Mark Brake
| Mark Brake | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 31 October 1958 Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Physics, Science Communication |
| Known for | Popularising the relationship between space, science and culture |
Mark Brake (born 31 October 1958) is an author and freelance academic. He was formerly a professor of science communication at the University of Glamorgan.[1]
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[edit] Education
Brake was born at Mountain Ash, Wales, UK. He was awarded a BSc by the Polytechnic of Wales and a MSc by University College Cardiff in 1988.[2]
[edit] False PhD Claim
Brake submitted a grant application to the Research Councils' Procurement Organisation in 2006 in which he falsely claimed to have a PhD.[2][3]. When this misrepresentation became public knowledge in 2009, it led to his being sacked by the University of Glamorgan.
[edit] Public Engagement with Science
Between 2003 and 2008, Brake was responsible for leading public engagement initiatives in science, which attracted around £5 million of funding.[4] The RoCCoTO project, launched in 2001, was a community-based science course for the public, featuring ideas about science and their cultural context in an instance of "Third Culture" studies.[5] The RoCCoTO project received a Public Engagement Award from the Astrobiology Society of Britain in 2008.[6] Alien Worlds, an award-winning multimedia website associated with the RoCCoTO project was launched in July 2009. The website is an animated guide to phenomena such as eclipses of the Sun and Moon, and demonstrates Earth’s place in a cosmic perspective through advanced, animated visuals.
[edit] View on Darwin
Brake has stated [7] that Charles Darwin did not have the version of the theory of evolution described in his 1859 Origin of Species until after he had become aware of Alfred Russel Wallace's theory, published in 1855 and 1856, and in a letter to Darwin in 1857. This view has been contested.[8]
[edit] Publications
- Different Engines: How Science Drives Fiction and Fiction Drives Science (2007) ISBN 0-230-01980-3
- Futureworld: Where Science Fiction Becomes Science (2008) ISBN 0-7522-2672-X
- Revolution in Science: How Galileo and Darwin Changed Our World (2009) ISBN 0-230-20268-3
- Introducing Science Communication: A Practical Guide (2009) ISBN 0-230-57385-1
[edit] References
- ^ Mark Brake website
- ^ a b Melanie Newman, "Dr? No: Glamorgan scientist falsely claimed PhD", Times Higher Education, 29 October 2009
- ^ Sarah Miloudi, "Cardiff scientist with Nasa links falsely claimed PhD", Western Mail, 19 October 2009
- ^ "Mark Brake - about". Univ Glamorgan. http://people.glam.ac.uk/view/190/#interests. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ "Dome is home to robotic telescope". BBC News. 22 October 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1612268.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ "Glamorgan Astronomers Receive Prize for Public Engagement". Univ Glamorgan. 2008_07-14. http://news.glam.ac.uk/news/en/2008/jul/04/glamorgan-astronomers-receive-prize-public-engagem/. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ "Darwin and Wallace inspired by Malthus". Guardian. 2009-12-09. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/dec/09/evolution-darwin-wallace-malthus. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ "Darwin debate". Guardian. 2009-12-11. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/dec/11/darwin-debate-invisible-college. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
