• Question: Why would your research inspire children to be interested in a career in science, more than the other scientists?

    Asked by joe2000 to Kate, Kieren, Nicola, Rowena, Roy on 7 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Kate Nicholson

      Kate Nicholson answered on 7 Mar 2014:

      I would hope all research could inspire children to be interested in science, and if I wasn’t maybe I should learn how to tell people about my work in a better way.

      I think my work is inspiring because it uses science in a different setting, and allows a deeper understanding of the history by providing answers to questions like ‘ what was in the scribes paintbox in the 8th century in Northumbria?’ rather than just ‘what molecules are on this page?’ It is something real that people can relate to and get excited about.

    • Photo: Nicola Rogers

      Nicola Rogers answered on 8 Mar 2014:

      My research during my PhD has taken molecules that I have made in the laboratory, right through to coloured nanoparticles that we can see inside cancer cells down a microscope – it is not very often that you see the whole application from start to finish in research.

    • Photo: Rowena Fletcher-Wood

      Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 9 Mar 2014:

      I hope my research is inspiring because it is so diverse. Molecular sieves made as a chemist are used to take up cancer-causing chromium from water to protect people’s health; I get to test my materials using lots of analytical techniques and learn how these work, most of which is physics! There should be something for everyone, but more importantly I want to show you that science isn’t strictly divided up and that you CAN pick bits out that interest you and explore across subject boundaries, even subjects you might have given up in school. There are new pathways being forged in science everyday – that is what all of us on I’m a Scientist are doing now!

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