Alom Shaha (born 1973) is a

British-Bangladeshi British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term c ...

science teacher, writer, and filmmaker. His books include ''The Young Atheist's Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God'', ''Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder: adventures in science round the kitchen table'', and ''Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines: adventures in making round the kitchen table''. He has also written for '' The Guardian'', The Big Issue, '' BBC Science Focus'', '' New Humanist'' and '' New Scientist'' and spoken at events such as the Richmond Literature Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival.

Education and early life

Shaha was born in Bangladesh and grew up in a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family in the Elephant and Castle area of London where he developed an interest in

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

. He was educated at University College London where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, followed by Imperial College London ( Master of Science degree in

science communication Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

), Goldsmiths, University of London ( Master of Arts degree in creative writing and

life writing Life writing is an expansive genre that primarily deals with the purposeful recording of personal memories, experiences, opinions, and emotions for different ends. While what actually constitutes life writing has been up for debate throughout his ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

( Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Physics).

Career

Shaha is a teacher of physics. He taught at Camden School for Girls from 2008 to 2020 and The Watford UTC. Shaha was elected a councillor in the

1998 Southwark London Borough Council election Elections to Southwark Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. The whole council was up for election. Turnout was 32.9%. Election result Ward results Abbey Linda Manchester was a sitting councillor for Riverside ward Alley ...

for the London Borough of Southwark for the Liberal Democrats. Shaha is a patron of

Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious be ...

, who have sent his books to

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s in the UK. His work has been recognised by fellowships awarded by the

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is an innovation foundation based in the UK. The organisation acts through a combination of programmes, investment, policy and research, and the formation of part ...

(NESTA) and the

Nuffield Foundation The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1943 by William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors Ltd. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social pol ...

. He has worked on content creation for the BBC and the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

Popular science

Shaha has published books on

popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

aimed at children, teenagers and their families including: * ''Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder: adventures in science round the kitchen table'' * ''Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines: adventures in making round the kitchen table'' * ''Why Don't Things Fall Up?: and Six Other Science Lessons You Missed at School'' * ''How to Find a Rainbow''

Textbooks

Shaha has co-authored textbooks on GCSE Science and

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

Physics for the

AQA AQA, formerly the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, is an awarding body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qu ...

examination board published by Oxford University Press: * ''Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Physics'' * ''Oxford Revise: AQA A-Level Physics'' * ''Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science''

Media

Alongside appearances on YouTube, Shaha's appearances on

mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes mai ...

have included: * ''

Science Shack {{Use dmy dates, date=October 2022 ''Science Shack'' was a BBC television series screened in 2001 and 2002. It was presented by Adam Hart-Davis and produced by Leeds UK-based Screenhouse Productions. The series set out to answer science questions ...

'' * ''

What the Victorians Did for Us ''What the Victorians Did for Us'' is a 2001 BBC documentary series that examines the impact of the Victorian era on modern society. It concentrates primarily on the scientific and social advances of the era, which bore the Industrial Revolution ...

'' * ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

Personal life

Shaha speaks Sylheti fluently having been born in a small village in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaha, Alom Living people 21st-century British writers English humanists Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors 21st-century British educators 1973 births