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We are delighted to announce the winners of theÌýCPS Outreach and Engagement Awards 2024, initiated last yearÌýto recognise and reward those who have given their time and expertise to planetary science outreach and engagement. The awards were announced at the CPS Summer Meeting on Thursday 4th July, where the winners who attendedÌýwere presented with their award certificates.

Winner

Alexandra Thompson - PhD student, Astrophysics Group, P&A Ìý

For founding and implementing the Orbyts STAR (STudents Advancing Research) programme, which aims to create scientific projects for students with long-term health issues, in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital. Ìý
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The panel were impressed with the innovative nature of Alex’s project to expand and adapt the Orbyts framework, in collaboration with GOSH and a student patient there. Of note was Alex’s determination to ensure that students from this particularly underrepresented group receive opportunities to engage in science in an inclusive and understanding environment, by conscientiously building a flexible and fun project with accessible toolkits and bespoke interactive graphics.Ìý
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Alex also provided valuable additional support for the main Orbyts project as the Astro Hub Lead and by creating important graphics for the recently published Orbyts Impact Report.Ìý

Prize - £150 Love2Shop voucher and certificate.

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Runner-up

Connor Ballard – PhD student, Planetary Group, MSSLÌý

For Connor’s Orbyts research work with an all-girls school in Essex, leading the group on an exciting Mars Balloon astrobiology project, in conjunction with Thales Alenia. The panel were impressed with the inspiring and engaging nature of the project, where the school students sent samples containing Antarctic cyanobacterial mats to the stratosphere to investigate how the signatures of life change in simulated Martian conditions. This led to a publication of their results in the RNASS and included a press release with the NHM who provided the sample. Of particular note was that Connor built truly excellent relationships with the students. ÌýHe also provided valuable additional support for Orbyts within the MSSL Hub.Ìý
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Prize - £50 Love2Shop voucher and certificate.Ìý

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Special Recognition

In addition to the top awards, the panel awarded a few individuals with special recognition for their outreach and engagement activities this year.Ìý Each receive a £10 Love2Shop voucher and certificate:Ìý
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• Anna Parsec-Wallis (PhD student, MSSL)Ìý- for her recent involvement in the Astrogazers engagement project at Croydon High School for Girls, designing and building the Pegasus CubeSat mission.Ìý
• Sushuang Ma (PhD student, P&A-Astro) and Jorge Pérez González (MSci Astrophysics, P&A) for inspiring and outstanding student engagement for their co-delivery of Orbyts projects ‘Characterising exoplanets from Tess lightcurves’ and ‘How do clouds effect the observed radius of exoplanets’.Ìý
• Becky Warrilow (PhD student, MSSL) - for enthusiastic delivery of her ‘Reconstructing ancient river processes on Mars to identify past habitable zones’ Orbyts project. The group had a remarkable result disproving some earlier published research by MIT.Ìý
• Anna Thomas (PhD student, P&A-Astro) - for her perseverance in overcoming many challenges to be able to deliver her Orbyts project which utilises her planet formation models to explore the fundamentals of planetary formation.Ìý

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Congratulations to all of our 2024 prize winners!ÌýÌý
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We hope this inspires those of you who are thinking of getting involved in outreach and public engagement. Please feel free to reach out to Karen-Anne Devoil and Jo Fabbri at the CPS if you would like any guidance or help in promoting your activities. Ìý
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As you can see, many of those awarded this year have been involved with the incredible Orbyts project, led by Will Dunn and the Orbyts leadership team. ÌýOrbyts is a truly rewarding science engagement opportunity with training and support, so please do get in touch with Will, Karen or anyone from the leadership team if you are interested in getting involved: .
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Warm congratulations to everyone who has contributed to outreach and public engagement endeavours this year, particularly students and early career researchers! A final thanks for all the nominations received and to the Awards Panel for reviewing the submissions.

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Links

• Ìýand
• ,ÌýConnor J. BallardÌýet alÌý2023ÌýRes. Notes AASÌý7Ìý252

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Award winners: Connor Ballard (left) receiving his certificate fromÌýCPS Marketing and Outreach Officer Karen-Anne Devoil, and Anna Parsec-Wallis (top right) and Becky Warrilow (bottom right) with their certificates at the CPS Summer Meeting 2024. Credit: J. Fabbri.