Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and women’s and gender studies core faculty, is the first laureate of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication, given by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in partnership with Schmidt Futures.
Prescod-Weinstein received the top prize in the “Research Scientist: Mid-Career to Later Career” category for three articles that promote science to the public:
“Give to the Axion” (American Scientist)
“Becoming a Marshal” (The Baffler)
“A Black Woman Dreams in Equations” (Excerpt)
“Exceptional writing on complex subjects, done in a voice aimed at marginalized audiences. Her writing is a joy to read.”
“Prescod-Weinstein makes dark matter and astrophysics personally meaningful and fascinating to readers by combining physics and metaphysics in surprising and beautiful ways,” said her verdict. “It’s not just science, it’s also literary, it’s worldly, it’s masterful. Exceptional writing on complex subjects, done in a voice aimed at marginalized audiences. Her writing is a joy to read.”
Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist who studies dark matter, is also a prolific science communicator, writing articles and social media posts that bring complex ideas about physics, cosmology and social justice to wide audiences. She recently won the Phi Beta Kappa Book for Science Award and the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, both for her book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred (Bold Type Books). In April, it received the Los Angeles Times Book Award in the science and technology category.
Prescod-Weinstein is among the first 24 recipients of the award – 12 awards for the best science communication by research scientists and 12 awards for science journalists, divided between six categories. The winners will be honored during a recognition event and workshop on November 11 and 12 in Washington, D.C.
