A few weeks ago, I travelled to Adelaide to attend the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society’s (AMOS) Annual Conference. With a little over two months to go for thesis submission, I felt like the timing of the conference couldn’t have been better for me. I had two main objectives for the conference: share my research and look for job opportunities. One of the first things I did when the program was released was to carefully select the sessions I wanted to attend. I also tried to avoid jumping between parallel sessions too much. This helped me focus better on the talks and not subject myself to information overload. To make the most of my last PhD conference, I decided to give two talks (they also happened to be scheduled on the same day!). Giving two talks meant double the anxiety. During the last few days leading up to the talks, I kept tidying up my slides instead of practicing my talk. This went on for too long, so I decided to upload my slides in advance. This was a good call as it gave me the time to practice my talk instead of revising my slides. My supervisors had suggested that I mention that I’d be looking for jobs at the end of my talk. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who reached out to me afterwards, informing me about different opportunities. It was also nice to see some interest in my work. Positive feedback following a research presentation always helps ground me and reminds me that I am doing meaningful work. It was also interesting to observe how I felt more open to questions at the end of my talk. I remember when I started my PhD, I would dread question time. I still do, but I have also grown to understand that being asked a lot of questions means there is interest in your work. And that is better than the room being completely silent at the end of your talk. The two things I had missed the most about in-person conferences were traveling and meeting people. During the conference, there was ample opportunity to connect with other climate researchers. I always find it nerve wracking to present my work to a large audience. However, having spoken with some of them at various networking dinners helped ease the nerves. Research talks during the day followed by social events in the evenings meant that the day was packed. I had forgotten how exhausting conferences can be. This is why it’s important to carve out some time each day to quieten your mind and recharge! My friends and I found a place about a 30-minute walk from the conference venue. This enabled me to get in my daily exercise. I really enjoyed the morning walks, which showed me different aspects of the city. It was also nice to do that walk alone as I was interacting with people during the rest of the day. Looking back at AMOS 2022, I can say that it was a truly fruitful and refreshing experience. The conference has given me the motivation I need to wrap up my PhD. With just a few months left, I am feeling sad that my student days are numbered, nervous about figuring out the next steps and excited to see what post-PhD life has in store for me.
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Twitter is a great source of information. It helps me to stay on top of my interests including climate science, COVID-19, and the latest news from Sri Lanka. Apart from the times when I can end up mindlessly scrolling through tweets, Twitter has been a great platform for me to improve as a budding science communicator. One such opportunity appeared on my timeline a couple of weeks ago. Dr Shane Huntington had called out for applications for the 6th round of #20PhDs20mins – a live radio show, where 20 PhD students get about a minute to talk about their research. The application was straight forward – we had to email two sentences describing our research. So I emailed him and didn’t think about it again.
A week later, I woke up to a tweet by Dr Shane that said I was one of the 20 PhD students selected for the show! I was so excited, and it took a while before it dawned on me that I would be going on live radio for the first time in my life (silent scream!). The radio show was scheduled for Sunday 22nd August. On Saturday, the 20 of us had a briefing with Dr Shane via Zoom. It was nice to get to know everyone else taking part and reassuring to know that everyone felt nervous! On the day of the show, yours truly was up from 6.30 am feeling nervous and anxious. I tried to calm myself down by saying this couldn’t be worse than my annual postgraduate reviews! We logged in a couple of minutes before 11am for a final briefing and audio and mic check. The Zoom chat was already firing up with messages of support for each other. I was the first to be interviewed and needless to say the nerves were really getting to me. The day before Dr Shane had told us that being nervous was not a bad thing, it only meant that you cared. Time is a relative concept. While doing a plank, a minute can seem like forever; but on live radio, I didn’t even feel the time go by. And before I knew it, Dr Shane was thanking me for being on the show. And just like that, it was over. The adrenaline rush that came with it was great! I muted myself and opened the group chat to find so many messages from the other participants. It was heart-warming to say the least. So instead of mentally ruminating what I had said, I was peacefully reading all the messages (and also listening