Sit Down With a Scientist

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Have you ever wondered whether sleep is really that important? Or why we find flowers attractive? Join me as I sit down with the UK's leading scientists to answer some of the most important questions in science, speak about their research and discover the journeys they took to get to where they are…

Sit Down With a Scientist

  • Sep 23, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
  • every other week NEW EPISODES
  • 26m AVG DURATION
  • 9 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Sit Down With a Scientist

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

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2020 42:08


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!

8: Episode 8 - Decolonising the World's Biggest Encyclopedia with Dr Jess Wade

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2020 35:18


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!

7: Episode 7 - Materials in the 4th Dimension with Dr Anna Ploszajski

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2020 21:59


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!

6: Episode 6 - Dreaming of Electric Fish with Kassandra Ford

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2020 18:59


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 (https://twitter.com/kassthefish?lang=en) 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!

5: Episode 5 - Championing Diversity in STEM using Art with Dr. Heidi Gardner (from Science on a Postcard)

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2020 19:54


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!

4: Episode 4 - Conserving the High Seas with Melissa Cronin

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2020 30:14


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!

3: Creating Art from Science with Life Science Studios

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2020 23:48


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 (https://www.lifesciencestudios.com/) , 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!

2: Episode 2 - What's the problem with Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra? With Dr Cathy Mulligan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2020 28:45


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: https://twitter.com/API_Economics Follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SJ_McKay And have a lovely day!

1: Episode 1 - Is sleep really that important? With Dr. Giorgio Gilestro

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2019 21:00


Hi everyone and welcome to the first episode of Sit Down with a Scientist! I'm Sam and in this episode I had the chance to talk to Dr Giorgio Gilestro, a scientist from Imperial College London who studies sleep and whether or not it's really that important. Some things you should definitely do... Follow Giorgio on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/giorgiogilestro Follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SJ_McKay And have a lovely day!

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