NASA, Cheltenham Festivals (UK) and the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) are pleased to announce a partnership to operate a FameLab competition for the first time. The competition will be held in the fields of astrobiology and planetary sciences, and is open to all scientists working in these diverse areas of research.
FameLab Astrobiology workshops will train scientists and engineers to convey complex scientific concepts to the public. The training, coaching and recognition provided by these events builds the confidence needed to apply communication skills in a wide variety of situations.
Each contestant has the spotlight for only three minutes. No slides, no charts–just the power of words and anything you can hold in your hands. A panel of experts in both science and science communication will do the judging.
Winners of regional heats will continue to the grand final in Atlanta, Ga. in April at AbSciCon 2012. The winner of the FameLab Astrobiology final will be invited to participate in the International FameLab Final at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival on June 16, 2012.
“FameLab Astrobiology will discover and develop science communicators within our community. We look forward to hearing the things the participants will tell us about astrobiology,” said Mary Voytek, NASA’s Senior Scientist for Astrobiology.
For more about the FameLab Astrobiology competition, see http://astrobiologyfamelab.arc.nasa.gov/
For more information about FameLab, see: http://famelab.org/
