Max Perutz science writing prize 2009
PhD student Jacqueline Maybin has won the 2009 MRC Max Perutz Science Writing Award for her essay The best a man can’t get.
Jacqueline’s essay explores the idea that although men may be physically stronger, women’s bodies could ultimately be more powerful. The prize-winning piece focuses on the womb’s power to heal itself without scarring as women go through their menstrual cycles - a healing process unique to the female reproductive system. Greater understanding of this phenomenon could have a huge impact for both men and women, in particular, how we treat inflammation and scarring throughout the body.
Jacqueline said: “I’m delighted to have won such a prestigious award and hopefully this will encourage other students to talk and write more enthusiastically about science, and generally get people more interested in research.”
The Runner-up entry went to Alistair Dennison, a student at The Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham with his essay Blind Ignorance. Three entrants were Highly Commended; Nicola Harris of the Northern Institute of Cancer Research at The University of Newcastle; Karen Mackenzie from the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh; and Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge.
The entries were judged by a distinguished panel including Lavinia Greenlaw, celebrated author, poet and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and Alok Jha, the Guardian’s science correspondent.
The awards ceremony was held on the top floor of the Gherkin building in London on 26 August 2009. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz presented the successful entrants with their prizes - £1000 for the winner, £500 for the runner-up and £250 each for the highly commended entrants.
Offering his congratulations, Sir Leszek said: “The Max Perutz Science Writing Award offers students an opportunity to share their work with a wider audience. The MRC is committed to supporting students to develop the skills they’ll need to communicate their work to the most important people of all - the people whose lives will ultimately be changed by their research.”