Stephen Hawking's achievements in science have fundamentally changed our understanding of the Universe. As one of the best-known physicists in the world, Professor Hawking serves as an icon of the scientific community. As such, the Stephen Hawking Medal, an honour created in association with Starmus Festival, is designed to reward outstanding contributions to the field of science communication.
Science communication and public awareness can be garnered through a number of different disciplines such as science education, music, arts and film. Previous winners include Hans Zimmer for his lifetime's work on music in film, including Interstellar, as well as science writer Jim Al-Khallili. In addition to the Stephen Hawking Medal, winners also receive a specially-crafted Omega Speedmaster Watch in 18k gold.
The winners of this year's award were announced at a press conference today at the American Museum of Natural History, naming Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel Jarre and The Big Bang Theory as the latest recipients.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson's win has made him the first US scientist to receive the Stephen Hawking Medal. An accomplished astrophysicist, deGrasse Tyson is known for his television show Cosmos and his publications on space which have popularised science for the masses. He is also the director of The Hayden Planetarium, at which the awards ceremony took place.
deGrasse Tyson founded the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History in 1997 and has been a research associate in the department since 2003. Speaking to WIRED in April, deGrasse Tyson explained why he spends his time communicating science to the masses: "I have a slightly unorthodox answer. I do it because I'm asked to, in a sense. I don't wake up in the morning and think, 'How can I bring science to the public today?' What happens is people call me - the press, documentarians, publishers - and that's when I'm alerted that there's an appetite out there for what I have expertise in. I see myself as a servant of the public's appetite for the Universe, not so much a leader of their interest."
When asked about the importance of science literacy, deGrasse Tyson expressed both his concerns and hopes for the future: "I claim that people aged 30 and under are a moving frontier through the demographic distribution in the west, and that community is and will continue to be scientifically literate. I have hope that this next generation can take the mantle and make administrative and political decisions that can make us all proud."
Jean-Michel Jarre also received the 2017 Stephen Hawking medal. As a French composer, performer and record producer, he has helped to pioneer the electronic music scene and his work has always held a special focus on space. His album Rendez-Vous had planned to include a saxophone part recorded by astronaut Ron McNair on the Space Shuttle Challenger, which would have made it the first piece of music recorded in space. However, the Challenger explosion on January 28 1986 meant that Rendez-Vous became a tribute album to those lost crew members. Jarre held a commemorative concert for the Challenger mission in Houston, Texas later that year.
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Upon hearing of his award win, Jarre expressed he was both "honoured" and "humbled" to accept the medal: “It is indeed a truly great honor to have been chosen by Professor Hawking and the Starmus board to win this year’s Stephen Hawking Medal for Science & Communication, for my music. Since I composed Oxygene forty years ago as a manifesto for climate change and as an alert for the awareness of the future of our planet, my music has been very much inspired by, and linked to, space, time and science. I am proud, yet humbled, to receive this medal in recognition of my work.”
The CBS/Warner Bros television show, The Big Bang Theory also won acclaim through its commitment to science education. Centred on a group of scientists as they navigate the social intricacies of everyday life, it has has a marked impact on its audience since its creation in 2007. Now entering its 11th season, the show, producers and cast have recently created The Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment at UCLA. These scholarships are awarded to students pursuing higher education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and are awarded based on financial need and academic merit. The scholarship was awarded to 20 incoming students in the inaugural 2015–16 academic year, and will award five additional scholarships to every year.
The Starmus judges responsible for selecting this year's winners includes Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins and Stephen Hawking himself.
In light of the Starmus award, Professor Hawking has expressed the importance of different fields coming together to contribute to science: “Starmus is an important and unique interdisciplinary festival of people working in different fields — astronomers, astronauts, cosmologists, physicists, philosophers, musicians, artists, biologists etc., who share an interest in the universe, how it began and is now and how we may explore and use its many facets.”
Starmus IV, hosted by Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), runs from 18 June to 23 June 2017 in Trondheim, Norway. Tickets available from starmus.com and WIRED readers receive a discount on tickets using the below codes.
WIRSTAR1 - €100 discount for adult ticket WIRSTAR2 - €50 discount for students
Discount codes will need to be entered only after the purchase button has been selected at starmus.com.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
