FameLab Malta winner Maria Stella Portelli, who will be representing Malta at the Cheltenham Science Festival in June.FameLab Malta winner Maria Stella Portelli, who will be representing Malta at the Cheltenham Science Festival in June.

Maria Stella Portelli, winner of FameLab, will represent Malta at the international final at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK. Supported by the British Council, FameLab is providing this young research chemist with the skills to share her research with a wider audience.

The winning presentation illustrated how most people have a well-defined image of what scientists should look like, which does not conform to reality. Ms Portelli, a biology and chemistry graduate from the Univeristy of Malta, works as a research chemist at Medichem Manufacturing Ltd, where she works on the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Communicating science accessibly and attractively is an evergrowing priority for researchers worldwide. Organised by the British Council (Malta), in partnership with the National Student Travel Foundation (NSTF) and the University Research Trust (RIDT), and with the support of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport, Microsoft, APS Bank, Vodafone and Stage Malta, FameLab helps young scientists acquire valuable skills to communicate their work to a non-scientific audience.

By doing so, researchers not only change the common stereotype of the scientist as ‘the geek in the white lab coat busy doing strange things’, but also justify public funding for their research.

The FameLab Malta initiative is in line with the RIDT, highlighting the value and usefulness of science and research. The trust actively seeks additional funds to further the advancement of research in all areas of study in Malta.

FameLab aims to discover charismatic, up-and-coming scientists who inspire people to see the world from a new perspective in three minutes.

This was the second time Malta participated in FameLab. The finalists had chosen a selection of topics to bring under the microscope – from the science behind Sleeping Beauty to revolutionising transport system with bicycles made of cardboard.

The three-minute presentations were judged by a panel of scientists and communication experts on content, clarity and charisma.

http://www.famelab.org/

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