EMBO Science and Society Programme

SELECTED ENTRIES FOR THE EMBO AWARD FOR COMMUNICATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES 2006

Lloyd Peck, British Antarctic Survey, Royal Institution of Great Britain, United Kingdom

Professor Peck carries out a series of activities in communicating science through international lectures at universities and major public presentations at media venues. He has visited Antarctica nine times to study animal adaptation to extreme environments and currently heads the ‘The Life at the Edge’ programme of the British Antarctic Survey.
Among his major contributions to the communication of his research is his delivery of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for young people entitled ‘To the end of the Earth: surviving Antarctic extremes’. The lectures were made into three TV programmes broadcasted on Channel 4, and repeated in Japan and Korea in 2006. He also actively participated in the making of a CD ROM on Antarctic science based on the themes of the lectures, which was distributed, without charge, to schools throughout the UK.

Christian Sardet, Research director, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France

Through his pioneering use of interactive multimedia technology Christian Sardet communicates scientific information and detailed molecular events. An established embryologist he is presently heading the BioMarCell group at CNRS and has also paved the way for improved communication between different disciplines within the life sciences but also with the general public. This year he produced the DVD ‘Exploring the Living Cell'; a unique three hour journey through the basic unit of life: the cell. The piece transports us inside a living cell; we follow a hormone as it passes through the cell membrane, the cytoplasm, and enters the nucleus where we see the magnificent ballet of mitosis - the replication of DNA and the separation of chromosomes. We learn how cells were discovered, how they impact health and disease and what the future holds. A 3D version of the film is a permanent exhibit in science centers in Paris and Naples.

Andrzej Jermanowski, Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, Warsaw University, Poland

A recipient of the Steinhaus Prize for communication of science to society Andrzej Jermanowski presents a scientific view of genetics and molecular biology to the general public in his native Poland. He has participated in numerous talks and interviews with the media and does not shy from controversial topics such as genetic diagnostics and counseling, therapeutic cloning and the impact of modern biology on human relations and religion among others.
His publication ‘Geny i zycie’ (Genes and life) presents essentials of biology and debates pros and cons of the reductionist theories by which genetics and molecular biology, including genomics attempt to explain life. He often partakes in multidisciplinary discussions with specialists in ethics and psychology where he presents his views on how genes act in mutual interaction with their environment (and not against it) shape who we are and how we behave.

Maria Manuel Dias Da Mota, Unidade de Malária, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Portugal

Dr Maria Mota is the president and founder member of Associação Viver a Ciência (VaC) a group strongly committed to improve the public perception of science in Portugal. The association is a private non-profit foundation created by scientists with aims to foster public involvement in research, to support the development of research careers and to promote fundraising in the private sector for scientific research. The Associação has launched a number of highly successful initiatives and to bring scientific debate into the daily concerns of the media, society and politicians. President of VaC Dr Mota has dedicated her career to scientific research in the area of malaria. She is a reference in her area of expertise, author of numerous articles and winner of several awards and grants. Her major contribution to promoting science communication in Portugal through the creation of VaC is complemented by an excellent science communications with the media.

Ali Saib, Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique, University of Paris VII, France

Professor Ali Saib has had a constant interest in communicating scientific material to the public. He has written a number in reviews in Nature and is currently collaborating with FRANCE 5, an education channel as scientific author on a film project on the merging world of viruses to raise public awareness on this complex but critically important field. In parallel, he has developed research focused on the cellular mechanisms of the traffic of incoming retroviruses from the plasma membrane to the host chromosome. The models he has drawn for the Primate Foamy Virus were confirmed for many other retroviruses, including HIV and may represent a novel target for therapeutic intervention on the incoming phases of retroviral infections.
On receiving the Salavin-Fournier Prize from the Foundation de France, Professor Saib initiated a project to educate young people in the inner city of Marseille on infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and STD. Following its success he established an innovative project named ‘L’arbre des connaissances’ - the tree of knowledge. This project partners with high schools, universities and the CNFS Research Institute to allow undergraduate students visit research labs and bridge the gap between Science and society. Based on the projects achievements similar initiatives are being developed at the Pasteur, Cochin and Curie Institutes.

Irun Cohen, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Professor Cohen has organised and participated in lecture courses and media events in Israel, Russia and Germany. He also serves on the National Committee for Bioethics which reviews and reports scientific issues related to ethics. In memory of Ofer Lider a prominent scientist he founded Life’s Verse a non-profit association established to encourage scientists to express their creativity in the worlds of art and nature.
An original and productive thinker Professor Cohen’s writing examines the fundamental relationship between religion and science. He develops his view of science ‘as a hermeneutic system for interpreting the texts of nature’, and discusses fundamental aspects of the scientific process, such as interpretation, understanding, signification, meaning, communication and data. By connecting Talmudic texts with ideas related to science, he offers fresh and often surprising insights into the most essential of all philosophical questions.
His publication 'Regen und Auferstehung. Talmud und Naturwissenschaft im Dialog mit der Welt' states “Where the authority of received wisdom is absolute, no individual can legitimately discover a new truth. Where nature is sacred and off-limits to intervention, no experiment can be done ethically. Without the hope of progress, there is no point in intervention; the fields of science would lay fallow.”

Franco Gambale, Istituto di Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy

Dr. Franco Gambale a respected biophysicist in the field of ionic transport is also actively involved in the enlargement of scientific culture in Italy and Europe. He organised an exhibit entitled “micro&Macro” at the National History Museum in Genoa. The exhibit was centered on a large fiber glass cell with 20 large panels, films and a series of conferences. The piece is now installed as a permanent exhibit in the Museum illustrating microscopic cellular mechanisms in living organisms. This inspired the publication “micro&Macro: viaggio nella cellula” which features brief, simple text and cartoon illustrations outlining biological processes and mechanisms occurring in living cells.
He has also coordinated a LIFE-ENVIRONMENT European project on phytoremediation: and environmentally friendly technique which uses plants to decontaminate metal polluted soils. In parallel the Italian government supported two projects targeted at young students, they visited research experimentation fields in Arcola, and laboratories in Genoa to gain understanding of basic research activity. Dr. Gambale also presents talks outside the traditional academic context for example at “café scientifique” where he illustrates relationships between science and society.

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