The Scientist Global Awards

Recent research projects run by Dr E Thompson (University of Greenwich), the photovoltaics company Polysolar, and Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, have been exploring the potential for UK soft fruit farms to harness solar power while simultaneously producing high quality crops. By retrofitting semi-transparent photovoltaic materials to glasshouses and polytunnels, the projects have demonstrated how solar energy generation and crop production can coexist successfully on the same plot of land – without outlay on new structures. This approach has potential to improve sustainability, reduce land requirements, and lower farming costs – and the project has generated significant interest , with major breeders and supermarkets visiting the installations. As part of the project, the University of Greenwich team is also assessing how the use of various colour tinted (semi-transparent) glass solar panels affects the growth of crops, as these partition light wavelengths for plant photosynthesis or elec...

As we step into 2025, the landscape of machine learning (ML) continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace, with new tools and technologies emerging to streamline the development, deployment, and management of ML models. The right set of tools can significantly enhance the efficiency of ML projects, from data preprocessing and model training to evaluation and deployment. Whether you're embarking on your first ML project or looking to refine your existing workflows, this guide will introduce you to the cutting-edge tools shaping the future of machine learning, helping you stay ahead in the rapidly advancing technological landscape. Machine learning tools are fundamental in various domains, from automating decision-making processes to driving personalization and innovation in healthcare, finance, and e-commerce sectors. The machine learning field is characterized by rapid advancements. Tools integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI and IoT and evolve through research in algorithms ...

"Just do the calculations" is a common saying in the field of quantum computing, the development of software for quantum computers. Everything in this field is new; simply doing the math is often the best way to proceed. At Maastricht University, an interdisciplinary group of scientists works in quantum computing research, they try to do more than just the math. David Mestel and Jérémie Gobeil describe the unsolved problems in quantum computing that they are researching. David Mestel (Department of Advanced Computing Sciences) describes the field of quantum computing as "a huge world of ignorance". David studies quantum information theory, which is a branch of science that investigates the information hidden in quantum mechanical systems such as quantum computers. He goes on to say, "In classical computing, you can incrementally improve existing algorithms, but in quantum computing, all of these algorithms need to be developed, we have only discovered a few o...

Technological advancements have changed how we consume and interact with information. Social media, search engines, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms make knowledge accessible at an unprecedented scale. However, these developments have also created new opportunities for misinformation and manipulation , ultimately undermining public trust in institutions, including scientific ones. In the information age, fostering trust and confidence among the public –particularly in the science community—prompted a community of scientists to establish the Research Topic The Erosion of Trust in the 21st Century: Origins, Implications, and Solutions. Inspired by the work of this group of researchers, we’ve curated three Research Topics that investigate the complex interplay between technology, health, and society's trust in scientific research . These topics explore reflections on how to develop technology that benefits society, the implications of using AI in public health data...