Microbubble study wins the EPSRC Journal of the Royal Society Interface Award
09 November 2009A research paper on experimental methodology for the production of microbubbles - miniature gas bubbles that can remain suspended in liquid for an extended period of time - has won the EPSRC Journal of the Royal Society Interface Award.
A research paper on experimental methodology for the production of microbubbles - miniature gas bubbles that can remain suspended in liquid for an extended period of time - has won the EPSRC Journal of the Royal Society Interface Award.
Microbubbles have a variety of possible applications, including in medical imaging and diagnosis and targeted drug delivery, and therefore developing effective methods of preparation is highly advantageous. The winning research paper, by scientists from University College London, showed how microbubbles can been prepared by the controlled co-flow of gas and liquid under an electric field.
The Journal of the Royal Society Interface in conjunction with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) honoured the best research article published in the journal to celebrate its fifth year of publication.
The EPSRC Journal of the Royal Society Interface Award' was awarded to Professor M. Edirisinghe, Dr E. Stride and Mr U Farook, of University College London for their article about experimental research into a method of microbubble preparation that is scalable for commercial use. It was judged to be the best research article based on work funded by EPSRC published in the journal over the last five years by a panel of judges including EPSRC Chief Executive Dave Delpy. The authors were presented with a prize of £5,000 plus a student educational travel award of £2,000.
Sir Martin Taylor, Vice-President of the Royal Society, said: "Journal of the Royal Society Interface was established to publish and promote high quality research at the interface of the physical and life sciences. In only five years, the journal has seen enormous success. This award celebrates that success and highlights some of the outstanding articles that have appeared in that time."
Interface is a collaborative journal developed after consultation with EPSRC and has been instrumental in developing cross-disciplinary relationships between engineering and physical sciences and life sciences. EPSRC Director of Research Base, Lesley Thompson who actively supported the development of Interface, said: "EPSRC and the Royal Society's Interface Journal have formed a powerful partnership over the past five years to support and celebrate world leading research at the interface between the physical sciences, mathematics and the life sciences. In recognition of this important contribution to cross-disciplinary research within the UK, we are delighted to be funding the first EPSRC Journal of the Royal Society Interface Award."
Two runners up were also selected by the judges and awarded with free journal subscriptions. They were Rhoda Hawkins and Tom McLeish of University of Leeds and Stephen Eichhorn and William Sampson of Manchester University.
The winning papers can be read here:
1st
Preparation of suspensions of phospholipid-coated microbubbles by coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization
U Farook, E Stride, and MJ Edirisinghe
2nd
Dynamic allostery of protein alpha helical coiled-coils
R J Hawkins and TCB McLeish
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/6/125.full?sid=6624166a-79bc-4c95-b533-80e4658df23a
3rd
Statistical geometry of pores and statistics of porous nanofibrous assemblies
S J Eichhorn and WW Sampson
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/4/309.full?sid=21599f55-e154-4f80-8570-e5c78f5d97e1