Maltese chemical pathologist Michelle Muscat recently won the Furness Prize for Science Communication 2017 organised by The Royal College of Pathologists of England for sustained excellence in science communication. This is the first time this UK science communication prize has been won by a Maltese doctor.
In the light of this, The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to Muscat about the prestigious prize and what it means to her.
"My travels to the cold winters, grey skies and occasionally snowy streets might have brought with them more blessings than I would have initially imagined," said Muscat, who, as well as her interest in science, also has a love for poetry, a factor which is clear in her replies.
Her passion about conveying scientific and medical themes to others has drawn her to fusing the two together. "I am also particularly interested and enthusiastic about communicating chemical pathology learning points through fictional characters and engaging stories, both existing novels/movies/animation as well as devised for the occasion. Acting is also an exciting arena," she said.
So what is science communication exactly?
"Science communication entails conveying a powerful scientific message to the general public who are not necessarily trained within the field," Muscat explained. "Outreach activities form an integral part of science communication. It drives on entertainment and storytelling to more powerfully convey a message."
Science communication also refers to the communication that occurs between doctors and scientific professionals during routine scientific or clinical practice and via articles in the media.
"Scientific journals for example also offer a platform where professionals communicate with one another," she said.
Over the years, Muscat has engaged in numerous activities related to science communication. In 2014, she founded the Facebook page 'Unravelling Chemical Pathology or UCP'. She has also delivered a series of talks to schoolchildren.
Moreover, although perhaps the most prestigious, the Furness Prize for Science Communication was not the first award that Muscat has received. Muscat's talk for FameLab Malta called 'Mona Lisa & Cholesterol – What You Did Not Know' won FameLab Malta's Public Choice Award.
The chemical pathologist and science communicator also writes poetry and often includes references to chemical pathology in her poems, which have gotten awards and been published over the years.
Last December, Muscat published a novel called 'Maddy's Pandora – Cherry Blossoms & Clinical Chemistry'. "I was amazed at the incredible response, seeing it popping up in online bookstore listings all over the globe as well as incredible ranking third on a German website for pathology books in English this January," she said.
Besides being involved in the literary scene, Muscat graduated as a medical doctor in 2008, and initially worked at Mater Dei for a few years, where she found that she wanted to specialize in: chemical pathology. Intrigued by the world of academics and education, she taught at the University of Malta between 2012 and 2017 and went on to pursue an academic career in the UK, pursuing a Ph.D at a British University.
Apart from science and academia, she likes participating as a background casting extra in a movie, something she finds "soothing".
Although Muscat has a jam-packed schedule working as a chemical pathologist and collaborating in research projects, she would still consider further media involvement.
"I have a few thoughts for the future, but at present I am not going to commit in this newspaper interview which one I will subsequently take up. As stated in the opening of 'Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian'… "crasnumquamscire", which literally means 'tomorrow is never to know'," she said.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2rOUrLT
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment