The British Science Association (BSA) has today revealed its 2018 Honorary Fellowship recipients. Accepting the prestigious accolade are STEMettes co-founder Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon; structural engineer Roma Agrawal; and business woman and philanthropist Martha Lane-Fox CBE. 
 
Each year, supporters of the BSA are invited to nominate individuals to be considered as Honorary Fellows. These are people who embody the BSA’s vision and mission, making an outstanding contribution to promoting science. This could be in a variety of ways, such as: 

• Supporting hands-on STEM education, empowering young people from disadvantaged backgrounds; 
• Challenging stereotypes of what a scientist looks like, what scientists do, and showcasing science as part of culture; 
• and/or leading public dialogue about science’s place in society. 

Anne-Marie, Roma and Martha join the Association’s illustrious rank of Honorary Fellows alongside individuals such as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Paul Nurse, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Dr Helen Sharman, Professor Alice Roberts and Professor Brian Cox.  

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon giving the Women in Science lecture at the 2018 British Science Festival, Hull & the Humber

Roma Agrawal said: “I want my work to help raise awareness of engineering with under-represented groups such as women and people from ethnic minorities, and I am delighted to be recognised by the British Science Association for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the British Science Festival in Hull and the Humber this September; events like this provide a platform to showcase how creative, collaborative and important to society science and engineering are.” 

Anne-Marie Imafidon said: “I’m thrilled to receive this Fellowship from the BSA, an organisation that is tackling stereotypes in science and trying to build a stronger active science identity in more people. There’s a particular problem with gender and other forms of diversity in STEM, something I’m trying to tackle through STEMettes, and so it helps to have lots of us working towards the same shared mission.” 

Martha Lane-Fox said: “I’m delighted to receive this honour from the British Science Association. The UK tech sector will only thrive if it's as diverse as the population it serves. I am wildly supportive of the BSA’s mission to transform diversity and inclusivity of science and STEM sector, and their role in championing the need for more public discourse on innovation.  I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.” 

Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the BSA, said: “I’d like to extend my congratulations to this year’s Honorary Fellows and welcome them to the British Science Association. These individuals work to improve access to science for under-served audiences and champion diversity in science, using their skills, expertise and public profile to advance our world for the better. I look forward to working with them in the years to come.” 

Roma is a structural engineer who has worked on several major engineering projects - from footbridges and sculptures, to train stations and skyscrapers – including The Shard – she has left an indelible mark on London’s landscape. She is a tireless promoter of engineering and technical careers to young people, particularly under-represented groups such as women.  

Anne-Marie is a former child prodigy, being the youngest girl to ever pass an A-Level in computing at age 11. She is co-founder of the award-winning social enterprise, STEMettes, and gave the annual women in science keynote address at this year’s British Science Festival. 

Martha is best known for co-founding lastminute.com in the late 2000’s, but now holds many roles, including as a board member for Twitter, Chairing the digital skills charity doteveryone, and being the youngest female member of the House of Lords as a crossbencher.  

The full list of BSA Honorary Fellows can be found here: https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/our-honorary-fellows