Do you want to put science in the headlines?

If you do then the British Science Association Media Fellowships are for you.

Experience first-hand how science is reported by spending 3-6 weeks on a summer placement with a press, broadcast or online journalist such as the Guardian, The Times or BBC.

You will work with them to produce well informed, newsworthy pieces about developments in science.

Come away better equipped to communicate your research to the media, public and your colleagues.

You will develop writing skills that could help you produce concise and engaging articles and funding applications.

For details about the scheme, including eligibility and online application form, visit our webpage.

Application deadline: 11 March 2013

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So I was a British Science Association Media Fellow last year and had so much fun that I briefly considering changing my name and appearance so I could apply again and work at one of the other media hosts. But, unfortunately, science does not pay well enough for facial reconstructive surgery to be a viable option.

If anyone does have any questions about the scheme, please get in touch and I will be happy to help.

Faecal Transplants Through the Medium of Cartoons

Faecal transplants are highly effective in treating recurrent Clostridium difficile infections compared to conventional antibiotics. The transplants proved so successful that the trial was stopped early to give other patients the chance to benefit from this slightly icky-sounding treatment, which is proposed to repopulate the gut with good bacteria to suppress the growth of Clostridium difficile. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week.

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Oh, what's that? You're confused about the dramatic change from those word-things to the above explosion of anthropomorphised microbes? So I am trying something new - cartoon-based explanations of new scientific papers (Sci-toons?). I figured there are already many, many people writing about science on the internet, but how many illustrate their articles with vaguely menacing pictures of bacteria? Not many (although maybe there's a reason for this)!