Sara Kenney awarded Microbiology in Society Award for Surgeon X project

22 June 2017

Surgeon X comic

The Microbiology Society are delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2017 Microbiology in Society Award is Sara Kenney to support her ongoing Surgeon X project.

The Microbiology in Society Award is presented annually to an individual or organisation for education, outreach or public engagement work that promotes the art and science of microbiology. Projects are awarded based on their ability to inspire and educate people about microbiology, allowing them to make informed decisions recognising the importance of microbiology.

Surgeon X is a captivating comic book and web series set in a near-future dystopian London in the midst of an ‘antibiotic apocalypse’. The comic features the brilliant and obsessive surgeon Rosa Scott, also known as Surgeon X, and her microbiologist twin sister Martha Scott.

Sara’s collaboration with microbiologists has helped audiences engage with the importance and relevance of microbiology in everyday life, in particular the problem of antibiotic resistance. Her use of animations, documentaries and comic art, in collaboration with world-renowned comic book editor Karen Berger, presents an exciting vehicle of communication with audiences not reached by many projects.

Sara said of her award: "It's exciting to get this grant from the Microbiology Society. It allows us to create a Surgeon X comic event at Thought Bubble Festival in Leeds, which [will] explore some of the microbiology aspects of the comic. The grant also allows us to collaborate with both artists and scientists to curate an engaging experience for festival goers."

Earlier this year, Sara and microbiologist Dr Adam Roberts appeared on a Facebook Live video with us, filmed at Orbital Comics in London, where they talked about the project and the importance of communicating the science behind antibiotic resistance. You can watch the video here.