TOURING THE COUNTRY FROM 1 MAY 2009 -

Exhibition tour dates:

Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester                     1 May - 29 May
Cheltenham Science Festival                                                 3 June - 7 June
Thinktank, Birmingham                                                           9 June - 2 July
Explore@Bristol                                                                     4 July - 27 August

Leading Lights is an inspiring new exhibition of portraits by award-winning photographer Richard Cannon. It showcases 18 young men and women from all over the UK who are using science, technology, engineering and maths to push the boundaries of what is possible and to make the world a better and more exciting place to live.

The Leading Lights portraits challenge perceptions about the kind of people who work in these fields and bring to life the ground-breaking projects and cutting-edge research that these young men and women are working on from astro-physics to materials technology, web design to sustainability. Their work takes them all over the world from the deserts of South Africa to the French Alps. Their dedication is preventing diseases like cancer. Their expertise is helping the UK to break the world land-speed record. Their vision is protecting our precious energy resources and their creativity is finding new ways for us to communicate with each other.

All of the men and women featured in the portraits are campaigning to make sure there is a new generation of leading lights in science, technology, engineering and maths to take over the baton and continue their work. They are part of a network of thousands of people all over the UK who volunteer as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors and visit young people in schools and colleges around the year to explain what they do and why they love it.  

Leading Lights opens at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry on 1 May 2009 before touring the country. www.stemnet.org.uk

For further information, images and interviews, please contact Anya Matthews, Ellie Backhouse or Henry de Rougemont at Colman Getty on 0207 631 2666 or firstname@colmangetty.co.uk 

STEMNET (the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network) works to encourage more young people in the UK follow technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers and to ensure future generations are properly informed about the science and technology that surrounds them.

STEMNET’s flagship is the STEM Ambassadors programme which gives young people the opportunity to meet real-life role models and to be inspired about the possibilities of careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. There are more than 19,000 volunteer Ambassadors across the UK who, with the support of their employers, regularly visit schools and colleges to run activities, offer careers advice, support after-school clubs and mentor students. Their work is particularly crucial in challenging negative stereotypes about scientists and engineers and the work they do.

Richard Cannon trained at Pimlico Arts and Media College, London and then assisted various photographers including Terry O'Neill, Rory Carnegie and Peter Mountain. In 1994 he became a staff photographer with The London Newspaper Group. In 1998 he began to work on features and portrait assignments for The Times resulting in two awards; Features Photographer of the Year 2002 (Picture Editor's Awards) and Features Photographer of the Year 2005 (British Press Awards). After being spotted by Sir Terence Conran, he had his first UK exhibition. His work currently appears in several magazines including Country Life, FHM, Management Today, Psychologies, Marie Claire and Four Four Two and in editorial broadsheet supplements, advertising and the music industry.

Leading Lights Exhibition tour dates:

 Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), Manchester 
Friday 1 May 2009 - Friday 29 May 2009
10am-5pm
www.mosi.org.uk

 Cheltenham Science Festival (Town Hall)  
Wednesday 3 June 2009 – Sunday 7 June 2009
10am – 8pm
www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science

 Thinktank, Birmingham
Tuesday 9 June 2009 – Thursday 2 July 2009
10am - 5pm
 www.thinktank.ac

 Explore@Bristol 
Saturday 4 July 2009 – Thursday 27 August 2009
10am-5pm weekdays and 10am-6pm weekends, bank holidays
 www.at-bristol.org.uk