Do You Love Science? Tell Us Why!

Win one of our limited edition face masks! To enter, simply tell us why you love science using the hashtag #ILoveSciBecause on any of our social media platforms before the end of Valentine’s Day, 14th February 2021, to be in with a chance of being chosen!

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, and if 2020 taught us anything, it is that science, much like love, really is all around. We saw SpaceX’s Dragon rocket ship carry two astronauts up to the International Space Station, and its sustainable Falcon 9 rocket returned safely to Earth. Closer to home, where we became accustomed to spending time, PlayStation launched their PS5 gaming system allowing users to escape on their own virtual adventures in lieu of real ones. And of course, without information technology and high-speed communications, we would be lost without our work Zoom meetings, Saturday night Twitch quizzes, exchanges of GIFs on social media in an attempt to make sense of our emotions in these unprecedented times, and our questionably ‘factual’ WhatsApp updates from aunts and uncles we haven’t hugged in a while. Science is not only in the news but is inescapable in our everyday lives.

One science story dominated the headlines in 2020; the global pandemic of COVID-19. This tiara-toting bundle of genetic material has catalysed a global shift in how we live, work and interact with one another. As our 2020 report by Simon Porter and Daniel Hook showed, the pandemic and the virus behind it have also had a huge impact on how we carry out scientific research. 2021 has so far focused on the positive scientific advances developed to combat the spread of the virus and bring the pandemic back under control, however, viruses have a range of survival techniques in their repertoire. It is therefore likely, that while global vaccination programmes are being rolled out, our ‘new normal’ of social distancing, hand washing and face mask-wearing is here to stay for a little while longer yet, not only for our own safety but also the safety of others.

At Digital Science, we are committed to making research as open and efficient as possible, and there has never been a better example of why such a research culture is beneficial for both researchers and society. Our famous swag has always been in high demand thanks to our unashamed love of science emblazoned across each item. It seemed appropriate therefore that we embraced the latest Spring/Summer 2021 catwalk look and created our own line of face masks. They are complete with that famous tagline, to celebrate science and its role in pulling us out of this crisis, to provoke conversations about science in society, and to showcase your own personal commitment to minimising the spread of this disease within your own communities.

Is science one of your Valentines? Don’t keep it a secret – tell us about it! We want to know what you love about science. Are you passionate about your own area of research? Maybe you’re grateful to science for all that it does to help humanity. Whatever you love about science, we want to hear from you. This Valentine’s Day, tell us why you love science using the hashtag #ILoveSciBecause before the end of Valentine’s Day, 14th February 2021 to be in with a chance of winning your very own Digital Science face mask. Submit your entries on any of our social media platforms. Winners will be chosen by 21st February and will feature in our ‘Love Letters to Science’ in March. Winners will be contacted and asked to supply their postal details by 28th February. Entrants can reside in any country because science is global. Good luck!