the-BA : Award Lecture Winners 2008

How can text messages help catch criminals? (Image copyright: istockphoto.com/Stefan Klein)

Do you often forget where you’ve parked the car? Do you worry about the epidemics that may be lurking just around the corner? Would you like to know how the analysis of text messages can put criminals behind bars?

You can find out the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of these intriguing topics at the BA Festival of Science taking place at the University of Liverpool and across the city this September, when our ability to navigate using internal maps generated by our brains, the prediction and mitigation of disease outbreaks, and the emergence of a new forensic science based on language analysis will be among the subjects tackled as part of the 2008 Award Lecture series.

The lectures will be presented by talented researchers who have scooped prestigious awards for science communication from the BA.

Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the BA said: ‘The BA Award Lectures are always an extremely popular feature of the Festival programme, appealing to a broad audience.

‘They are given by outstanding communicators who bring their subjects to life with great enthusiasm and passion, explaining their current innovative work and its relevance to our everyday lives. The Awards seek to reward their ability to explore and discuss the social aspects of their research with the general public via thoroughly entertaining lectures.’

The 2008 award winners are:

The BA Joseph Lister Award Lecture
Dr Tim Grant, Aston University
‘Txt crimes, sex crimes and murder - the science of Forensic Linguistics’

The BA Lord Kelvin Award Lecture
Dr Pete Vukusic, University of Exeter
‘Evolutionary colour: understanding nature's use of light’

The BA Charles Lyell Award Lecture
Professor Neil Ferguson OBE, Imperial College London
‘”Atishoo, Atishoo, we all fall down”: predicting and controlling epidemics’

The BA Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award Lecture
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Science Innovation Limited and University College London
‘Climate change: what space can teach us about planet Earth’

The BA Charles Darwin Award Lecture
Dr Hugo Spiers, University College London
‘The "Sat Nav" in our brains’

Dr Grant says he is delighted to receive the BA Joseph Lister Award: ‘Forensic Linguistics is really coming of age and I feel receipt of the Award is recognition for the status of the discipline as much as for my individual efforts. The lecture for which I’ve received the Award focuses on identifying the writer of suspect text messages and reflects leading edge research carried out, with colleagues, at the new Centre for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University. Such work is having increasing impact in the courts with a number of recent convictions based on text messaging forensics.

‘Forensic linguistics is also at the heart of public debates about the intrusions of the surveillance society and of the scientist’s role as an expert witness, and so I’m particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to engage with the public in these debates at the Festival of Science.’

Speaking of his success, Dr Vukusic said: ‘It is a genuine honour and pleasure to have been selected for the Lord Kelvin Award Lecture this year. The BA Award Lectures provide a very special platform for communicating science and scientific advances to the public so I am delighted to have this opportunity to share my team’s passion and enthusiasm for the very exciting research we carry out at the University of Exeter.

‘Commercial interest in taking scientific inspiration from nature, the practice of biomimetics, has proliferated over the last decade; no more so than in the area of light manipulation by nature’s coloured systems. Some of the structural designs and scientific ideas that have been discovered recently in ours and other groups’ work are inspiring many different technologies and industries; examples feature in fashion fabrics, paints, paper manufacture and even in L’Oreal cosmetics. It is a captivating field of endeavour covering fascinating interdisciplinary science that is accessible at various levels to everyone, regardless of age and experience.’

Professor Ferguson was pleased to have the opportunity to communicate new research to the public and enthuse the next generation of scientists.

‘The research my colleagues and I undertake at the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling is relevant to everyone,' he said. 'We develop new statistical and computational methods for understanding and predicting the spread of new infectious disease epidemics. The computer models we generate can then suggest ways in which countries, communities and even families can best plan and respond to new outbreaks – such as a future flu pandemic. In my lecture I will discuss how we go about modelling epidemics, what past pandemics teach us about what to expect in the future, and remaining challenges in the field.’

Dr Aderin, who in addition to her research does a lot of work to help inspire young people to pursue science at school and beyond, said: ‘I am really excited at being awarded the BA Isambard Kingdom Brunel lecture for engineering. My main area of research is developing space instrumentation to monitor climate change. It will be great to get the opportunity to speak with the public about this work.’

In her lecture the audience will be able look at global warming from a whole new angle and learn how space scientists make science count in the battle against climate change. Looking down onto the Earth, special instruments are providing scientists and climatologists with data ranging from the CO2 uptake of plants to the movement of the wind.

Meanwhile, Dr Spiers will reveal how the brain generates its own internal maps which we use to navigate, remember the past and even imagine the future. Bats and ants both use this ability when navigating incredible distances, and taxi drivers seem to be able to use it more effectively than other people.

Upon hearing about his selection as an Award Lecturer he said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for me to bring exciting cutting edge neuroscience research to a wide audience. I am looking forward to the challenge of making creative use of audience participation to engage the public.’

The BA Festival of Science will take place in Liverpool from 6-11 September bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events happening throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations.

This year’s Festival is organised in partnership with the University of Liverpool. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

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