Towards a more scientifically literate public in the 21st century

在过去的十年中，除了在理论核物理领域建立国际研究声誉外，我还将相当一部分时间投入到科学传播和普及活动中。萨里大学最近认可了我的努力，去年10月将我提升为核物理学和公众参与科学的联合个人主席，后者是英国仅有的四个这样的主席之一，其他的在布里斯托尔（凯西·赛克斯）。在牛津大学（理查德·道金斯）和帝国理工大学（罗伯特·温斯顿），我对就更广泛的科学问题与公众交流我的研究充满热情，我相信EPSRC高级媒体奖学金将为我提供一个机会，让我从事原本无法从事的项目和倡议。这项奖学金提案的目标是一系列明确的、可实现的、令人兴奋的计划和倡议，我相信我能够实现。我相信，对于科学家来说，能够证明他们的研究是正确的，并向公众解释他们在做什么以及为什么要这样做，从来没有像现在这样重要过。我目前从事的公共参与和媒体工作受到教学、研究和管理等学术职责的限制。因此，在这种情况下提出的活动和倡议只有在EPSRC通过媒体奖学金的支持下才能实现，这样我就可以腾出一部分时间来投入其中。

Over the past decade, in addition to forging an international research reputation in my field of theoretical nuclear physics, I have devoted a significant fraction of my time to science communication and popularisation activities. The University of Surrey has recently acknowledged my efforts by promoting me last October to a joint personal chair in nuclear physics and in the Public Engagement in Science, the latter being one of just four such chairs in the UK, the others being in Bristol (Kathy Sykes), Oxford (Richard Dawkins) and Imperial (Robert Winston),I feel passionately about communicating my research and engaging with the public on wider scientific issues in general and believe that an EPSRC Senior Media Fellowship will provide an opportunity to pursue projects and initiatives I would otherwise be unable to. The objecitves of this fellowship proposal are a series of definite, realisable and exciting projects and initiatives that I feel confident I will be able to achieve. I believe it has never been more important for scientists to be able to justify their research and to explain to the public what they do and why they do it. My current involvement in public engagement and media work is constrained by my various academic responsibilities of teaching, research and administration. The activities and initiatives proposed in this case will thus only be possible with EPSRC support through a media fellowship to free up part of my time to devote to them.