Natural Sciences student wins Rosalind Franklin Institute prize

26 October 2020

The Rosalind Franklin Institute's recent Essay prize - held to celebrate the institute's centenary - has been won by UCL Natural Sciences Student Rachel Scott.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of both Dr Franklin and The Rosalind Franklin Institute’s work, the competition aimed to get participants to explore reasons for the separation of scientific disciplines by discussing the following statement:

“So much of the work done in science now requires input from multiple disciplines, that the separation of the disciplines is irrelevant and unnecessary.”

This competition was open to all undergraduates from RFI member universities. First place was awarded to Rachel Scott, a second year undergraduate at UCL studying Natural Sciences. Dr Jen Jennings, a member of the Franklin’s board and one of the judging panel, said ‘I was impressed by Rachel’s essay as I felt it had a strong introduction and logical structure to it. I also felt that she had done a lot of research, which really came through in her writing.’

Upon hearing of her success, Rachel was full of compliments for her course:

"I entered the competition because the question it posed is the very foundation of my course, and the intersection between disciplines (particularly biomedical sciences and medical physics, which are my streams) is something I find very interesting. My core Natural Sciences modules helped me gain the skils to find relevant research. Researching this essay allowed me to appreciate the benefits of the separated disciplines, and brought to my attention different ways to promote interdisciplinary work. I feel more confident in my communication abilities now, which is essential for any career path, and i'm happy I got the chance to refine my essay writing skills".

For more information on the prize, and the other shortlisted essays, follow the link below to the RFI website.

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Image credit - Rachel Scott