2009 Science Challenge Launched

Past RCSU President Jad Marrouche

News From Felix - RCSU Imperial College Science Challenge, supported by Shell, has been launched.

Professor Lord Robert Winston got the 2009 RCSU Imperial College Science Challenge, supported by Shell, off to a flying start last night, as he spoke at its launch. The event was attended by over 150 Imperial students and even the Rector, Sir Roy Anderson, was amongst the audience, with students and teachers from schools across the United Kingdom also logging in to watch the event live online. Some even made the journey to South Kensington to attend the event itself! Either the free cakes and drinks on offer, or perhaps this year's prizes, must have caught their attention - with the overall winner standing to pocket £5,000 for only 800 words!

Full details of this year's competition were announced at the launch by the Chair, Jad Marrouche, PhD student and former President of the RCSU, who is running the event for the second time after his many successes in 2006- 2007. The competition will follow a similar format to previous years, with the aim being to write an 800-word essay in answer to one of four questions, set by a panel of judges, based on a scientific topic and its effects on the wider world. There will once again be two categories: one for students at Imperial College, and another, run in conjunction with Imperial Outreach, for school students across the United Kingdom.

Guided tours of the National Physical Laboratory, the facilities at CERN in Geneva and a Shell alternative energy laboratory.

And just when you thought that was all, John Sanderson of the RCSA has once again given generously to the cause, donating once-in-a-lifetime (non-scientific!) prizes to the winners - two tandem flights on a paraglider for the winning school student and two trial lessons on a light aircraft for the winning Imperial student...who said science couldn't be fun ... ?

Passing onto each judge the top ten essays based on their question. Each judge will then select the winning essay for each of the two categories and then all four judges will decide upon the overall winners, who will be announced at the Grand Final event, to be held on the 13th March at an as-yet undisclosed location. With previous Grand Finals including sell-out events at the Ritz Hotel and the Science Museum, you can bet this will be one not to miss!

The Science Challenge website has also had an extensive re-development and is now available, complete with full details of the competition, previous winning essays and information about how to enter, all of which can be found at the conveniently named http://sciiencechallenge.org.

All entries must be submitted online at http://sciencechallenge.org, and received by 23.59 on the 2nd March. Imperial academics will judge the essays,

In the Imperial category, the overall winner will receive £5,000 cash, generously sponsored by Winton Capital, with the three runners-up each receiving £1,000 cash and in the schools category, the overall winner will receive a £5,000 bursary to study at Imperial College, with the three runners-up each receiving a £1,000 bursary.

If this wasn't enough, there will also be "experience" prizes on offer for all the prize winners, including a day shadowing Lord Robert Winston, and Past RCSU President Jad Marrouche.