Congratulations to Dr Shane Bergin, UCD School of Education who was the recipient of the 2023 Leonardo da Vinci International Award given by European Rotary Clubs for his interdisciplinary scholarship - most notably engaging the public with, and in, science.
Through his work, Shane has lifted public discourse on science exploring issues of trust, creativity and interdisciplinarity.
The Leonardo da Vinci International Award is given by European Rotary Clubs to gifted scholars or artists each year. The 2023 award was given to physicist and science communicator, Dr Shane Bergin from UCD School of Education, for his interdisciplinary scholarship - most notably engaging the public with, and in, science. The award ceremony organised by Dublin Rotary Club took place in Dublin on the 27th May. Through his work, Shane has lifted public discourse on science exploring issues of trust, creativity and interdisciplinarity. Since 2016, he has run Quavers to Quadratics - an informal education programme with the National Concert Hall that sees children play with ideas common to science and music. The children in this programme are led by university students working with Shane. This programme has been a source of inspiration for Shane's scholarship and has defined best practice internationally. More recently, Shane has launched a successful podcast series - The Trust Race - exploring public trust in science. Shane has written children's science books, including Peigí's Adventures in Science -a storybook written with colleague Declan Fahie that introduces science and social justice to young children.
The Leonardo da Vinci International Award is an annual international prize named after Leonardo da Vinci, to award outstanding achievement by young people involved in the study of the sciences, technology, literature and the arts. Among the disciplines recognised and rewarded so far have been painting, sculpture, music, geology, architecture, medicine and nuclear physics. The award is now in its 48th year with some notable former recipients including musician Evelyn Glennie, composer Alma Deutscher, and astronaut Roberto Vittori.
