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Wits hosts Famelab science communication competition

- Wits University

This competition is an exciting chance to enhance your communications skills, and, maybe, represent your country internationally.

Wits University and the Centres of Excellence in Palaeosciences, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences and Strong Materials will be hosting the exciting international Famelab science communications competition in the next month.

The University will host one leg of the competition, which is open to all student and early career scientists in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) fields, while the three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) will jointly host a separate leg.

Famelab is an international competition that aims to inspire young scientists to share their work with a general audience. The goal of the competition is to share your research in three minutes in the most compelling, interesting way. The competition is broken up in a one-day of science communication workshop, followed shortly thereafter by one day of competition – called the Heat – where early career academics or senior postgraduates will compete against each other in presenting their research.

The Wits Famelab training workshop is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 22 February 2017, in the Video Conference Room on the first floor of the Maths Building, West Campus. The Heat will take place on Tuesday, 15 March 2017, in the Wits Theatre.

The CoE’s workshop will be held on Wednesday, 23 February, and the Heat on Wednesday, 16 March, in the same venues.

The semifinalists of each of the Heats will be entered into a regional competition, after which the winners of the regional competition will advance to a national Heat. Success here could see the winners representing South Africa and an international Heat.

Semi-finalists of the regional competition will also receive additional training in a communications master class, presented by experts in communications techniques in order to train them in oral expression to improve their communication skills.

Who is eligible to enter?

The competition is open to postgraduate students, postdocs and early career academics between the ages of 21 and 35. The focus of the competition is on the communication of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) subjects.

More information:

Please visit the Famelab website for more information or contact me via the email.

Interested in entering:

If you are interested in entering the Wits leg of the competition, please contact  Schalk.Mouton@wits.ac.za by no later than the end of the day of Friday, 17 February 2017. Students or academics attached to one of the three CoEs can contact their respective administrators.

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