The British Council in Vietnam is in partnership with Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Euraxess to organise FameLab Vietnam 2017.
With the presentation on fighting fire with fire using Wolbachia bacteria to against Dengue, Pham Ha My from Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam became the winner of FameLab Vietnam 2017. Her presentation was informative and inspiring, winning the judges over on content, clarity and charisma. Ha My will go to the UK to represent Vietnam in competing with winners from over 30 countries in the International FameLab Competition 2017 held at the Cheltenham Science Festival. She will also have the chance to visit a lab (proposed by the winner) in Europe with all costs fully paid by Euraxess.
Photo: British Council Vietnam
With this aim, FameLab makes important scientific topics more accessible to non-expert audiences and encourages them to find out more about science through participants’ three-minute presentations of which high quality content, clarity and charisma are required.
This year’s event gathered 12 participants who are young scientists, early-career lecturers, doctors and students across Vietnam including Thai Nguyen province, Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh and Can Tho cities to compete and express their passion for science and communications. The judges include Professor. Dr. Mai Trong Nhuan, journalist Dr. Ta Bich Loan and Associated Professor Dr. Le Anh Vinh.
Since it started in 2005 at the Cheltenham Science Festival, UK, FameLab has become a successful training program using a competition format to get individuals, scientists, engineers and lecturers talking about science and encouraging them to connect with audiences through their scientific topics. Participants have three minutes to present any scientific, engineering, mathematical or medical topic of their choice.
Together Cheltenham Festivals and the British Council co-produce the FameLab in over 30 countries. NASA has license to deliver the competition in the USA in the field of planetary sciences.
Since 2015, the British Council has cooperated with the Vietnam National University to make plans to hold the competition. Not only lecturers and researchers but any individuals interested in science are encouraged to enter the competition. The Top 12 FameLab Vietnam 2017 participants who had the most impressive presentations at regional heats were trained on science communications by Dr Emily Grossman, a science communication expert from the UK./.