Spatika Jayaram wins UK final of science communication competition Famelab
A Gates Cambridge Scholar has won the UK final of Famelab in the science communication competition’s 20th anniversary year.
Spatika Jayaram was crowned UK winner at the ceremony in early June at Cheltenham Science Festival. She competed against 10 of the best science communicators from across the UK in the first all-female final.
FameLab is the world’s longest running science communication competition and training programme in the world.
At the final, hosted by comedian Shirley Halse, early-career researchers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths entertained a live audience with three-minute talks covering a range of subjects including exoplanets, quantum science, chronic pain, heartbreak, slime and gambling.
Spatika [2023], representing the East of England, spoke about neuroscience in a talk titled Time Travel with Your Brain.
The judges were quantum physicist and FameLab alumni Nic Harrigan, neuroscientist and science communicator Dr Rachel Honeyghan-William and Mark the Science Guy, Mark Langtry.
Spatika, whose PhD focuses on how changes in the prefrontal cortex can lead to the early onset of neuropsychiatric disorders, will now compete in the International Final at CERN Science Gateway, Switzerland on 25th November. It will be streamed live on FameLab YouTube Channel. She will compete against eight other countries: Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, South Africa and Switzerland and as they vie to be the World’s Best Science Communicator 2025.
She received a certificate and trophy for winning the UK round as well as £500 and an all-expense paid trip to the 9th Silesian Science Festival in Katowice, Poland, this December.
*Find out more about FameLab at www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/famelab or watch the final on FameLab YouTube Channel.
**Photo courtesy of FameLab and Still Moving Media. Spatika is in the centre.