to the others!). The transition between each of us was seamless. You could tell Dr Shane was a pro! It was so inspiring to hear about the timely research everyone else was working on. And it was even nicer to see how we all rallied around together supporting and encouraging one another. Dr Shane is an amazing host and made sure we all felt comfortable when we were on air. I’m so happy that my first live radio experience was in such a safe environment. When I look back at this experience, I’m a little (pleasantly) surprised at the lack of hesitation to apply for this show. I like how I am stepping out of my comfort zone to pursue my interests. I like to think that growth begins where your comfort zone ends. Answering questions about my PhD research on live radio was a great learning experience for me. The individuals I met through the show and the sense of camaraderie we shared, were a welcome change to the lockdown fatigue that’s slowly creeping on me. And the nerves were so totally worth it! Listen here to the recording of the show, for a casual dose of science :) Last year, I faced my PhD confirmation remotely. A year on, I have just faced my 2nd year formal review and this time it was in person, which was refreshing! I haven’t updated my blog in a while, and it has honestly made me sad. So, I thought now would be a good time to share some updates from my end. The past year has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I grappled with uncertainty and embraced the pandemic as the new normal. It has been strange being able to go about my daily activities without many restrictions in Australia while my family and friends back home are not as fortunate. While it is great to be out and about, the border restrictions in Australia have taken a toll on me. It is frustrating to not be able to travel back to my home country to be with my family. It is even more tricky to handle the situation when there is no end to these restrictions in sight. The pandemic fatigue is also slowly but surely catching up with me. We had our annual postgrad reviews last month. Although these reviews are a way of checking in with students and making sure we have everything we need to do our work smoothly, there is always a bit of stress associated with it. On the weeks leading on to the review, there were a few days when I was overwhelmed by stress. It helped to talk to close family and friends about it. I also made sure I took enough breaks in between and did fun things on the weekend (and sometimes even midweek!). I also reminded myself that my work does not define me. On the day of my review, I was feeling quite nervous. It was nice to be back in the CCRC seminar room buzzing with a lot of people. Having an in person panel meeting meant there were some treats (individually wrapped of course!!) to help ourselves to. There was some good discussion around my work and we laid out the plan for the next 12 months. It’s surreal to feel that I have completed 2 years of my PhD. This also means that I haven’t been home in 2 years. During the past year I have also been involved with a few activities outside of my PhD. I applied and got selected for the UNSW Women in Science and Math Champions Programme, which is a yearlong professional development programme for female PhD candidates at UNSW. Being part of this cohort has introduced me to some wonderful women who are passionate about their work. I am also actively pursuing my interest in science communication by contributing to the program blog. I am also part of the Centre for Marine Science Innovation (CMSI) and I have been interviewing and profiling academics and PhD students to feature them in the CMSI newsletter. I also joined the Industrial Mentoring and Networking in STEM (IMNIS) scheme through which I have an assigned mentor who has been guiding me on careers outside of academia. This has been very useful as I am beginning to think about what I would like to do after my PhD. Two years into my PhD, I am finding it challenging to understand what I want to do afterwards. At this point, I know my interests are in climate change, science communication, public engagement, and policy. I just need to find the right job which will enable me to pursue these interests. As I write this, my friends who were stuck in their home countries have had their travel excemptions granted and I am eagerly waiting to reunite with them. So there is some hope! P.S - Here are some pictures from my holiday in Victoria, as a result of which I am currently confined to self isolation! Aaron Eger is a PhD researcher whose work revolves around kelp forest restoration. He is a kelp expert in the making and a great science communicator. I had a chat with him last week to hear about all the amazing work he's doing. What led you to your current PhD research work? While I was doing my master’s in Canada, I saw an ad on Twitter about a PhD project with Adriana Verges. At the same time I was thinking about staying put and continuing my Masters work on seagrass conservation in Vancouver. While I really wanted to put down some roots in Canada, I eventually decided that coming to Sydney was a unique opportunity and learning experience and went with UNSW. When I arrived, I was really determined to connect with local groups and was put in touch with the Nature Conservancy in Australia. This connection has then since helped me develop relationships with