University of Glamorgan

About

Specialisms

Public engagement with science through the development of innovative outreach initiatives.

Published researcher on the communication of the relationship between science, culture and society.

Curriculum design and innovation of courses in science and society.

Published specialist in the communication of science through literature and the imagination.

Achievements

One of the UK’s first Chairs in Science Communication, May 2002

Director of Science Shops Wales since 2006, the first initiative of its kind in the UK, bringing public engagement with science research into the heart of some of the UK’s most deprived communities; attracting £3million (HEFCW)

Director, and sole grant holder, of the RoCCoTO project since 2003; the world’s largest outreach course in astrobiology with over 600 accredited students in the local communities of the Principality, total project cost around £1.5million (EU-funded)

Director, and sole grant holder, of SETPOINT Wales, a one-stop shop for schools, attracting ~ £150k/year from the DTi since 2003

Course leader, MSc Communicating Science, one of only several such awards in the UK

Course designer, developer and award leader of unique BSc Science and Science Fiction

Course designer, developer and award leader of unique BSc Astrobiology

Sustained and significant contribution to the lifelong learning culture of Wales

Founder member, NASA Astrobiology Institute science communication group

Duties & Responsibilities

Directorship of Science Shops Wales, a science communication research conduit between community groups and the scientists, academics and students who work with them.

Directorship of the RoCCoTO project, an accredited community outreach course in astrobiology.

Directorship of SETPOINT Wales, an organisation that promotes the communication of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the schools of Wales.

Academic leadership in the design and development of unique undergraduate degree study programmes whose curriculum focuses on science, society and culture.

Academic leadership in the re-design and development of a postgraduate MSc award in Communicating Science

Selected Publications

Books

Brake M, Hook N, Different Engines: How Science Drives Fiction and Fiction Drives Science, MacMillan Science, November 2007

Brake M, Hook N, FutureWorld, Science Museum/BoxtreeMacMillan, June 2008

Brake M, Harris SR, Introducing Science Communication, Palgrave MacMillan, 2009

Peer-reviewed papers

Brake M, Hook N, Darwin to Double Helix: Astrobiology in Fiction, International Journal of Astrobiology, in print

Brake M, Hook N, Rocketry, Film and Fiction: the Road to Sputnik, Physics Education, Volume 42, Issue 4, July 2007, pp 345-350

Brake M, Hook N, Science, Fiction and Age of Discovery, Physics Education, Volume 42, Issue 3, May 2007, pp 245-252

Brake M, Hook N, Aliens and Time in the Machine Age, International Journal of Astrobiology, Volume 5, Issue 04, October 2006, pp 277-286

Brake M, Griffiths M, Hook N, Harris S, Alien Worlds: Astrobiology and Public Outreach, International Journal of Astrobiology, Volume 5, Issue 04, October 2006, pp 319-324

Brake M, On the Plurality of Inhabited Worlds, International Journal of Astrobiology, Volume 5, Issue 02, April 2006, pp 99-107

Brake M, Griffiths M, Saunders D, Thornton R, Astronomy, Science Fiction and Access, Journal of Active Learning in Higher Education 5: 27-42 (2005)

Brake M, Griffiths M, Broad Horizons: SETI, Science Fiction, and Education, The International Journal of Astrobiology, Volume 3, No 2 (2004)

Brake M, Griffiths M, Science Fiction and Curriculum Innovation, International Astronomical Union Symposium Proceedings, Vol 213 (2004)

Brake M, Thornton R, Controversy in the Classroom, New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, LTSN Physical Sciences Journal, Issue 1, 2003

Brake M, Thornton R, Science Fiction in the Classroom, Physics Education, 38 (1) 1 (2003)

Brake M, Griffiths M, SETI, British SF and the ET Meme, Foundation, 85, Autumn 2002

Brake M, Griffiths M, Apocalypse – its Influence on Society and British SF, Foundation, 85, Autumn 2002

Papers presented at conferences

Brake M, Griffiths M, Hook N, Astrobiology and the Curriculum in Wales, UALL conference, Open University, Llandrindod Wells, November 2006

Brake M, Matsos H, European Edition of Astrobiology Magazine: A NASA and CASE collaboration, 6th workshop of the European Astrobiology Network Association, Lyon, October 2006

