Wednesday 15 March 2017

FameLab announces Hong Kong winner at Science Alive 2017

15 March 2017, HONG KONG - Organised by the British Council, this year’s FameLab winner was announced on 11 March 2017 at Comix Home Base, Wan Chai. Taking place for the eighth year as part of Science Alive 2017, FameLab is a world-leading science communications competition that attracts thousands of entries every year around the world. Champion Nicole Tanner, a student studying Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will go on to compete against national winners from all over the world in June this year.

‘I feel honoured to have won the title this year, especially since there were many other talented contestants,” says Nicole. “I wanted to make a statement with my presentation and costume, that STEM education is, in fact, fun, stimulating, and interesting. I hope to become a science communicator one day and change the negative.’

The science communication competition requires contestants to share a scientific topic in an exciting, captivating and innovative way within three minutes, inspiring young people to think imaginatively about science. During the competition, Nicole talked about a topic of ‘Colon Cancer: Why Your Poo Matters’. She was chosen by the judges, who are leading researchers, media personalities, and science policy makers, based on the content, clarity, and charisma of her presentation.

Nicole will now compete against over 25 other contestants from around the world at the Times Cheltenham Science Festival in June 2017, where she will be expected to prove her science communication prowess, engage with other enthusiastic science communicators, and learn from UK experts in the field.

‘FameLab aims to discover charismatic, up-and-coming scientists who inspire people to see the world from a new perspective,’ says Sophia Chan-Combrink, Head of Education & Society, British Council, Hong Kong. “This is directly linked to the British Council’s aim to offer young people learning opportunities, help enhance the quality of education and bring together current and future leaders to tackle issues facing society.”

The British Council’s FameLab is designed to inspire, motivate, and develop young scientists and engineers to actively engage with the public and stakeholders. The science communication competition is part of Science Alive 2017, an annual science festival that brings together scientific experts from world-renowned scientific institutions in the UK with an aim to encourage science literacy across Hong Kong, creating a more informed and responsible society.

## High-resolution photos of Science Alive 2017 and FameLab Hong Kong available via this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1it6pq2jql654ca/British%20Council_Science%20Al...

###Video clippings of FameLab Hong Kong Grand Final winners: 

Nicole Tanner, winner: https://youtu.be/8aU-DKPnkJA

Martin Chan, first runner-up: https://youtu.be/JToFU8Q1aKA

Corey Nelson, second runner-up: https://youtu.be/ccgkmqGd_e4

Notes to Editor

About Science Alive

First launched in Hong Kong in 1991, Science Alive is the British Council’s annual science education programme that invites leading UK science academics and communicators to present interactive lectures and workshops to students and teachers in Hong Kong, aiming to promote fun and easy ways to learn science.  For more information, please visit 

http://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/education/science/science-alive

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’s cultural resources we make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications.

Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The majority of our income is raised delivering a range of projects and contracts in English teaching and examinations, education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. Eighteen per cent of our funding is received from the UK government.
Share this