Guest blog from Early Careers Member Christina Van Midden.
I work at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and my usual tasks involve designing and implementing experiments, analysing the data and sharing results at conferences and events. Recently I got to participate in outreach activities. AFBI had arranged for school groups to visit their Hillsborough site and learn about the wide range of scientific work that is being conducted, ranging from soil to livestock research. I was tasked with talking to them about soil health and indicators used to assess it, not an easy topic to condense to a 10 minute slot! But it was a good challenge, as I enjoy finding ways of effectively communicating and speaking to groups that are that are different to my usual scientific audience is a way of keeping these skills fresh. However, it was hard to determine whether I had engaged the audience, who being teenagers were quite reserved. And the quiet at the end of some talks after opening for questions was particularly daunting. However, what is good with the research that AFBI conducts is the agricultural applicability of it, and as each group contained students from a farming background, I could ask them about whether they had participated in the nation-wide Soil Nutrient and Health Scheme that is currently ongoing, which would break the ice on asking questions.
Among the highlights of the event was a student asking what it was like having a career in science, so perhaps I was able to light a spark and inspire a future soil scientist – who knows! Another highlight was being asked about the effects of slurry spreading on earthworms and how this was different between the different slurry spreading systems. This was something I’d looked into during my PhD as a potential topic to investigate and I was delighted to be able to answer! Having only recently graduated, the imposter syndrome is still going strong, but being able to answer questions like these I could feel more confident in my position as a scientist and slightly less of an imposter. Events like these outreach days are a really good way of developing communication skills and a good way to get out of comfort zones, so I do recommend doing them, even if you, like me, experience imposter syndrome. These events can really help boost confidence.
One recommendation I would give anyone doing a similar outreach event outdoors with multiple talks, is to bring a fold-away chair. I was very grateful for mine and the envy of my presentation partner.
