KFC, MTV, BP, BBC, NASA, NHS, UNICEF, FIFA…combinations of letters that are known the world over. These famous examples demonstrate the power of the acronym, a word formed from the initial components of a series of other words.
You may have noticed that acronyms in science seem to be everywhere. No grant proposal, research group or society is complete without the obligatory ‘humorous’ three- or four-letter shorthand. Bristol is placed pretty well for this; take BIG, BAPs and BUMS (…ok, the last one isn’t science-y). It’s easy to be dismissive and laugh them off as gimmicks. But do they help or hinder the scientific cause?
![b logos](http://betweenarock.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/b-logos-1024x333.jpg)
Bristol is home to BIG, BAPs and BUMS…or Bristol Isotope Group, Bristol Andros Projects and Bristol University Music Society