20 Mar 2012
SET for Britain was founded by the late Dr Eric Wharton in 1997 for early career scientists to engage with parliamentarians and provide a platform to showcase their work in the form of a poster competition. SET, of course, is Scientists, Engineers and Technologists.
The most recent SET for Britain event took place on Monday 12 March 2012 and collected together a large number of the UK's brightest (early career) scientific minds. The topics of posters were wide-ranging and split into three distinct categories: engineering, biological and biomedical sciences and physical sciences. Each category had a select panel of judges to pick a winner. Once each category winner was known; a super panel was assembled, which grilled the presenters on their entries and chose an overall winner.
The event was hosted by Andrew Miller MP and attended by a large number of MPs including prominent members of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and the current science minister David Willets MP. Andrew Miller spoke eloquently on the high quality of the entries and the need to support and encourage early career researchers.
This year's winner of the Westminster medal, awarded in memory of Dr Eric Wharton, went to Mr Nicholas Love from the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. Mr Love's poster was titled 'Hydrogen peroxide as a novel and necessary regulator of appendage regeneration'. Mr Love's poster detailed how hydrogen peroxide and other radical generating species played an important role in signalling during nerve and tissue regeneration.
The London regional group supports SET for Britain by providing funding for the Westminster medal in honour of Dr Wharton who served as the group's chairman and was an active committee member up until his untimely death in 2007. More information about SET for Britain and the other award-winners can be found via the link below.
Russell Binions, London Regional Group
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