The main thing is biology

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Mainly Biology was a prize for science communication that was awarded annually from 2003 to 2019 by Promega GmbH, a subsidiary of Promega Corporation .

The competition was aimed at teams in German-speaking countries, consisting of at least one scientist and one communicator, who had specifically applied. The aim was to reach and inspire as many people as possible with a biological topic. The communicative idea as well as the topic were decisive for the profit. In order to ensure a fair comparison of the applicants, the Hauptsache Biology team chose a topic each year.

The aim of the award was to promote high-quality and understandable science communication to convey scientific content to a broad public.

The projects were assessed by Norbert Lossau and Ulrich Scheller (Managing Directors of the Glass Laboratory of the BBB Management GmbH Campus Berlin-Buch), as well as a jury that was specially expanded according to the choice of topic.

history

Mainly Biology was a media award primarily focused on journalists from 2003 to 2017. A team of scientists and journalists should write an article in a local or regional German-language daily newspaper in Germany, Austria or Switzerland with reference to current topics about biology as a modern life science. The scientific and journalistic quality of the article was assessed. Up to three participants could win: 1st place was endowed with 10,000 euros, 2nd place with 6,000 euros and 3rd place with 4,000 euros.

In 2018 the concept was changed. This year the focus was on the idea of ​​communicating a biological topic to the general public. For this purpose, three selected articles each received 3,000 euros in project funding for research and communication in order to put this idea into practice. After a six-month project phase, the teams were asked to present their project to an extended jury. The most successful project should have been awarded with prize money of 10,000 euros.

In the 2018 competition year, one of three communicator-scientist tandems successfully completed the six-month project phase and was awarded prize money of 3,000 euros. The podcast "Where does science stand" was devoted to various scientific topics with 30-minute episodes.

A total of 129 journalists and 185 scientists from 64 locations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland took part in the competition and submitted 247 entries for the evaluation up to the new edition of the prize. While the independent communication of scientific findings was already an integral part of Anglo-Saxon researchers at the start of the main thing biology in 2003, it took a few years for German-speaking scientists to integrate science communication firmly into their work. With the digitization of the media landscape and the associated wealth of communication options, there was a definitive change in the way information was obtained and passed on. As a result of the integration, the concept of the scientist-journalist tandem lost its importance and, most importantly, biology lost its core. Therefore Promega GmbH, as sponsor of the award, decided to end the competition after 16 years.

Award winners

Between 2003 and 2017 the following projects won:

2003
1st place: “The difference holds the key”; Ralf Blasig and Katja Dombrowski, Braunschweiger Zeitung; Helmut Blöcker, Braunschweig Society for Biotechnological Research
2nd place: “Will antibodies against cancer soon grow in the fields?”; Ute Steinbusch, Aachener Zeitung; Markus Sack, RWTH Aachen
3rd place: “Research with the mouse as a way of life”; Winfried Züfle, Augsburg General; Christine Machka, Institute for Molecular Genetics in Munich-Neuherberg

2004
1st place: “Cells in Dialog”; Nicola Kurth, Westdeutsche Zeitung; Goran C. Söhl, Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
2nd place: “How cells set traps”; Sina Bartfeld, Hamburger Abendblatt; Volker Brinkmann and Arturo Zychlinsky, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin
3rd place: Article series “Research”; Christa Karas, Wiener Zeitung; Robert R. Müllegger, Medical University of Graz

2005
1st place: “Stronger than steel, tougher than rubber”; Sonja Gibis; Thomas Scheibel, Technical University of Munich
2nd place: “What are they actually doing? In the laboratory with fish and worms ”; Stephan Schön, Saxon Newspaper; Prof. Kai Simons, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden
3rd place “Living fossils pose a puzzle”; Karin Urich, Mannheimer Morgen; Stefan Seitz, qualified biologist

2006
1st place: “Expedition into the oral cavity”; Helge Sieger, freelance journalist; Bernhard Guggenheim, Institute for Oral Biology, University of Zurich
2nd place: “The silent director”; Esther Steinmeier, Westfalen-Blatt; Wolfgang Nellen, Department of Genetics, University of Kassel.
3rd place: “Living fossils pose a puzzle”; Karin Urich, Mannheimer Morgen; Stefan Seitz, qualified biologist