other stakeholders and develop new products in my research. Tell us about your work in kelp restoration? My main project is building a database of kelp restoration projects across the world with information on different projects and to analyse different factors which helps show what makes a project successful. This work is then coupled with economic assessment of the value of kelp forests. Both projects entail lots of on the ground data collection from various people which has led to a larger initiative: Kelp Forest Alliance. This is a consortium of people who are involved with kelp restoration around the world and using it as a platform to put out information we’re creating as well as using this network to generate more information. Kelp forest restoration is a relatively new field, with little previously published information. Previously, work was done across the world, but in isolation; so whatever new knowledge that was being generated was not being shared. Therefore I’ve been working to collect and connect these different information sources and it has been an exceptionally positive experience; everyone wants to share and collaborate. Seeing how the information you are producing is making a difference and being asked for advice on conservation efforts has been super rewarding. Why should we restore kelp? Simple answer would be to keep our oceans happy and healthy! It’s very relevant, especially in Australian fisheries. For example, juveniles of Rock lobsters and abalone grow in kelp forests. Kelp forests are also popular dive and recreational sites. There is also ongoing research into carbon sequestration as kelp are high in productivity. What’s a day in the life of Aaron like? This varies quite a bit – I spent most of the first year of my PhD calling/emailing a lot of people to talk about their kelp restoration projects. It was a positive experience, everyone was super enthusiastic to talk about their work, and to be part of a larger network. Once I had data, my work was mostly code based and analytical. Then there’s writing papers, lots of collaborations, attending workshops and meetings, and occasional field work. In general, it’s mostly meeting and desktop based, lots of data wrangling and coordination. What do you enjoy most about your PhD? I really like connecting with people who are passionate about the environment from all around the world. Everyone has their own relationship with the ocean and reason for wanting to conserve it and it has been really enlightening to see the problem from so many different perspectives. A lot of times, a PhD is thought of as a solo journey but this work has really been based on personal connections, which has made it a very enriching experience. What do you find challenging about it? Most of my work is dependent on collaborating with other people. As people are busy, the herding can sometimes be tricky, there are different schedules, personalities, time zones, and deadlines to consider, but the work that comes out of it, more than justifies the effort. How do you maintain work life balance? I had a serious amount of burn out during my Master’s program so when I started my PhD, I set myself some hard boundaries. The PhD would be a really important part of my life that got a lot of attention, but it wouldn’t be the only thing. And while there is always more work to be done, I try hard to keep everything within working hours, including not checking emails on the weekends. What are your post-PhD plans? I am getting really excited about the kelp forest alliance group that we are creating. So far, we have hosted workshops with kelp experts in Australia, North America, South America and Europe and are working to capture that knowledge into a guidebook on how to do restoration. We are also building a website that will be the identity of the group and will host the data base that I’ve created for my PhD. The website would also act as a data entry portal as well so that information on new efforts can be added to the existing database. This way, we hopefully don’t have to repeat all this work in 10 years’ time. If there is a way to make it work, I would be super keen on managing this project and continuing to promote kelp forest restoration around the world. I recently spoke to a classroom full of 8-10 year olds about climate change. Although I have spoken to a room full of scientists about my research and to industry practitioners on how to interpret climate data, this was the first time I addressed a group of school children. At first, I was a bit hesitant to give it a go, despite the fact that I liked the idea of talking to kids about a topic I am very passionate about. In the end, it turned out to be a great experience for me. This is the story about an opportunity that I almost didn’t take up! Last month, the director of the Climate Change Research Centre, sent out an email asking if anyone would be interested in talking to school students about climate change. When I saw the email I immediately knew it was something that interested me but I reckoned there would be others who would be better suited for this activity and so I didn’t respond. However, there was a second email calling for volunteers and I signed up for it with three others from the department. We were then put in touch with Lycee Condorcet Sydney. When preparing for the talk I imagined myself as an 8 year old. I don’t remember being