RCIScience is delighted to announce that Science is a Drag has made the shortlist for the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022 in the Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) category.
Science is a Drag performers outside Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel before the March 2020 show.
Science is a Drag is the first fully science-themed drag show created to challenge cis- heteronormative stereotypes of science and provide a safe platform for queer scientists and science communicators. With an increase in hateful discourse and violence towards members of LGBTQ2SIA+ communities, Science is a Drag is a sanctuary rooted in the joy of learning science through the powerful art of drag. It was created by Dr. Samantha Yammine, Dr. Shawn Hercules and Dr. Geith Maal-Bared, in partnership with RCIScience.
Coco Verdose entertains the crowd with the neuroscience of reward pathways at Spark After Dark, February 2020.
Shortlisted participants will pitch their projects at the Falling Walls Science Summit during the Pitch Day on November 7. The winning pitch from each category will receive the title of the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022 and return to the stage for the grand finale of the Falling Walls Science Summit on November 9.
In the Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) category, the Engage Advisory Board selected 20 winners out of 193 applications submitted from 66 countries. The winners presented innovative ideas with focus on sustainability and nature preservation, promotion of science accessibility, STEM popularization among girls and underrepresented communities, as well as creative formats that connect science and art with the public.
“Being part of the Falling Walls Engage Selection Committee was a truly enriching experience, although selecting 20 winners out of so many good projects was not easy. I was inspired to see how innovative and advanced Science Engagement work addressing a wide range of topics from climate and health to education and urban environment has become.”, says Tasha Koch, founder of the science communication initiative Eh!woza and Falling Walls Engage Winner 2021.
Check out the other shortlisted projects and cheer on Science is a Drag from Canada this November!
Science is a Drag performers and production team at the June 2022 show on the patio of The Opera House.
About the Falling Walls Science Summit
The Falling Walls Science Summit is a leading international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral forum for scientific breakthroughs and science dialogue between global science leaders and society. The event takes place every year from 7–9 November in Berlin, commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. With formats Falling Walls Pitches (7 November), Falling Walls Circle (8 November) and Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year (9 November), the Falling Walls Science Summit is the leading forum for global science leaders from academia, business, politics, the media, and civil society to debate the potential of scientific breakthroughs to solve grand challenges and shape a sustainable future. The Falling Walls Science Summit is organized by the charitable Falling Walls Foundation.