Stephen Hawking Launches Science Communication Medal

London Stephen Hawking, Renowned British cosmologist launched an award in his own name for science communication on Wednesday.

The award named 'Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication' will be bestowed upon those who brought science closer to the public using media such as music cinema, art and writing.

The medal was launched at an event at the Royal Society, which is Britain's de facto academy of sciences.

"I'm happy to say I'm here today not to accept a medal but to announce one," Hawking, who has a known sense of humour joked during the medal launch.

"When I wrote 'A Brief History of Time' I was told that no one would want to read a hardback book about physics. Fortunately for me, it turned out not to be true," he added, alluding to his best-selling famous science book.

"People worldwide display an incredible appetite of scientific information… The public want to know, they want to understand," said the cosmologist.

The first medals, which will be awarded in 2016 summer will be categorized into scientific, artistic and film communities sections.

The Starmus Festival, a gathering which celebrates art and science in Canary Islands, Spain, from June 27 to July 2 next year, will be the venue for the announcement of the winners.

Brian May, guitarist of British rock band Queen, who is one of the supporters of Starmus Festival also attended Wednesday's press conference.

"When I was a boy I had two separate dreams, two passions. One was to be an astronomer and the other was to be a musician," said May.

"I returned to astronomy about eight years ago and completed to become a doctor in astrophysics," May added. (image source: starmus)