Brake M, Griffiths M & Hook N, Reaching out to E.T, Conference in Outreach in Collaboration, Nottingham Trent University, October 2006

Brake M, Carr B, Crawford C, Farmelo G, Hook N, Was the universe made for us? British Association for the Advancement of Science Conference, “People, Science & Society”, University of East Anglia, September 2006

Brake M, Hook N, Are we alone? British Association for the Advancement of Science Conference, “People, Science & Society”, University of East Anglia, September 2006

Brake M, Hook N, Parry & Parsons, Prediction and Pre-Emption: Science & Science Fiction, 5th Cheltenham Science Festival, Cheltenham, June 2006

Brake M, A Brief History of Extraterrestrialism: An Evolution of the Science and Culture of Astrobiology, AGM of the Royal Astronomical Society, May 2006

Brake M, Griffiths M, Hook N, Astrobiology and the Curriculum, UKAC06 “Life Here, There and Everywhere”, University of Kent, April 2006

Brake M, Griffiths M, Hook N, Harris S, Science Communication – The CASE at Glamorgan, Astronomia e Ciencias Espaciais conference Espinho, Portugal, April 2006

Brake M, Alien Contact, London Science Museum’s Dana Centre, November 2005

Brake M, Alien Hunting: the Search for Life Beyond the Earth, London Science Museum’s Dana Centre, September 2005

Brake M, Hook N, Quantum Worlds: So what’s Weird about that? SFF Modern Fantasy Symposium, Liverpool John Moore University Conference, October 2005

Brake M, Hook N, Thornton R, Ffantastic Fforde – Visions of Wales as seen through Thursday Next, World Science Fiction Interaction Conference, Glasgow, August 2005.

Brake M, Hook N, Turnbull N, Fermi, Firefly and Foetuses: the Alien within Whedon, Constructions & Identity Conference “Bring Your Own Subtext – Social Life, Human Experience and the works of Joss Whedon”, University of Huddersfield, July 2005

Brake M, Hook N, Did you hear the one about … Temporal Parochialism and Alternative Comedy Paper, 26th Eaton Conference “Inventing the 21st Century: Many Worlds, Many Histories”, Seattle, May 2005

Brake M, Hook N, Thornton R, Turnbull N, Williams K, The Counterfactual Classroom, 26th Eaton Conference ‘Inventing the 21st Century: Many Worlds, Many Histories’ Seattle May 2005

Brake M, Griffiths M, Alien Worlds – Astrobiology & Public Outreach, NASA Astrobiology Institute conference, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, April 2005

Brake M, Hook N, Thornton R, Turnbull N, Williams K, Science Fiction as a Forum for Science, Theatres of Science Conference, University of Glamorgan, September 2004

Brake M, Hook N, Thornton R, Turnbull N, Williams K, Antithetical Scenarios: Science Fiction as Theatre, Theatres of Science Conference, University of Glamorgan, September 2004

Brake M, Thornton R, The Forgotten Colonialism: Science Fiction and Wales, A Commonwealth of Science Fiction conference, Liverpool, August 2004

Brake M, What if We Could Talk to Aliens, National Endowment for Science Technology and Arts Conference ‘What If ..’, University of Glamorgan, June 2004

Brake M, Thornton R, Turnbull N, What if . . . ? Science Fiction and PCST, PCST-8 Conference, Scientific Knowledge & Cultural Diversity, June 2004 Barcelona, Spain

Brake M, Thornton R, A Manifesto for a Cross-Disciplinary Physics Education, VIIIth InterAmerican Conference on Physics Education, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba, July 2003

Brake M, Griffiths M, Broad Horizons: SETI, Science Fiction, and Education, Proceedings of the Bioastronomy and Fulbright Education Conference, Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef Australia, July 2002

Magazine and newspaper articles

Brake M, Hook N, Copernicus and the Wild Goose Chase, Viewpoint, BSHS (2006)

Brake M, Griffiths M, Cosmic Catastrophe and Armageddon, SETI Institute, Explorer Magazine, volume 2, 2 (2005)

Brake M, The Trials and Tribulations of Venus, Orbital, June 2004

Brake M, Thornton R, Taking the fiction out of science’s portrayal, The Times Higher Education Supplement, March 5th, 2004