Canadian wins Dance Your PhD

Emma Ware, a biologist at Queen’s University, is one of four winners of Dance Your PhD, an annual contest that asks researchers to convert their doctoral dissertation into a dance video. Ware’s dissertation, entitled “A Study of Social Interactivity Using Pigeon Courtship”, was a moody, black-and-white, contemporary dance video that won in the social science category. The contest attempts to bridge the gap between the arts and sciences and challenges researchers to explain their research to the public in an accessible and creative way. This year’s competition had fifty-five entries from Canada, the United States, Europe, India and Australia. The competition is now sponsored by TEDx Brussels, part of a global network of events and speakers based on innovative ideas. The winner of the competition receives $1,000 and a trip to Brussels for the awards ceremony.