Sarah Crowther, Annie Maunder Medal winner, 2019
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What does the Annie Maunder Medal mean to you?
I was stunned – I had no idea I'd been nominated so I had to read the email three times before I convinced myself it was genuine! We scientists have a duty to share our research and make it interesting and accessible to everyone; if we can inspire even just a few young people to become the next generation of scientists and engineers then we've achieved something worthwhile. I'm delighted to receive this award for the work I (and colleagues at the University of Manchester) do trying to share our research with a wider audience.
What's the most exciting outreach you've done?
The first time I was on Newsround on CBBC. It was my first time on TV, on a programme I watched as a child, talking about the Rosetta mission on the day Philae landed on the comet, which in itself was very exciting and captured many people's attention.
What do you do for fun?
I know this sounds geeky, but I genuinely enjoy outreach events and activities, getting stuck in and getting my hands dirty – sometimes literally, covered head to toe in flour and hot chocolate powder! I enjoy seeing the excitement on peoples’ faces, and the look when they discover something they didn't know or when something they didn't understand suddenly makes sense. I'm also quite happy with a good book, or a good film or boxset. I like watching football and have even been known to play myself – badly. And of course everyone enjoys an evening out with friends.