Astronomer Teresa Lago, Professor Filipe Resurreição and radio presenter Edgar Canelas are the winners of the 2018 Ciência Viva Montepio Awards.

The Ciência Viva Montepio Grand Prize distinguishes Teresa Lago for her outstanding work in promoting scientific culture as a professor, researcher, author and disseminator in the field of astronomy. After receiving her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Sussex, she was the founder of the Center for Astrophysics of the University of Porto and created the first degree in astronomy in Portugal. She is currently General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union.

The awards ceremony will take place on 24 November 2018, National Day of Scientific Culture, at 15:00 WET, in the Amphitheatre of the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra.

This initiative is part of the Science and Technology Week and will be attended by the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor.

The Ciência Viva Montepio Awards are awarded annually by Ciência Viva and Montepio and celebrate personalities and institutions that stand out for their exceptional merit in promoting scientific culture in Portugal. The winners were selected by the representatives of the scientific research institutions that make up the Ciência Viva Agency.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 13 500 professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

The associated institutions of Ciência Viva are:

• Portuguese National Innovation Agency (ANI)
• Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)
• Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC)
• Center for Social Studies (CES)
• Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT)
• Instituto de Ciências Sociais (ICS)
• Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC)
• Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)
• Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB)
• Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (LIP)
• Institute of Engineering of Systems and Computers, Technology and Science (INESC TEC)

Links

• Press release from Ciência Viva

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org