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== Education ==
== Education ==


Brake was awarded an MSc by [[University College Cardiff]] in 1988.<ref>Melanie Newman, [http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=408845&c=1 "Dr? No: Glamorgan scientist falsely claimed PhD"], ''Times Higher Education'', 29 October 2009</ref>
Brake was awarded an MSc by [[University College Cardiff]] in 1988.


== Space, Science and Culture ==
== Space, Science and Culture ==

Revision as of 18:51, 29 October 2009

Mark Brake
Born 31 October 1958 (1958-10-31) (age 50)
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, Mountain Ash, Wales, UK) is an author, broadcaster and professor in the communication of science. Along with Frank Burnet[1], Brake was one of the UK's first chairs in science communication, and has been professor in the subject at the University of Glamorgan since 2002. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Director of the Science Communication Research Unit at the University of Glamorgan. He was a founding member [2] of the NASA Astrobiology Institute science communication group between 2003 and 2006, and is one of the academics in the European Science Communication Network.

He is best known for his work in popularising the relationship between space, science and culture[3].

Education

Brake was awarded an MSc by University College Cardiff in 1988.

Space, Science and Culture

In 1998 Brake developed an undergraduate university course, Life in the Universe, [4][5], which examined the science and culture of astrobiology. The following year he launched an undergraduate degree in Science and Science Fiction.[6][7][8][9], and which attempted to establish a Third Culture for science teaching in academia. Continuing this work in 2005 whilst a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute science communication group, Brake launched the world's first undergraduate degree in Astrobiology[10][11][12][13][14].

Public Engagement with Science

Between 2003 and 2008, Brake was responsible for leading high-profile public engagement initiatives in science, which attracted around £5 million of funding.[15] The RoCCoTO project was a community-based science course for the public, and was one of the largest astrobiology outreach programs in the world. By featuring ideas about science and their cultural context, the project engaged large numbers of the public in Third Culture studies. The RoCCoTO project received a Public Engagement Award from the Astrobiology Society of Britain in 2008[16]. 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. Another project, with indirect funding from the DTi, delivered science communication activities to schools in the principality, in an attempt to forestall the poor uptake in science subjects as a career.[citation needed]

Since 2006, Brake has been director and fund-holder for Science Shops Wales. This major public initiative is based on the European Science Shop model of engagement with the public, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government through the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. A science shop provides independent participatory research support in response to concerns experienced by civil society. By encouraging community organisations to identify and meet their own research needs, Science Shops Wales aims to be genuinely responsive to, and helpful with, the problems experienced by the citizens of Wales. Science Shop projects also aim to enable university students and staff to strengthen their links with the community while developing research with real local relevance.[citation needed]

Since 2008, Brake has been professorial champion for science in the Beacon for Wales. The Beacon is one of six centres for public engagement throughout the UK at the heart of a major new initiative to make universities more welcoming and accessible, and to deepen the social impact and relevance of their work. Along with the University of Glamorgan, the Beacon for Wales includes Cardiff University, National Museum Wales, BBC Wales, and Techniquest. Throughout the summer of 2009, Brake has also been developing public engagement links with National Science Museum (Thailand).[citation needed]

Publishing and Media

Over the last decade or so, Brake has been engaging the public with science, both nationally and internationally, through television, radio, print and electronic media. He has acted as consultant to the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle in 2004 when they launched; and to Tiger Aspect Productions and the Discovery Channel for their series on science fiction. He was also consultant to Blast! Films for The Martians and Us,[17] a season on the history of British science fiction for BBC Four, and to UKTV for a season of promotion on Doctor Who. Brake is currently working as science consultant for the BBC's CBBC channel on Space Hoppers[18], a seven part series on the Solar System, to be broadcast early in 2010.

And as one of the associate editors in the UK of the NASA Astrobiology Magazine's European Edition, Brake helped NASA commission a rap by Jon Chase on the topic of astrobiology.[citation needed]

After acting as consultant to the Science Museum (London) on their The Science of Aliens exhibition, Brake began publishing popular science books. Different Engines: How Science Drives Fiction and Fiction Drives Science was published by MacMillan Science in 2007, claiming to be the first popular science book to explore the relationship between science and science fiction. FutureWorld, which looks at how science fiction has merged with reality, was published by Boxtree MacMillan and the Science Museum (London) in 2008.

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 0-752-22672-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

References

  1. ^ http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWEnews/article.asp?item=218
  2. ^ http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:yEE8dPtfeE8J:nai.arc.nasa.gov/library/downloads/institute/Science_Comm._FG_Proposal.doc+NAI+science+communication+focus+group&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
  3. ^ http://www.macmillanscience.com/9780230019805.asp
  4. ^ "Education | The truth is out there". BBC News. 1998-09-17. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  5. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_19980920/ai_n14478700/
  6. ^ "Education | First degree in science fiction". BBC News. 1999-07-13. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  7. ^ Leander Kahney (2009-01-04). "BS in Science Fiction, Literally". Wired.com. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  8. ^ "`Star Wars' degree is more fact than fiction - News". The Independent. 1999-07-16. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  9. ^ "University Launches Science Fiction Degree - News". Institute of Physics. 1999-07-16. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  10. ^ "NAI: News Stories". Nai.arc.nasa.gov. 2005-09-29. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  11. ^ "Wales | College degree in hunting for ET". BBC News. 2005-09-28. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  12. ^ "Glamorgan launches ET degree | Education | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  13. ^ Close. "Exploring the unknown | Education | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  14. ^ "It's a degree, but not as you know it | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. 2005-09-29. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  15. ^ http://people.glam.ac.uk/view/190/#interests
  16. ^ http://news.glam.ac.uk/news/en/2008/jul/04/glamorgan-astronomers-receive-prize-public-engagem/
  17. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/martians-and-us.shtml
  18. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/06_june/11/science.shtml

Online Articles for NASA

  • Brake M, 2001: A Space Odyssey – Fiction’s Most Realistic Vision of Our Astrobiological Future? Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2008
  • Brake M, Notes on Life Underground, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2008
  • Brake M, Hook N, French Tales of Infinity, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2007
  • Brake M, Hook N, The Dreadful Hammers of Jules Verne, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2007
  • Brake M, Griffiths M, Life of a Comet Hunter: Messier and Astrobiology, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2007
  • Brake M, Hook N, Copernicus and the Wild Goose Chase, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2007
  • Brake M, Hook N, Darwin’s Bulldog and the Time Machine, Astrobiology Magazine European Edition, NASA, 2007

    • External links

  • Official Website
  • List of academic papers by Mark Brake
    • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Brake&oldid=322777992"