Mark Shirchenko Shortlisted for the Award “For Commitment to Science”
The shortlist of the nominees in 14 categories was announced at the session of the Expert Council of the 7th All-Russian Award “For Commitment to Science”. The winners will be declared during the official ceremony on awarding laureates scheduled for the end of November. Our colleague Mark Shirchenko, a DLNP senior researcher, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics, is among those shortlisted for the award in the category “Special Award for Contribution to Popularization of Science and Technologies amid Scientists, Journalists, Teachers and Public Leaders”.
The area of Mark’s research interests is neutrino physics. Along with his colleagues, he deals with neutrino experiments at the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant (DANSS project (Detector of AntiNeutrino based on Solid State scintillator)). Mark Shirchenko is known to a wide audience as a science expert and one of the translators of the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. This year, Mark took an active part in various popular science projects: the international educational project “Virtual Science Camp”, the science and technology festival “Homo Science” in Nizhny Novgorod, the lecture series “Bolshaya Peremena” and the project “Brunch with a Scientist” of the Polytechnic Museum. In September, at the meeting “Mediation: Interaction with the Visitor, Science Communication” initiated by the Polytechnic Museum for the staff of museums of science and technologies, Mark talked about the necessity of science popularization in Russia and also why and how to explain science to a wide audience. He shared his personal experience in science education as well.
Five more renowned science educators were shortlisted for the award. Yuri Tsolakovich Oganessian, Academician of RAS, science advisor of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, is among them.
“Brunch with a Scientist” was shortlisted in the category “Best Popular Science Project of the Year”. Except Mark, the DLNP Deputy Director of Science, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Dmitry Naumov participated in this project this year.
The All-Russian Award “For Commitment to Science” is annually presented for outstanding achievements in science communication, science popularization and for enhancement of the prestige of activities of scientists and engineers in the Russian Federation.
The winners will receive prize money and also special rewards for popularization of space and nuclear branches and of the National Project “Science and Universities”. This will be a tour of one of the spacecraft launching sites, Vostochny or Baikonur, participation in the expedition to the North Pole on board the “Ice-Breaker of Knowledge” in August 2022 and support for implementing a private popular science project.
The award initiator is the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation supported by partners: the Russian Academy of Sciences, the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” and Moscow State University. For more than five years, the financial part of the award has been formed by the Charitable Fund “Art, Science and Sports”.
Based on the information from the website: https://minobrnauki.gov.ru/press-center/news/?ELEMENT_ID=42192
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