Three minutes of science – FameLab at the Academy

Why is it easy for a penguin to become a parent, and why is it difficult for a seal? How can a “recovery” beer in the morning help one survive the consequences of a rough night out the previous day? Merging black holes, gravitational waves, a virtual walk among molecules and love in the time of syphilis. These are just some of the topics addressed during the semifinals of FameLab, the international science communication competition. which was held for the first time in Hungary.

17 April, 2018

2018 marks the first time the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and British Council Hungary held the FameLab science communication competition in Hungary. The aim was to find people who can recite important scientific topics in an inspiring and exciting manner. Participants had only three minutes to prove their worth to the audience and members of the judging panel through their mini lecture’s content, clarity and style.Please click here too see our photo gallery of the event

mta.hu/Tamás Szigeti

The semifinals were held in the palace of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The 46 participants’ topics ranged from science, technology, IT to mathematics. Expert judges evaluated the presentations based on content and style and selected the 14 best speakers. They will go on to participate in a master course organised by the Academy and British Council experts after which they will be competing in the national round on 14 May. This will be held in the Ceremonial Hall of the Palace.

The winner of the Hungarian round will travel to the international final of Famelab at the Cheltenham Scientific Festival. Following is the list of participants who qualified for the finals:

Name	Field	Lecture
Zsombor Boromisza	Agricultural science	The river bank is for you
Gergely Dálya	Physics	Seeking merging black holes
Béla Fiser	Chemistry	A virtual walk among molecules
Péter Jenei	Physics	The moving clock – the relativity of time
Ágnes Kis-Tóth	Physics	How to save lives through the science of complexity
Christina Miskolczi	Biology	Connection between social neglect during infancy and pathological aggression during adulthood
Judit Mokos	Biology	Why is it easy for a penguin to become a parent, but why is it difficult for a seal?
Janka Sára Molnár	Physics	What am I without science?
Orsolya Rita Molnár	Biology	Love in the time of syphilis – lizards and their parasites
Benjamin Papp	Medical science	Hair of the dog that bit you
Gergő Pintér	Mathematics	The moment of change
Lajos Rózsa	Biology	We live on an infected planet
Szabolcs Szilágyi	Technical sciences	Effectively about electricity
Tamás Álmos Vámi	Physics	The universe from zilch?!