Tomorrow I am doing some science outreach at the Natural History Museum as part of their series of Lates events; this one is called Females of the Species and I will be on a pop-up Science Station talking about avian mating systems, diversity, and generally how awesome female birds are.
This is the first time I’ve done anything quite this big, and I am really excited about it even though I came down with a horrible cold yesterday. I am planning my medication allowances through the day so that I arrive at the NHM feeling well enough to talk science for a few hours! I am also taking some props; this photo of a dunnock that I took in my in-law’s garden years ago, with a hilariously inaccurate quote overlaid on it:
And I’ll be taking some photos of Fodies, specifically these, taken by my awesome PhD colleague Joe:
I will also have some avian specimens borrowed from the Museum, all aimed to be conversation starters about avian mating systems. Though honestly I’m happy to talk about pretty much anything, within my knowledge base anyway. My recent PhD work has been all about mating systems, though, so I’m well revised on that. The Fodies are turning out to be more interesting on that front than anyone expected!
I have done some outreach / education type things before, and found them hugely rewarding. Last year I completed the University of Reading’s Students in Schools programme, helping out in science lessons at a local secondary school. And just a couple of weeks ago I was at ZSL doing Skype sessions with a secondary school science club and a group of home-schooled kids as part of the Royal Society of Biology’s Biology Week. That was a lot of fun; the kids were really engaged, and asked a lot of really thoughtful questions. It was also quite cool doing that in a classroom in the middle of Land of the Lions!