Prestigious science writing prize for PhD student

Anne Corbett wins MRC Max Perutz Science Writing award - News

By Laura Gallagher
Friday 3 August 2007

Imperial PhD student Anne Corbett has won joint first place in the prestigious MRC Max Perutz Science Writing Award for an essay she wrote about meningitis. Anne was presented with her GBP 1000 prize by the acclaimed author Ian McEwan at a ceremony on Monday 23 July.

Anne is in the second year of her MRC-funded PhD in the Division of Investigative Science and her winning essay, "Behind enemy lines - discovering the stealth tactics of the meningococcus," describes her work on the human meningococcus pathogen. As part of her prize, Anne's essay has been published this week in the Guardian newspaper.

Professor Christoph Tang , Anne's supervisor from the Division of Investigative Science, said: "Everyone in the group was delighted to hear about Anne's success in this highly prestigious competition which describes her work on meningococcal infection. We all felt that her essay expressed the impact of this devastating disease very clearly, and she was able to describe her work in an understandable way."

Below, Anne talks about her enthusiasm for science writing and her plans for the future.

What are you hoping to do once you have finished your PhD?

I definitely want to move into scientific writing as a career. I love my research and find it fascinating, but writing and communicating science, particularly to a non-scientific audience, is what I really love to do. I love the idea of making science accessible to the vast majority of the public who are not well versed in the subject and all the jargon that surrounds it.

Why do you think good science writing is important?

I think that science is now, more than ever, present within the public eye, and misconceptions about even the most basic scientific principles result in mistrust. There are so many instances of this today - the MMR vaccine, GM food, and climate change being prime examples. I believe that clear communication of science to the public as a whole is vital to rebuild the trust between scientists, the government, and the public.

How did you feel when you found out you had won the award?

Absolutely stunned! I really didn't expect to do so well, and was happy to be one of the shortlisted finalists. Now the shock has just about worn off, I really am thrilled. Not only does winning this award validate my desire to become a writer, but it will give me a fantastic starting point from which to launch my career into the highly competitive world of writing.

How did you find taking time out from your PhD to turn your hand to science writing?

I am very fortunate in that I find I can sit down at a keyboard, or with a pen and a piece of paper, and put together an essay, or report, quite quickly. This means I have been able to write not only this piece for the MRC competition, but also a series of book reviews and other small pieces, without having to take time out from my PhD studies and lab work. Over the next year I will be following up some of the fantastic contacts I was able to make at the awards dinner, to hopefully start getting my work published in various newspapers and journals.

My supervisor, Chris Tang, is immensely supportive of my writing and has helped me in so many ways. I think without his understanding and enthusiasm I would find it much harder to combine both lab work and writing.

What inspired you to write about this topic in particular?

When I sat down to write this essay, we had recently been visited by members of Meningitis Research UK and had heard some stories about cases of meningococcal disease directly from families that had been affected.

It was a very touching experience, and helped me to convey just how devastating the disease is, and why people need to be aware of it. I think the key to writing about science within the public arena is first to engage, and then to convince the reader of the importance of the issue without the need to patronise your audience. If you can achieve that then you are on to a winner.

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