2007
1st place: Article series “Rebirth”; Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung; Teams of authors on Hauptache-biologie.de.
2nd place: “Cogito ergo summ”; Otto Lapp, Franconian Day; Jürgen Tautz, Head of the BEE-group, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg
3rd place: “A worm parasitizes itself around the world”; Elvira Weisenburger, Baden Latest News; Horst Taraschewski and Trevor Petney, Zoological Institute, University of Karlsruhe

2008
1st place: Article series “A cancer drug is created”; Henning Noske, Braunschweiger Zeitung; Hans Reichenbach and Gerhard Höfle, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research
2nd place: Article series “He researches”; Thomas Stridde, Thuringian State Newspaper; Martin Vödisch, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology eV - Hans Knöll Institute
3rd place: A third place was not awarded.

2010
1st place: "Einstein with feathers"; Salzburger Nachrichten
2nd place: “Immigrants in nature”; Josef Siebler, editor; Gregor Schmitz, Head of the Botanical Garden of the University of Konstanz
3rd place: "Learning while you sleep - it actually works"; Helge Sieger; Jan Born, University of Lübeck

2011
1st place: "Research: Salmonella as a helper in the fight against cancer"; Kristina Branz, freelancer for the Braunschweiger Zeitung newspaper; Siegfried Weiß, Head of the Molecular Immunology Working Group at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig,
2nd place: "Wanderlust in the Blood"; Tanja Warter, Austrian journalist and veterinarian; Peter Berthold, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
3rd place: “Dr. Dents model student ”; Hans Jürgen Kugler; Elisabeth Kalko, Ulm University

2013
1st place: “Why less is more”; Ulrike Viegener, freelance science journalist; Rudolf Wiesner, among other things project leader in the Cluster of Excellence CECAD at the University of Cologne
2nd place: Article series “One for all”; Sebastian Pantel, regional reporter at Südkurier; Christoph Kleineidam, Deputy Head of Neurobiology and Zoology at the University of Konstanz
3rd place: “Swarming bees”; Kristina Vonend; Jürgen Tautz, University of Würzburg

2015
1st place: “The agony of the whale”; Christian Jung, science journalist; Anja Gallus, German Maritime Museum Stralsund; Ursula Siebert, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover
2nd place: “Underground population census”; Hans Jürgen Kugler, freelance journalist; Otto Ehrmann, Office for Soil Micromorphology and Biology in Creglingen
3rd place: "Invasion by hitchhiking"; Katharina Meyer; Artur Jöstvon, community action group to combat the gnat plague

2017
1st place: “The Icarus Project”; Christian Jung, science journalist; Martin Wikelski, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
2nd place: A second place was not awarded.
3rd place: "Bitter helps you think"; Hans-Jürgen Kugler; Ute Wölfle, skinitial research center, clinic for dermatology and venereology in Freiburg

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Appearance of the podcast , last accessed on July 30, 2019.
  2. ↑ JournalistenPreise.de
  3. ↑ Article from Bionity.com of October 20, 2004
  4. ↑ Hauptache-biologie.de
  5. ↑ Articles of the World - November 7, 2008
  6. ↑ Article from Biokatalysis 2021 - November 8, 2010
  7. ↑ Article by the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research - November 25, 2011
  8. ^ Article by CECAD - University of Cologne from July 11, 2013
  9. ↑ | SÜDKURIER Online . In: SÜDKURIER Online . June 11, 2013 ( suedkurier.de [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  10. ↑ BA article wins prize - Bergsträßer Anzeiger . ( Morgenweb.de [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  11. ↑ Schweinswaltext wins scientist and journalist award - Cetacea.de . In: Cetacea.de . May 7, 2015 ( cetacea.de [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  12. ↑ Stralsund whale researcher wins science a. Journalist award . In: TauchJournal . April 29, 2015 ( tauchjournal.de [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Promega GmbH press release from September 25, 2017
  14. ↑ Article in the Hannoversche Allgemeine from September 26, 2017