Awards, lectures and medals of the Royal Society facts for kids
The Royal Society is a very old and respected group of scientists. They give out many special awards, lectures, and medals to celebrate amazing scientific discoveries and achievements. It's like giving out trophies for being super smart and doing important work in science!
One of the oldest awards is the Croonian Lecture, which started way back in 1701. It was created because of a request from the wife of William Croone, who was one of the first members of the Royal Society. This lecture is still given every year and is considered the most important Royal Society prize for biology. Even though the Croonian Lecture was created in 1701, the first one was actually given in 1738. That was seven years after the Copley Medal started, which is the oldest Royal Society medal still given out today. The Copley Medal is for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science."
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Royal Society Awards and Honors
The Royal Society gives out different types of honors: awards, lectures, and medals. Each one celebrates different kinds of scientific work, from new discoveries to inspiring others.
Special Awards
The Royal Society has many awards that celebrate different areas of science and engineering.
This award is given every year for being excellent at explaining science to people in the UK. The winner also gives a lecture and receives £2500. It's named after the famous scientist Michael Faraday.
This award is given every year to a woman who has made an amazing contribution to science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). It comes with a £30,000 grant to help with research. It's named after Rosalind Franklin, a brilliant scientist.
This award is given every year for great achievements in computer science by a researcher from Europe. It's named after Professor Robin Milner, who was a pioneer in computer science.
This prize celebrates scientists in Africa who are doing new and important work in biological sciences. It helps build up scientific skills in Africa. The winner gets money for their research, a medal, and a gift.
- Royal Society Athena Prize
Given every two years, this award celebrates people or teams in the UK who have done the most to make science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) more diverse and welcoming for everyone.
- David Attenborough Award
Started in 2020, this award is given every year to someone who does an amazing job of sharing science with the public. It comes with a £2,500 gift.
Inspiring Lectures
Many of the Royal Society's honors are special lectures where top scientists share their knowledge.
This lecture is given every year and is the most important lecture for physical sciences. It's named after Henry Baker and covers topics in natural history or experimental philosophy.
- Croonian Lecture
As mentioned, this is the oldest lecture given by the Society, started in 1701. It's the most prestigious lecture in biological sciences and is named after William Croone.
- Crick Lecture
Given every year, this lecture focuses on biological sciences, especially genetics, molecular biology, and neurobiology. It's named after Francis Crick and is usually given by a younger scientist.
- Leeuwenhoek Lecture
This lecture is given every three years to celebrate excellent work in microbiology, like studying bacteria, viruses, and how to use microscopes. It's named after Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
Prestigious Medals
The Royal Society also awards several important medals to recognize outstanding scientific work.
This is the oldest and most famous award from the Royal Society, started in 1731. It's given every year for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science" and comes with a £25,000 gift.
Awarded every two years, this medal is for important work in biology, especially in the areas that Charles Darwin himself studied. It comes with a £1000 gift.
Given every year, this medal is for a very important new discovery in chemistry. It's a bronze medal and comes with a £1000 gift. It's named after Humphry Davy.
Three Royal Medals are given out every year. Two are for the most important contributions to natural knowledge, and one is for great work in applied sciences. It's also known as the Queen's Medal.
Awarded every two years, this medal is for an important discovery about how heat or light works, made by a scientist in Europe. It comes with a £1000 gift. Interestingly, the first person to get this medal was Count Rumford, who actually created it!
Historical Awards and Lectures
Over the years, some awards and lectures have changed or ended. For example, the Wilkins Lecture, Bernal Lecture, and Medawar Lecture used to be separate, but they are now combined into the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture. Other awards, like the Esso Energy Award and the Kohn Award, were given for a period and then stopped. These historical awards show how the Royal Society has always adapted to recognize new and important scientific work.
See Also
- List of Royal Society Fellows
Images for kids
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The Royal Society building, where awards and lectures are held.
