This week is British Science Week, and one of the things that ZSL do to get their message out is organise Skype sessions with schools from across the country, for kids who might not get to talk to scientists otherwise. I did some of these for Biology Week last Autumn and really enjoyed myself, so I volunteered again this time.
I had two sessions today, with Surbiton High School and All Saints Catholic College, and the questions the kids had were great.
My favourite animal, my scariest animal encounter, the first animal to go extinct- along with loads of questions about fodies and my research. The most important message I want to get out to kids is that science is *fun* as well as being worthwhile. Also, that there’s no one thing that scientists look like. We have a Lego minifigure called Zoologist, and while it’s great that it’s a woman….
…. not all scientists are fieldworkers. I spend my life in front of Excel and R; fieldwork is vital, but so is rigorous analysis. Neither can have significant (p<0.05) impact without the other.