Abigayle Driscoll, 11, beat hundreds of entrants in a public vote as part of The Physiological Society’s inaugural Bio-bodies bake-off competition.
Members of the public from around the country were challenged to celebrate the human body by making a ‘biological bake’ and sending a picture of their ‘edible cells, organs and physiological delights’ to The Society with the Twitter hashtag #biobakes.
The student at Colchester County High School for Girls took the Bio-bakes crown with her stunning lungs cake, and will receive a £50 Amazon voucher. Runners-up included a model of the human brain, and a birthday cake in the form of a cell.
Abigayle’s win was announced on Facebook and Twitter last Friday and has since been retweeted over 300 times, including a retweet from Scientific American, a leading popular science magazine.
Chief Executive of The Physiological Society, Philip Wright, said, “Many congratulations to Abigayle. We have been overwhelmed with a fantastic response, so winning by public choice is a great achievement. We are already looking forward to what our budding physiologists create for next year’s Bio-bake-off.”
Dr Iona Martin, Head of Biology at Abigayle’s school, said, “We are very proud of Abigayle’s win with her artistic and scientifically correct lung cake. In their Biology lessons this term, students have been learning about cells and organs. The Bio-bakes were all sold to raise funds for a local young persons’ cancer charity, the Tom Bowdidge Foundation.”
The contest received over 270 science themed cakes and 11 were shortlisted. The winner and runners-up were selected through a public vote during Biology Week, and were announced on Physiology Friday on 17 October 2014.
‘Physiology Friday’ is an annual event organised by The Physiological Society to raise the profile of physiology and publicise the research of physiologists. The day is part of ‘Biology Week’, an annual celebration of all the biological sciences organised by The Society of Biology and its member organisations.
Other events held as part of Physiology Friday included The Society’s ‘Ode to Physiology’ poetry competition, which challenged school children to write a poem describing a physiological process in their body. A pop-up shop in Leeds Central Library showcased activities led by physiology students at the University of Leeds, and a visit from The Society to George Green School in the Isle of Dogs, London included some hands-on activities.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
- Biology Week (www.societyofbiology.org/biologyweek) is organised by the Society of Biology and its member organisations, and took place from 11-18 October 2014 with events all around the UK.
- The Bio-bodies bake-off competition was an initiative from The Physiological Society and ran in the month leading up to Biology Week.
- Shortlisted entries can be found here: http://bit.ly/biobakevote
- Photos of all entries can be found on The Society’s Facebook Bake here: http://bit.ly/cakefaceb.
- The Physiological Society brings together over 3000 scientists from over 60 countries. The Society promotes physiology with the public and parliament alike, aims to bring physiologists and the public together through outreach and engagement activities which raise the awareness, understanding and appreciation of physiology. It supports physiologists by organising world-class conferences and offering grants for research and also publishes the latest developments in the field in its leading scientific journals, The Journal of Physiology, Experimental Physiology and Physiological Reports. www.physoc.org
Contacts
The Physiological Society:
Helga Groll, Media and Communications Officer
+44 (0)20 7269 5727, pressoffice@physoc.org
Anisha Tailor, Outreach Officer
+44 (0)20 7269 5723, outreach@physoc.org