Communicating science for the advancement of all: Professor Salim S Abdool Karim receives the Royal Society's Michael Faraday Prize

Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim, FRS has been awarded The Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture at an awards ceremony in London on May 29th. The Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture is awarded annually to the scientist or engineer whose expertise in communicating scientific ideas in lay terms is exemplary. Abdool Karim’s lecture entitled, “Science under threat: The politics of institutionalised disinformation” unpacked, head-on, the threats to science globally, with a focus on the USA, where disinformation has become institutionalised in the corridors of power. Abdool Karim says “As those in power use the levers of the state to accumulate wealth and yet more power, truth becomes a major obstacle. Hence science, as the rational approach to seeking the truth, becomes the casualty and universities, as custodians of science, have come under attack.” He went on to state that, “The importance of science and its contribution to a better world needs to be communicated to build and maintain the public’s support and confidence in science and the institutions of science.”