Ben Sinclair wins Public Vote in Victoria for global science competition FameLab video!

See Dr Ben Sinclair's Famelab video

Monash University neuroscientist, Dr Ben Sinclair, has been awarded first place in the public vote segment of Victorian applicants by the global science competition FameLab for his engaging video presentation on using exercise as a treatment for brain disease.

Thanks to everyone who voted for Ben!


Dr Sinclair’s video, titled "Enabling exercise", showcases the benefits of the Isodynamics Companies rehabilitation machine called The Reviver, which allows people with impairments in their balance and mobility to get a strong workout through gravity and reflex muscle contractions.

The futuristic-looking device tilts people off balance and rotates them through the gravitational field, activating muscle groups that have become disengaged.  Targeting those who would benefit from exercise the most, but are least able to engage in rigorous exercise like sufferers of Parkinson's, stroke and also the elderly, the trials monitor improvements to balance, mobility and sensory-motor coordination.

FameLab - which was started in the UK by the Cheltenham Science Festival - brings together scientists and engineers from 30 countries, providing a unique opportunity for researchers to talk about their work to a public audience via short, punchy video submissions.

Originating in 2005 during the peak of the TV talent show era, the founders of FameLab believed it was time for the science world to have their own ‘talent show’ platform, enabling researchers to talk about their work in an original way, with the three key measures of success being Content, Clarity and Charisma.

Dr Sinclair - who in his video explains the importance of exercise for the brain, states that those who engage in rigorous exercise have a 40 per cent less chance of getting Alzhemier’s Disease than those that exercise the least.

“If exercise were a pill, it would be the best-selling pill of all time,” said Dr Sinclair.

The next step for Australia’s FameLab 2020 is the national final