{"id":213,"date":"2010-01-11T22:18:50","date_gmt":"2010-01-11T22:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/2010\/01\/11\/science_challenge_2010\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T07:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T07:49:10","slug":"science_challenge_2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/2010\/01\/11\/science_challenge_2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Challenge 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today saw the launch of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/sciencechallenge\/\">RCSU Science Challenge 2010<\/a> &#8211; featuring an addition to the options for entrants which should please the new-media types. (More details below.)<\/p>\n<p>As I <a href=\"http:\/\/network.nature.com\/people\/erikacule\/blog\/2009\/01\/23\/calling-budding-science-writers\">blogged last year<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#6\">RCSU Science Challenge<\/a> is an annual competition which<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<em>aims to promote scientific communication and creative thinking amongst some of the country&#8217;s most talented young individuals; the same individuals that will eventually shape our future over the years to come.<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The competition has been running since 2006, but entry is restricted to students at Imperial College. A parallel competition, with the same questions and entry criteria as the Imperial College competition, is open to secondary school students in years 11, 12 and 13. I would encourage those of you who know potential entrants to point them in the direction of the Challenge&#8217;s website, with the suggestion that they start to mull over the questions.<\/p>\n<p>In common with previous competitions, this year&#8217;s panel of judges include representatives from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#9\">research<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#10\">industry<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#8\">media<\/a>, as well as an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#11\">Imperial College native<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I have reproduced the questions below, but this year the most exciting development is the change in the criteria for entries. In addition to the essay format, which is still welcome, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/sciencechallenge\/#12\">media entries<\/a> will be accepted. The competition&#8217;s organizers encourage creativity in producing a short (up to six minutes) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/sciencechallenge\/#12\">video<\/a>. [1]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#2\">The Questions<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong>Mark Henderson, Science Editor of The Times<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>How will genetic advances change medicine and society by 2020?<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong>Andrew Harrison, Fuel Innovations Manager, Shell<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>The Climate Change Act 2008 commits the UK to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050- can technology alone deliver road transports&#8217; share of this reduction?<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong>Athene Donald, FRS, UNESCO 2009 Woman scientist of the year<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Can renewable energy sources solve the UK&#8217;s energy problems?<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong>Sir Keith O&#8217;Nions, Acting Rector of Imperial College<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>What are the prospects for finding life on other planets?<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/challenge\/#3\">prizes<\/a> are significant, including \u00a34000 cash and opportunities to gain insight into the circles in which the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shell.com\/\">sponsors<\/a> and the judges move. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcsu.org.uk\/sciencechallenge\/#4\">Grand Final<\/a> is a black-tie affair (in common with previous years, when venues have included the Science Museum and the Ritz). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imperialcollegeunion.org\/rcsu-351\/rcsu-rcsu-science-challenge-final-event-1795\/\">Tickets<\/a>, I am assured, are selling fast.<\/p>\n<p><p class=\"footnote\"><sup>1<\/sup> Unfortunatly, the outcome of <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/nautilus\/2009\/03\/cromer_is_so_bracing_unconfere.html\">CISB09<\/a>, at ten minutes, falls <del>fowl<\/del> foul of the entry criteria. Besides, team entries are not permitted. Back to the drawing board&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today saw the launch of the RCSU Science Challenge 2010 &#8211; featuring an addition to the options for entrants which should please the new-media types. (More details below.) As I blogged last year, the RCSU Science Challenge is an annual &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/2010\/01\/11\/science_challenge_2010\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[189,192],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogging-the-phd","category-nature-network"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3043,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions\/3043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}