Episodes

  • 9: Episode 9 - We Should Spend More Time Talking about Rocks with Professor Christopher Jackson

    9: Episode 9 - We Should Spend More Time Talking about Rocks with Professor Christopher Jackson
    Sep 23 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist! When Chris was announced as one of this year's presenters of the Royal Institution's Christmas lectures it drew a lot of people's attention to quite how big a representation science still has and why science is still such a hostile place. But the biggest thing which stuck with me after sitting down with Chris was that, like most scientists, he just wants to get on with doing science, which in his case is studying how the earth itself has evolved as well as the cool geoscience that gets on TV (Tsunamis, Volcanoes and Earthquakes!).

    From resolving science's accessibility issues with projects like EarthArXiv to how we can understand climate change by studying the earth beneath our feet and why there isn't some special characteristic which makes a good scientist Chris' answers were thought provoking and left me struggling to piece together any semblance of a response.

    Having chatted with Chris this is the first year I will be watching the Royal Institution Christmas lectures.

    Follow Chris on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/seis_matters

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    42 mins
  • 8: Episode 8 - Decolonising the World's Biggest Encyclopedia with Dr Jess Wade

    8: Episode 8 - Decolonising the World's Biggest Encyclopedia with Dr Jess Wade
    Aug 26 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist. While today's journey began in the realms of experimental solid state physics chatting about Jess' work as a physicist it wasn't long before we began to explore the ever complicated topic of representation in science.

    We discussed the incredible Angela Saini's Inferior and Superior, the influence they had on her as well as how she managed to get a copy of the former into every state school in the UK.

    Jess is someone I've long looked up to having been an undergraduate at Imperial when she started the mammoth challenge to publish a wikipedia article every day more than two years ago. If you want to get involved in the project check out her Twitter and sign up to one of her "Edit-a-thons"

    Follow Jess on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/jesswade

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    35 mins
  • 7: Episode 7 - Materials in the 4th Dimension with Dr Anna Ploszajski

    7: Episode 7 - Materials in the 4th Dimension with Dr Anna Ploszajski
    Aug 19 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist. In this episode we explored Anna's research into 4 dimensional printing, her route into science communication and the stories behind all of the materials which make up our world and the people who use them.

    Anna's book Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning through Making is out in February of 2021 and promises to be a great read for anyone interested in how the world around us was built.

    Check out Anna's Handmade podcast here
    https://play.acast.com/s/handmade

    Follow Anna on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/AnnaPloszajski

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    22 mins
  • 6: Episode 6 - Dreaming of Electric Fish with Kassandra Ford

    6: Episode 6 - Dreaming of Electric Fish with Kassandra Ford
    Aug 5 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist. In this episode we explored what electric fish even are, how she didn't have any role models like her until she was in college and the lasting impact of #blackbirdersweek.

    If you want to follow Kassandra (You definitely should!) click here:
    https://twitter.com/kassthefish

    And to keep up to date with everything Sit Down With a Scientist
    Follow me on Twitter:
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    19 mins
  • 5: Episode 5 - Championing Diversity in STEM using Art with Dr. Heidi Gardner (from Science on a Postcard)

    5: Episode 5 - Championing Diversity in STEM using Art with Dr. Heidi Gardner (from Science on a Postcard)
    Jul 22 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist. In this episode we explored how Covid-19 might make clinical trials better in the long run, how being told she didn't "look like a scientist" drove Heidi to change people's perceptions of science and how she made the transition from graphic design into science and back again!

    If you want to champion diversity in STEM visit Heidi's store:
    https://scienceonapostcard.com/

    And to keep up to date with everything Science On A Postcard and Sit Down With a Scientist:
    Follow Heidi on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/heidirgardner
    https://twitter.com/ScienceOnA

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    20 mins
  • 4: Episode 4 - Conserving the High Seas with Melissa Cronin

    4: Episode 4 - Conserving the High Seas with Melissa Cronin
    Jun 29 2020
    Welcome back to a sit down with a scientist where I'm joined by Melissa Cronin a conservation ecologist working to protect manta and devil rays living in the high seas. However, prior to undertaking her PhD she worked as a conservation journalist and was published by the Huffington Post, the New York Times and Vice.

    In this podcast we explored the influence of growing up in an old church on a lobster fishery, how her dad's late life career change inspired her to do the same and how we can prevent the deaths of the elusive manta ray as a result of by-catch by tuna fishermen.

    Follow Melissa on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/melissa_cronin

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    Thumbnail by the incredible Julie Johnson (Life Science Studios)
    https://twitter.com/jehimes

    and have an incredible day!
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    30 mins
  • 3: Episode 3 - Creating Art from Science with Life Science Studios

    3: Episode 3 - Creating Art from Science with Life Science Studios
    Jun 16 2020
    Hello and welcome to the third episode of my podcast a sit down with a scientist where I'm joined by Julie Johnson a science illustrator who founded the amazing Life Science Studios, to discuss how she became a science illustrator, her time as a scientist at Monterey Bay and why she got into science in the first place!

    Check out Julie's website and buy her amazing art! https://www.lifesciencestudios.com/

    Follow Julie on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/jehimes

    Follow me on Twitter
    https://twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    and have an incredible day!
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    24 mins
  • 2: Episode 2 - What's the problem with Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra? With Dr Cathy Mulligan

    2: Episode 2 - What's the problem with Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra? With Dr Cathy Mulligan
    Apr 22 2020
    This episode I sat down with Dr Cathy Mulligan, a financial expert at the world economic forum and a lecturer at UCL and Imperial College London to talk about her experiences as a woman in tech, whether cryptocurrency is still really that much of a big deal and how financial technologies can address the imbalance of power in our society.

    Some things you should definitely do...

    Follow Cathy on Twitter:
    twitter.com/API_Economics

    Follow me on Twitter:
    twitter.com/SJ_McKay

    And have a lovely day!
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    29 mins