Mark Brake | |
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| Born | 31 October 1958 |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Popularising the relationship between space, science and culture |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Science Communication |
Mark Brake (born 31 October 1958) is a Welsh author, broadcaster and former professor of science communication at the University of Glamorgan. [1]
Brake was born at Mountain Ash, Wales, UK. He was awarded a BSc by the University of Glamorgan and a MSc by University College Cardiff in 1988. [2]
In 1999, Brake established what he described as 'the world's first science fiction degree', [3] and in 2000, as Head of Earth and Space Sciences at The University of Glamorgan, was involved with an initiative to introduce school children to the study of astrophysics. [4] The following year, Russian cosmonauts Commander Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Volkov and Alexandre Martynov toured Britain in a series of lectures organised by Brake's department. [5] In 2005, Brake helped establish, and became head of, a degree in Astrobiology, described by a fellow academic as the UK's first full degree in the subject. [6] Between 2003 and 2008, Brake was responsible for leading public engagement initiatives in science, which attracted around £5 million of funding. [7]
The RoCCoTO project, launched in 2001, was a community-based science course for the public, featuring ideas about science and their cultural context in an instance of "Third Culture" studies. [8] The RoCCoTO project received a Public Engagement Award from the Astrobiology Society of Britain in 2008. [9] Alien Worlds, a multimedia website associated with the RoCCoTO project, was launched in 2009, and is an animated guide to phenomena such as eclipses of the sun and moon.
Brake has co-written and co-hosted a series of live tours with educational rapper Jon Chase, [10] appearing at the 2012 Hay Festival with a show entitled The Science of Doctor Who, [11] and the 2014 festival with The Science of Star Wars. [12]
In 2006, Brake submitted a grant application to the Research Councils' Procurement Organisation in which he falsely claimed to have a PhD from Cardiff University. The University of Glamorgan described this as "an isolated incident." [13] Brake continued to work at the University of Glamorgan as a professor of science communication until 2010. [14]
Brake has argued that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, as expressed in his 1859 Origin of Species, was influenced by the work of Alfred Russel Wallace. [15] This view has been contested. [16]
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