Trinity Student wins 2019 Mary Mulvihill Award
Posted on: 24 May 2019
Trinity PhD student Laura Finnegan is the 2019 winner of the Mary Mulvihill Award, the science media competition for third-level students that commemorates the legacy of science journalist and author Mary Mulvihill (1959–2015).
Ann O’Dea, founder of Inspirefest and co-founder and CEO of Silicon Republic, presented the award, which includes a cash prize of €2,000, at a ceremony at the Science Gallery in Dublin last evening.
This year’s competition invited entries on the theme of ‘Science for the love of it’. Entrants were encouraged to submit work in any format that explored the personal motivations and passions of scientists.
As a writer and broadcaster, Mary Mulvihill was motivated by her love of science, and she often chose to feature scientists who themselves showed passion—and love—for their work.
Laura Finnegan’s entry was a unanimous winner. A sampler for an illustrated children’s book profiling notable Irish scientists (including Mary Mulvihill and Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who presented the 2018 Mary Mulvihill Award), her entry reflected the pleasure in storytelling and skill and in imparting information that marked Mary’s work. The competition judges described it as
a beautiful and engaging piece, with a very high quality of both narration and illustration.
Anne Mulvihill, Mary’s sister and a member of the judging panel said
Mary would have been delighted with this joyful and creative entry and with its target audience.
Laura Finnegan is an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar at the Smurfit Insitute of Genetics. Her research, under the supervision of Professor Jane Farrar, explores the use of gene therapy to treat inherited retinal degenerative conditions, in order to halt or prevent loss of vision. She is also a tutor with AccessEd, a voluntary programme for second-level students that promotes fair access to university. She also has extensive experience as an illustrator for the University Times and has a BA in Genetics from Trinity.
Emily Sheridan, a PhD student at UCD and Trinity graduate BA (Mod.) Biochemistry (2017), received a judges’ special distinction award.
Now in its third year, the competition drew a record number of entries in a highly diverse range of formats. Trinity student Katie Carbonara won the prize last year.
About The Mary Mulvihill Award
The Mary Mulvihill Award is a project of Remembering Mary, an initiative established by the family and friends of the late Mary Mulvihill (1959–2015) to honour her memory and her work in science journalism, science communication and heritage and to promote her legacy. It administers and awards funds to support work that commemorates her work and its significance.
The judges for the Mary Mulvihill Award 2019 were:
- Ellen Byrne, Creative director & founder Festival of Curiosity
- Karlin Lillington, Irish Times tech journalist & columnist
- Nigel Monaghan, Keeper, National Museum of Ireland – Natural History
- Anne Mulvihill, Sister of Mary Mulvihill