes to measure health and blood oxygen levels. Lewis wins a place at the UK Grand Final, to be held at the Bloomsbury theatre on 22 April 2015. The winner will receive £1000 for themselves and up to £750 to spend on a science communication activity, whether it’s attending a conference, further training or developing a public event or activity.

To prepare him for the final, Lewis will join contestants from across the UK at a weekend MasterClass with leaders in the field of science communications.  Past winners of FameLab have gone on to travel the globe, perform in festivals and feature on national TV and radio, and many combine public-facing activity with ongoing research. All finalists become part of a global network of science communicators.

First published: 2 February 2015

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