Sam won the Electromagnetic Zone in March 2012, he tells us where his winnings went:
Following my victory in the I’m a Scientist competition, I donated my prize money to support the charity Sense about Science.
As the name suggests, Sense about Science is all about helping people make sense of science and evidence. They are a source of information, counter misinformation and champion research and high quality evidence. By working with scientists, policy makers, the public and the media they give people the tools to think critically about claims being made daily about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education or anything else.
Their Ask for Evidence campaign aims to hold the people who make these claims accountable. It says that if anyone wants us to vote for them, believe them or buy their products, then we, as consumers, patients, voters and citizens, should ask them for evidence.
People are challenging things like the retail chain selling supposedly MRSA resistant pyjamas; a juice bar for the evidence behind wheatgrass detox claims or the Department of Health about rules for Viagra prescriptions. So Sense About Science are all about getting the public to think critically about scientific claims and they have loads of resources and database of scientists who volunteer their time and expertise to help people understand the evidence.
I’d encourage you all to have a look at their website: senseaboutscience.org and start making the best possible use of all the various resources offered to help support the important choices we all make in everyday life.
