The Imperial College Press Office cordially invites you to attend a
special Centenary event:

"A marriage made in heaven or hell? Do scientists and the media make
good bedfellows?"

- Imperial academics and alumni working in the media come together to
debate whether the media help or hinder science and scientists

In the Chair: Pallab Ghosh, Science Correspondent, BBC News

On the Panel: 

* David Cohen, New Scientist 
* Alok Jha, The Guardian 
* Michelle Martin, BBC Science Radio
* Professor Richard Templer, Department of Chemistry
* Professor Steve Bloom, Division of Investigative Science

Thursday 1 November 2007 * 18.30-19.45 * Lecture Theatre G16, Sir
Alexander Fleming Building,
Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ

A drinks reception will follow the event in the foyer of the Sir
Alexander Fleming Building

RSVP: [log in to unmask]

***About the event***

Do the media perpetuate unhelpful 'mad scientist' stereotypes? Are
scientific findings over-hyped? Are important discoveries being
overlooked in a quest for 'sexy' or controversial science? 

These and other issues will be explored by our panel, made up of senior
Imperial academics who have first-hand experience of working with the
media and alumni working for print, radio and television outlets.

***About the panel***

* Pallab Ghosh has been the Science Correspondent for BBC News since
1997. Before that, he was Science Correspondent for BBC East and Senior
Producer for the Today programme on Radio 4, as well as Science News
Editor for New Scientist. Pallab graduated from Imperial with a BSc in
physics and during his time at the College he was editor of the student
newspaper, Felix.

* David Cohen joined New Scientist as Features Editor in 2003 after four
years of freelance work for that magazine and other publications
including The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times. David
graduated from Imperial with a BSc in computing and whilst at the
College he was the station manager for IC Radio and wrote articles for
Felix.

* Alok Jha has been the Science Correspondent at The Guardian since
2003, before which he was a reporter for Research Fortnight. Alok
graduated from Imperial with a BSc in physics and an MSc in science
communication and he was a regular contributor to Felix.

* Michelle Martin has been a producer in the BBC Science Radio Unit
since 2003, after three years working first in the BBC's Science TV Unit
and then at BBC Science Online. Before joining the BBC, Michelle
freelanced as a TV researcher and also worked at the Science Museum.
Michelle has a BSc in maths and astronomy from the University of
Sheffield and she is a graduate of the MSc in Science Communication at
Imperial. Michelle worked on IC Radio during her time at the College.

* Professor Steve Bloom has worked at the Hammersmith Hospital since
1974 and wasHead of Imperial's Division of Investigative Science from
its inception in 1997 until August 2007. One of the world's leading
obesity experts, Steve is frequently called upon by the media to talk
about obesity and the mechanisms of hunger. In January 2007, his
research made headlines again after it was announced that his team was
developing a drug to tackle obesity using a hormone found in the gut,
known as pancreatic polypeptide.

* Professor Richard Templer holds the Hofmann Chair in Chemistry and was
Head of the Department of Chemistry from 2002 until August 2007, having
joined the College in 1990. In September 2007 Richard became the
Director of the Porter Institute, a new Imperial organisation which aims
to develop the science and technology behind the conversion of plant
biomass and plant waste into chemicals, liquid fuels, materials and
energy. He has been called upon by the media to talk about a variety of
issues concerning biofuels and sustainability.

 

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