This article was kindly written by Caitlin!
I think when people ask about how someone got into science they expect to hear about personal role models, Bill Nye or overbearing parents. In my case it was my diagnosis that got me hooked. At around 8 years old I was diagnosed with epilepsy, a neurological condition that caused seizures.
It made me question how the brain works, or what happens to make it not work. How do drugs work? Who decides if they’re safe to take? How can we look at the body and tell if it’s sick or healthy? After about seven years of fascination and absolutely nothing in the way of answers, I finally found it: neuroscience. I could spend four years doing nothing but learn about the brain and how it works (or so I naively thought).
The university environment suited me really well. I thrived there. I knew and still to this day think I picked the perfect course for myself but I did very quickly realise that the practical aspects of the course were my weakest point and the more complex our time in the lab got, the less confident I was. That experience was important to my understanding of the way research is conducted and for understanding the type of career I wanted to pursue. Luckily, I had very supportive mentors who got me through my course and emphasised that there is no one path in STEM.
It wasn’t until my 3rd year that I discovered the world of science communication. A dynamic field somewhere between science, education and arts. It mashed together all of my skills and interests while giving me plenty of opportunity to learn. That summer I worked as a public engagement assistant and from then on I’ve been obsessed with it. I’m lucky that it was an option to conduct a science outreach project as part of my dissertation. It allowed me to come full circle and centre it around epilepsy and how to discuss the issues surrounding it with people of all ages, but most importantly children (mostly 8 year olds).
On reflection, my experiences in science communication form a kind of self-therapy. Since my epilepsy diagnosis, I’ve accumulated quite a variety of health conditions and through my scientific approach I’ve been able to understand them for myself, accept them and use it to motivate my work. If I really think about it, I want to do science communication so no one feels lost and confused when they need science most.
I’ve been working as a science communicator at Glasgow Science Centre for 18 months now. Taking that step away from life sciences and into the general STEM world was a challenge but I think I’ve learned more than I ever expected to. It really challenged my ability to present to different audiences and I’m more confident now than I ever have been. With lockdown things looked uncertain for a time but I don’t think we, as a company, have ever been busier. I’ve been given opportunities to develop and present online content and I’ve even taken on a project in climate change education. My skill set is stronger than I ever thought it would be at this point in my career because of it.
Of course, it wouldn’t be enough to just be a science communicator at work. Not when there’s such a vibrant community of sci-comms online, particularly on Twitter. Not only do they share their work and do their best to engage people online but they skill share and collaborate. They prove to me each day that STEM can be an inclusive and accessible space as long as we all work to lift each other up. People like Carla (@carladoesscicomm) especially champion that value and lead by example.
While I didn’t know it at the time, finding science communication was one of the best things to happen to me. It’s not the STEM job I imagined I would have when I left school but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so excited to see where it will take me.
If you want to follow along to see what I get up to my twitter is @caitlinray_m.