A University of Edinburgh Award
The Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science 

Inspiring people of all ages about science

The University of Edinburgh invites nominations for the second Tam Dalyell Prize For Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science. The prize-winner will also give the University of Edinburgh Christmas Lecture.

Nominations are invited from within the University for a University of Edinburgh Science communicator (s) who has/have, in the last 3 years, undertaken outstanding public engagement activities which has had a strategic impact on the institution, organisations, schools and local communities, and whose career and future public engagement activities will benefit from the award.

Nominations may be submitted by the nominee, or by a third-party. The closing date for completed nominations is Friday 4th September 2009. 

Full details of how to submit a nomination are given below. 

About the award

The Tam Dalyell Prize For Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science will be an annual prize to recognise and reward University of Edinburgh’s outstanding science communicators in improving our society’s understanding of science and communicating the work of the University to those not within the scientific community.

The award will be open to any individual or group employed by the University and will cover the very broad scope of Public Engagement activities. These activities must have a primary objective of enhancing and/or increasing public understanding of science and could be activities like working with schools or other community groups, publishing, broadcasting, organising/participating in public events such as lectures, demonstrations and debates.

The recipient or the winning team will give the University of Edinburgh Christmas Lecture following the award presentation. This will be a key University event.

The award consists of a medal(s) and a grant of £750 for the winner’s particular science communication activity.  It will also involve a lecture/presentation on the day of the award, which will be the Wednesday 9th of December 2009. 

Tam Dalyell

Tam Dalyell was the 47th Rector of the University, a post he held from 2003 to 2006.

He taught English, History and Mathematics at Bo’ness Academy from1956-61 and was seconded as a Director of Studies in the ship-school Dunera from 1961-62. He was MP for West Lothian from 1962 to 1983 and from 1983 to 2005 MP for Linlithgow. He is the author of eight books and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

For 36 years from 1967 to 2005, Tam Dalyell was a weekly columnist for the New Scientist.  When he retired from writing his column in 2005, New Scientist made an exception and marked his retirement with an article. An extract is below: 

“THE best columnists do not merely present opinions. They provoke, educate, pursue the truth and challenge authority and orthodoxy. By those standards, Tam Dalyell, whose final Westminster Diary appears this week, has done an exemplary job. ….
In New Scientist, Tam provided a conduit for researchers to speak to Parliament and vice versa. He wrote about everything from dam safety to the plight of war veterans and the availability of antivenin. He covered all manner of environmental issues, nuclear power and chemical weapons…….
Tam displayed the same doggedness in preparing his column as he did in the House……For this, for the revelations, the tenacity, the integrity and entertainment, we thank Tam and wish him well for the future.”

Criteria for The Tam Dalyell Prize For Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science 

The University wishes to recognise a current member or group within the University community who has, in the last 3 years, made an outstanding strategic impact with the their science engagement activities and have achieved national and/or international recognition for their work.  

These activities may include: hosting school visits or visiting schools with talks and demonstrations, running workshops, writing or broadcasting about medical/scientific topics etc. but their primary objective must have been to enhance and/or increase public understanding of science.

Who Can Nominate?

Any current member of the University community may nominate. Self-nominations are allowed .

How to Nominate:

The relevant Head of School must approve all nominations in the first instance before being passed to the Head of College for approval.  Colleges should rank nominations in order of preference - please indicate clearly the top two choices. 

Once grouped and ranked, nominations should be submitted to Deepthi de Silva-Williams in Communications & Marketing via email.

The information required for submission:

•	Please submit a brief statement (no more than 2 A4 pages) that sets out the major impact/contribution as stated in the criteria above. 
•	A brief statement or other means (feedback from audience/press reports/video/CD for example) evidencing the nominee’s ability to make an effective and positive public presentation. As the requirement of the award is to give the University’s Christmas Lecture at the awards presentation.
•	Please attach a copy of the nominee’s (nominees’) current curriculum vitae which should detail all relevant science communication activities. (No more than 4 A4 pages)

Deadline for Nominations:
Nominations must be received by Friday  4th September 2009

Selection Process
Nominations will be considered by the Selection Panel (see below). The Convenor will then present their selection to the Principal and Tam Dalyell.

The recipient(s) and their partners will be invited to receive their Award(s) from Tam Dalyell at an award presentation ceremony on Wednesday 9th Dec 2009 followed by the University of Edinburgh’s Christmas Lecture/Presentation. 

Selection Panel
Convenor: 
Professor Dorothy Crawford Assistant Principal for Public Understanding of Medicine

Panel Members:
1. Professor April McMahon Vice Principal & Head of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
2. Professor John Savill, Vice Principal & Head of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
3. Professor Nigel Brown, Vice Principal & Head of the College of Science & Engineering
4. Professor Mary Bownes, Vice Principal for Research Training and Community Relations
5. Young Dawkins, Vice Principal for Development and Alumni 
6. Professor Simon van Heyningen, Vice Principal for Learning & Teaching 
7. Professor Aubrey Manning, Emeritus Professor of Natural History
8. Stuart Monro, Scientific Director of Our Dynamic Earth

Applications clearly marked The Tam Dalyell Prize 2009 should be sent via email to: 
Deepthi de Silva-Williams/Deepthi.dsw@ed.ac.uk or to the address below:
Communications & Marketing
7-11 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9BE

If you have any questions please contact Deepthi or 0131 650 2247 or email: Deepthi.dSW@ed.ac.uk

PREVIOUS WINNER 

2008
Professor Sergio Della Sala 
www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/dalyell-prize