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This year’s IOP-STFC Physics Journalism Prize has been awarded to Lisa Grossman for her article ‘Quasicrystal quest: The unreal rock that nature made’, published in New Scientist.

The judges of this year’s prize were unanimous in their decision to award the prize to Lisa, highlighting and praising Lisa’s ability to tell a story that manages to captivate from the beginning until the last word.

In her award-winning article, Lisa, a physical sciences news editor at New Scientist magazine, covers the years-long quest to discover a naturally-made quasicrystal, a rock whose atoms are arranged in a way that was thought to be impossible. The tale, which includes maths, physics, materials science, geology, and a little bit of planetary science, follows physicist Paul Steinhardt and his band of colleagues from Steinhardt’s lab in Princeton, NJ, to a rock museum in Florence, Italy, and eventually to a streambed in the Koryak mountains in far eastern Russia, where a meteorite struck hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Lisa was presented with the award at the Scientists meet the Media party, being held last night, Tuesday 17 March, at the Science Museum amongst some of the most influential opinion formers and experts in UK science. On receiving the award, Lisa responded, “I'm thrilled that my story about the quest for natural quasicrystals has won the physics journalism prize. Such a wild adventure tale with such an intriguing central character doesn't come along often, and I'm glad to know others have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Many thanks to my editors at New Scientist for guiding the story along, and to Paul Steinhardt and his motley band of meteorite hunters for letting me tell their tale. I hope to use the prize to follow another rare adventure!”

The judges also wish to commend the two runners up Ralph Lorenz and Justin Mullins for their expert communication skills. Lorenz writes about his own research on rock movements in Death Valley and offers scientific insight to an area that has long bewildered scientists. Mullinsarticle manages to make complicated science comprehensible for non-specialist audiences by cleverly using metaphors to tell a story about Braeass’s paradox.

The Physics Journalism Prize is designed to encourage journalists to grapple with often complex topics and help spread excitement about the subject and also aims to encourage physics researchers to write about their own work.

Dr Frances Saunders, President of the Institute of Physics (IOP), and one of the prize’s judges, commenting on the Physics Journalism Prize, said, “I am very impressed with the standard of writing and the breadth of science covered in the entries this year.”

Dr Saunders was joined on the judging panel by Martin Ince from the Association of British Science Writers, Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group, Roger Highfield, physics professor at UCL, Jon Butterworth, and the Head of Communications from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Terry O’Connor.

Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group, said: “This was an impressively strong field, but the winning and commended entries really stood out from the rest when it came to style and substance. As for the overall winner, Lisa has an eye for colour and tells an entertaining story. Her quasicrystal quest also reveals how science actually works. Given that science, through technology, is the biggest force on modern culture we need more great storytellers like her.”

Martin Ince, President of the ABSW, said: “Lisa Grossman’s terrific winning entry shows that physics journalism is not all about tricky concepts such as supersymmetry or the Higgs Boson. Her story of the search for quasicrystals is about dedication bordering on obsession, leading in the end to the discovery of a new form of matter in a far-flung location. It’s a worthy winner of this most competitive award.”

Jon Butterworth added, “The article had a great mix of intriguing science and an engaging story. I didn't know quasicrystals could be so fascinating, to be honest!”

Along with receipt of the 2015 trophy, Lisa will receive a travel grant of up to £5,000 to enable her to investigate a physics-related story of her choice.

For more on this award see the IOP site.

Notes to editors

Contact

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The Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society. We are a charitable organisation with a worldwide membership of more than 50,000, working together to advance physics education, research and application.

We engage with policymakers and the general public to develop awareness and understanding of the value of physics and, through IOP Publishing, we are world leaders in professional scientific communications. Visit us at IOP. Follow us on Twitter @physicsnews.

Association of British Science Writers

Founded in 1947, the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) is the professional organisation for science writers in the UK. Its 600 members write everything from news stories to books and TV programmes. It runs the UK’s science journalism awards, holds the UK Conference of Science Journalists, and helps entrants to the profession to expand their skills. It is a leading member of the World Federation of Science Journalists and is involved in promoting science journalism in the developing world.

The Science Museum

As the home of human ingenuity, the Science Museum’s world-class collection forms an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Welcoming over 3 million visitors a year, the Museum aims to make sense of the science that shapes our lives, inspiring visitors with iconic objects, award-winning exhibitions and incredible stories of scientific achievement.