The 2025 Hammond Science Communication Prize winners

The Hammond Science Communication Prize was held in the Stanley Library on Monday 3 March 2025. 

The central theme for the 2025 Hammond Science Communication Prize was 'Extinction – A Global Challenge?'. Contestants were asked to think about extinction in its broadest terms and how it might relate to our current Girton Talks theme: ‘Global Changes and Challenges in the 21st Century'.

The judges for this year’s awards were Dr Phil Hammond (1981 Clinical Medicine, Sponsor), Dr Suzy Lishman (1986 Clinical Medicine), Dr Fiona Cooke (Medicine), Dr Stuart Davis (Deputy Senior Tutor), Dr Soudabeh Imanikia (Biological Sciences), Dr Lila Janik (Arts), Dr Elly Po (Veterinary Medicine), and Professor Gunnar Skov (External). 

The 2025 winners

All contestants gave outstanding presentations, with the following students winning prizes:

• Gina Fadel – Audience and Judges’ Prizes
• Aditi Chezhian – Pathology and Abstract Prizes
• Tasha Leeson – Judges’ Second Prize

Two out of three winners told us about their entries: 

Gina Fadel – Audience and Judges’ Prizes 

The title of my presentation was ‘Lost in the Algorithm: The Silent Crisis of Childhood Cognitive Development'. It was about how the digital age is rewiring children's brains through alterations in their neural circuits in ways we’re only beginning to understand, and at a time crucial for brain development. Will fundamental neural connections, as we know them today, be remoulded to adapt to the demands of this digital age, and could this signal the extinction of generational traits? This is a global race we’re barely keeping pace with, necessitating questions: Are we losing the very qualities that make us human: innovation, creativity, memory, and introspection, and are they being outsourced to screens? Without intervention, we risk consigning future generations to a legacy of digital-induced neuropathology, where capacity for thought becomes a relic of a bygone era.

Participating in this prize has introduced me to the world of science communication, helping me think, the old-fashioned way!, about unique ways to share my ideas and engage an audience. It’s deepened my understanding of the importance of raising awareness, in this case about the impact of technology on the developing brain. I’m grateful for this opportunity as it sparked an interest for communicating science in a meaningful way to encourage thoughtful reflection but also to ignite a desire for change. 

Tasha Leeson – Judges’ Second Prize

'For my submission to the Hammond Science Communication Prize, I explored phrenology - the 19th-century belief that the shape of a person’s skull could determine their personality, intelligence, and moral character. Once seen as a legitimate science, phrenology influenced everything from medicine to criminal justice before being completely discredited. But its legacy lingers - modern pseudoscience still attempts to categorise human nature in oversimplified ways, from personality tests to AI claiming to read emotions.

Winning Judges’ Second Prize was an incredible honour, and it really reinforced how important science communication is. Science isn’t just about discovery - it’s about making knowledge clear, engaging, and accessible. Bad ideas stick around when they’re not properly challenged, and good research only has an impact if people understand it. That’s why events like this matter so much. I’d like to thank Dr Phil Hammond, Dr Fiona Cooke, and the judges for such a fantastic evening - it was such a great opportunity to share my talk and hear so many inspiring presentations!'