Science Communication in 2018
Science Apprentice 2018 Series
In 2018, researchers in Ireland were invited to contribute to the Science Apprentice Book Series, a project of University College Dublin (UCD). This series was aimed at communicating STEM topics to children in an inspiring way. My research on microplastics in the Arctic Ocean was featured in the series ‘How it’s Made’ with my contribution entitled, ‘Plastic, not so fantastic’.
Soapbox Science Galway 2018
The month before I submitted my PhD thesis, I took part in Soapbox Science Galway. The purpose of the event was to highlight the work of female scientists and allow them to engage with the general public about their research. Speaking to adults about microplastics in the ocean is one thing but trying to communicate an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ concept to children is challenging. And so ‘Basky the Shark’ was born. In between writing my thesis, I got a Galway-based carpenter (Darren Tobin) to build a basking shark, I painted it and then got assistance from two colleagues (Dr. Joao Frias and Dr. Ghassen Halouani) to help me attach macroplastics that had been collected from beaches in Galway unto the structure. ‘Basky’ was a huge help in explaining the concept that plastics in the ocean can impact the marine organisms that live there. Although I left Ireland, Basky remained to continue the outreach efforts!
SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference-Davos, Switzerland
In June 2018, I traveled to Switzerland to present my findings on microplastics in the Arctic Ocean to the Polar scientific community. This conference was truly an eye-opening one. Although I had spent the previous two years on Arctic research, I was able to meet polar researchers who were focused on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and learn about a completely different ecosystem. One of the highlights of the event was meeting a fellow Trinidadian climatologist, Professor Marilyn Raphael whose work was focused on the Southern Hemisphere.
MICRO2018 International Conference (Lanzarote, Spain)
In November 2018, just after graduation, one of the first things I did was to head off to MICRO2018. If you’re working on microplastics, it’s the conference to attend. For the first time, I was able to meet the scientists whose work I’d been reading. To top if off, I was in the company of some awesome colleagues from the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Ireland. Photo credit: Joao Frias.