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

Nominations are invited from within the University of a University of Edinburgh Science communicator (s) who has/have, in the last 3 years, undertaken outstanding public engagement activities which has had (or will have) 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 5th September 2008. 

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 will give the University of Edinburgh Christmas Lecture following the award presentation. This will be a key University event.

The award consists a medal(s) and a grant of £500 for their particular science communication activity.  It will also involve a lecture/presentation on the day of the award, which will be the 10th of December 2008. 

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.

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. 
•	Please attach a copy of the nominee’s (nominees’) current curriculum vitae limited to 2 pages.

Deadline for Nominations:
Nominations must be received by 5th September 2008

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

The recipient(s) and their partners will be invited to receive their Award from Tam Dalyell at an awards presentation ceremony on 10th Dec 2008 followed by the University of Edinburgh’s Christmas Lecture/Presentation. 

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

Panel Members:
1. Professor Vicki Bruce, 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 Grahame Bulfield, 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.	Stuart Munro, Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth 
8.	Professor Aubrey Manning, Emeritus Professor of Natural History

Applications clearly marked The Tam Dalyell Prize 2008 should be sent to:

Ms D de Silva-Williams
Communications & Marketing
7-11 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9BE

If you have any questions please contact Ms D de Silva-Williams or 0131 650 2247 or email: Deepthi.dSW@ed.ac.uk