• Question: what do you do for a living ? why do you want to win ? what time do you get up to go to work ?

    Asked by mixrace to Laura, Lily, Mark, Paul, Sarah on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Laura Maliszewski

      Laura Maliszewski answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      I connect UK scientist with US scientists and talk to UK policy makers about science topics. I both enact policy and try and contribute relevant scientific information to policy that’s being written up.

      Who doesn’t want to win? That’s what competition is about!

      I get up between 6 and 7, depending on the day. Not too bad I guess.

    • Photo: Paul Roche

      Paul Roche answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      For a living: I’m an astronomer, and I run a project where we have two big telescopes in Hawaii and Australia (so it’s dark there during the UK day) that schools can operate live over the Internet: http://faulkes-telescope.com

      My research is mainly about weighing black holes and stars, but I spend a lot of time teaching at universities and schools.

      Why do I want to win? I’m not bothered about winning to be honest, I didn’t even know it was a competition until after I’d signed up. I like taking part in these sorts of events as they are good for getting scientists to talk to school students, and they allow you to (hopefully!) see that we are (mostly!) normal people.

      What time do I get up? At about 7, so I can drop my kids off near their school just after 8 and then get to the office by 8.15. As an astronomer, I sometimes work very late or even all night, especially if I have to go overseas and use a telescope. It’s great fun, but very tiring, to travel half way around the world to Hawaii or Chile or Australia, and stay up all night operating millions of pounds worth of telescope hardware! But nowadays I don’t do very much of that, I have PhD students who get to have all that exciting travel, and I just sign their expenses claims…

    • Photo: Sarah Bardsley

      Sarah Bardsley answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      My job involves analysing the implications of new science developments and technology discoveries for the environment. The world is constantly evolving so I try and make sure my organisation is prepared for those changes and as a result, the environment is protected.

      I would love to win but fully expect some amazing brain or rocket scientist to walk away with the prize!!

      I generally get up at 7am. Too early for my liking….

    • Photo: Lily Asquith

      Lily Asquith answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      I’m an experimental particle physicist. I want to win because it would mean that I have answered my questions well. My work hours are very flexible- alot of the people I work with live all over the world in different time zones, so if I wanted I woudn’t have to get up until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Actually I get up at 7.30 though, as I have to make sure my daughter gets off to school on time.

    • Photo: Mark Roberts

      Mark Roberts answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Ok so lots of Qu’s….

      So for a living I study how bacteria sense the outside world. I manipulate their DNA to alter their proteins. This alters the signalling pathways and then I look down a microscope and see how they respond to stimuli.

      So my days are split between experiments where I make and manipulate DNA and days when I mainly look down the microscope

      I want to win so I can attend the BSA Science Communication conference and also have the money to take a bacterial ‘stand’ to the British Science Festival, which this year is in Birmingham

      I get up around 7am and then cycle to work across the meadow

      Hope that answers them all

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