Anyone who knows me might say there's a joke in here somewhere about how much I love to chat. It's true that science outreach and engagement is one of the best bits of my job, and I think it's so important to communicate why we do what we do; who we are, what questions we ask, how we do our research and why it's valuable. Throughout my career I've managed, coordinated and carried out numerous outreach events for a broad range of audiences (scroll down for more info), and I'm particularly enthusiastic about outreach that reaches those with fewer opportunities to hear about, learn, and get involved with, science.
2023
The Science Basement
I've just joined The Science Basement, which is based in Helsinki, and will work on a number of projects with them - more details soon!
Night of Science
The Night of Science is a 'block party' for science and research, which is held every year across multiple venues in Helsinki. All events are free, and include immersive and interactive talks from current researchers working within Finland. This year I spoke about how parasites are transmitted through populations, how big is the biggest parasite ever found, actually?, and my experience with stressed (and zombie) butterflies at Lammi biological station.
2022
Vappushokkelo
Organised by University of Helsinki biology students, Vappushokkelo aims to educate and inspire schoolchildren about nature and biodiversity through interactive workshops, which are linked to University research. I helped create activities for a 'hands-on' stall about Cinxia butterflies, how we rear them in the lab, how they live in the wild and how their life-cycle varies in different environments
2021
GTAEF Elephant Professional Lecture Series
I was lucky to be an invited speaker for the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation's (GTAEF) excellent talk series, delivered by elephant professionals across different fields. This was a pleasure to be part of, and anyone interested in elephants should check out the numerous talks on different elephant-related subjects, which can be viewed here.
2016 - 2020
School Visits
I've visited local schools (Sheffield, UK and Turku, Finland) regularly throughout my career, giving interactive talks about elephants, research and how our work help improve the animal management and welfare. During these visits we also talk about who we are, why we love studying science and what it's like to work in a University.
2018
Researchers' Night
Turku
2017
University of Sheffield's Christmastime Lecture
I was employed to help co-ordinate the eighth annual 'Christmastime Lecture', hosted by the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences for 1,000 local school children. The hour-long lecture involved on-stage demonstrations involving lightning bolts of nitrogen fixation, burning potassium, a giant growing plant, life-size 'insects', alpacas and more. After the lecture, the children were also able to participate in a number of interactive science stalls, run by postgraduate students. This is by far and away the most ambitious project I've been involved with, and also the most rewarding and entertaining.
Slightly Evolved Podcast
It was great to be invited as a speaker on this weekly science podcast. Click here for the episode to hear me chat about host-parasite dynamics, elephants, Myanmar, being a field scientist and the Peak District. Follow @SlightlyEvolved on Twitter or find the full soundcloud here.
2016
Pint of Science
In May I gave an interactive talk on how parasites infect elephants in the Diet and Disease session at Sheffield's Pint of Science event. Pint of Science is an international science festival for the general public, with different sessions of talks on research that's carried out at local institutions, on a range of scientific subjects.
2015
Krebs Festival 2015 - Hidden Worlds
Along with another postgraduate, I worked with local secondary school children to create a scientifically accurate, animated video on the hidden world of parasite infection over several school visits. The final cut was be showcased in November as part of Krebs Festival 2015, projected onto a University building, and won 1st prize for best presentation.
Discover STEM Workshop
I ran a workshop and mock laboratory practical as part of the University of Sheffield's Discover STEM series for 17-18 year olds. The session gave students an idea of what an undergraduate-level university practical is like and what a PhD involves. This has since been developed into a series of practicals for first year undergraduate at the University of Sheffield which I designed and led.
Myanmar Elephant Health & Welfare Capacity Buiding Workshop
As part of a larger training course for local vets in Myanmar, I assisted with a parasitology workshop for March incorporating methods for parasite detection and identification in Asian elephants. I also co-organised and ran an excel training course for local participants.
2014
Researcher's Night
Researcher's Night is run as part of the University of Sheffield's Festival of the Mind encouraging the wider public to learn more about the University's research. I was a co-organiser of a workshop highlighting the work of the Myanmar Timber Elephant Project.
Vitae 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competiton
I competed as one of six national finalists at Vitae's 2014 3MT competition during the first year of my PhD. Using one static slide, I explained the scientific theory behind my research and it's importance to lay audiences.
Discovery Night, University of Sheffield
Together with Dr Hannah Mumby, I organised and ran a mini-lecture and parasitology workshop (inc. identifying animal dung 'Who-Dung-It?' and parasite eggs) aimed at the general public, specifically those with young children.