RSE Beltane Prizes 2012: Winners Announced!

Professor Tom Devine OBE HonMRIA FBA FRSE (pictured above, keynote speaker at Engaging Scotland conference 2011), one of Scotland’s leading historians, has been awarded the RSE Beltane Senior Prize for Public Engagement 2012 while the University of Dundee’s Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall has been announced as the winner of the RSE Beltane Innovator’s Prize for Public Engagement 2012.

With these prestigious prizes, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Beltane aim to recognise and promote excellence in public engagement with research; fostering a culture in which researchers consider good communication an integral part of their work.

Professor Mary Bownes, Vice Principal of the University of Edinburgh and Chair of the Committee that selected this year’s winners, commented:

The task of choosing the winners was once again extremely difficult; the candidates were of extremely high calibre and we could have easily given out several awards. We are delighted with the selection of Professor Devine, who is excellent at engaging the wider community with Scottish History, and Dr Stanley-Wall, whose innovative engagement activities in Molecular Microbiology exhibit potential for future developments.

Professor Tom Devine is currently Professor Personal Senior Research Professor in History, University of Edinburgh. In previous roles, he has initiated projects of truly international ambition and significance, including founding and developing the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies and the University of Edinburgh’s Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies.

On winning the prize, Professor Devine commented:

I am deeply honoured to be awarded this prestigious prize in the vital field of public engagement in which so much brilliant work is now being done in the universities to the huge intellectual and cultural benefit of Scottish society.

Professor Devine is a regular contributor to the RSE’s events programme and delivered the 2011 RSE Annual Christmas lecture, which was webcast live around the world.

Dr Stanley-Wall is a lecturer in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Dundee where she also runs a highly successful research programme. She was recently elected to the RSE Young Academy. Examples of her work in public engagement include giving talks at secondary schools and helping to run the RSE Science Masterclasses at the University of Dundee. She is the co-ordinator of the two-day event “Magnificent Microbes” which will take place once again in 2012 at the Dundee Science Centre.

On winning the prize she commented:

I am very proud and honoured to be awarded the RSE Beltane Innovator Prize for Public Engagement. Organising outreach activities is a very enjoyable part of my work. I am always excited to see the creativity my colleagues have when designing fun activities to explain their work and additionally gain a lot of satisfaction when the visitors and school children clearly benefit from the time and effort that has been exerted.

The prizes, designed and crafted by Edinburgh-based artist Karen Akester, will be presented to the winners at an upcoming public event, details of which will be announced on the RSE website soon.

http://www.rse.org.uk/667_RSEBeltanePrizesforPublicEngagement.html

About the Prize

In 2011, The Royal Society of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Beltane launched the RSE Beltane ‎Prizes for Public Engagement with the aim of recognising and rewarding the advancement of high quality public engagement with research. Through encouraging those who engage the public with research, the RSE is supporting the advancement of public discussion on significant matters. Rewarding those who are exemplary at communicating and facilitating this engagement, is an important step in cultural change amongst research organizations, which is necessary to ensure that the public receives the greatest benefit from Scotland’s pioneering research and innovation.
Senior Prize: awarded to someone who demonstrates a sustained high-quality track record of public engagement and who shows exemplary communication and innovation skills.
Innovator’s Prize: awarded to someone who does not have a long history of engagement but who is recognised as an emerging talent and who shows promise as an innovator in the field.

About the Royal Society of Edinburgh

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s national academy, was founded in 1783 and the Fellowship today includes some of the best intellectual talent in academia, the professions and business. The RSE facilitates public debate, research programmes, educational projects and policy formulation. Its strength is its diversity and impartiality. In fulfilling its Royal Charter for the ‘advancement of learning and useful knowledge’, the RSE seeks to contribute to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of Scotland.