concerned about any local/global issue at that age. Climate change was not a hot topic 20 years ago. Times have changed since then and technology has brought many things to our fingertips, making the world a smaller place. Kids are becoming more aware of climate change as it is constantly being mentioned in the news. So I prepared my talk, simplifying the science as much as I could. I was also determined not to give these children climate anxiety. On the morning of the talk I felt really excited. When I logged into the Zoom link and saw the kids for the first time, I was slightly taken aback at how small they were! Although I knew I was speaking to youngsters, I guess it never really occurred to me how small they would be! :D I spoke for about 20 minutes covering topics such as the difference between weather and climate, the greenhouse effect, global warming, impacts of climate change and my research on heatwaves. I concluded the talk by sharing a few tips on individual actions that can help minimize our impact on the environment. At the end of the talk the kids had many questions for me. They asked me things such as what I thought of Greta Thunberg, what more they could do to conserve the environment and what other animals emit methane. They also asked me if I were vegetarian and what made me get into studying about the environment and climate change. Overall, we had an interesting discussion and it was truly encouraging to see the students being so engaged. I felt very happy that I did this outreach event and I kept thinking about how I almost didn’t take up the opportunity. I discussed this with one of my mentors who pointed out that some of my confidence issues may be associated with humility. I always have this feeling that someone else can do a better job than me. While this may be true, it is also important to step up and say you are available to take on a role. I wrapped up the session with this quote by the Senagalese forest conservator Baba Dioum - ‘In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.’ It beautifully sums up the importance of climate literacy. We cannot bring about change if we don’t understand the need for it. Therefore, it’s important to have a conversation about climate change with children. In a world where parents protest against climate change education in schools, it was refreshing to see Lycee Condorcet Sydney taking these steps to create awareness among their students. Here's to having more conversations on climate change with children 😊 A few weeks ago, I was invited to take part in a young professionals’ event organized by the NESP Earth Systems and Climate and Change (ESCC) Hub and jointly hosted by the Actuaries Institute and Engineers Australia. This was the first time I engaged with the industry as a ‘climate scientist’ and I was both excited and nervous. The aim of this event was to bring together early career climate scientists and young professionals across various sectors (insurance, actuaries, engineers) using a scenario-planning exercise to analyze some hypothetical future climate-related problems. The primary objectives for these events as determined by the ESCC Hub are to raise awareness about the utility of climate science knowledge including data, information, and decision-support tools, and to build capacity and develop networks with early career researchers and young professionals. What was originally scheduled for March was postponed due to the pandemic and was organized as a virtual event. Running for the 6th (and final year), this year’s event focused on assessing financial risks associated with a hypothetical situation based on the projected increase in intensity, frequency, and duration of heatwaves on the economy of Melbourne in 2030-2050. Prior to the event, the science team was briefed by Dr Nick Wood, Director of Climate Policy Research Pty Ltd, who was the facilitator for the event on behalf of the Hub. Our role in this event was to help the teams by sharing our knowledge on how best to use climate data in their risk analyses. The facilitated interactive event ran across two days, with 7 teams of industry practitioners tasked with putting together a workflow and identifying data sources needed to assess the risks associated with projected heatwaves. Each team was given 3 hours (1.5 hours on each day) to come up with a workflow to assess the impact of future heatwaves. The science team comprised of four climate scientists and each of us worked with a team (or two) to help interpret climate data. The teams worked around two themes: people and power. Impact of extreme heat on human health Some of the issues discussed under health were the increase in morbidity and mortality due to increased heat stress, impact on labour productivity resulting in supply disruptions, a rise in crime/anti-social behaviour, riots and disorder due to increased anxiety or job loss, and the effects of urban heat islands. Hospitals’ capacity being exceeded is another issue and this was an instance where a parallel could be drawn with the Covid19 pandemic. Impact of extreme heat on power Under this theme the groups tried to assess the impact of extreme heat on the reliability of the electricity network. One of the issues that came up in the discussions was the resilience of the electricity supply grid under conditions of high demand for cooling and point failure of critical infrastructure. There is a higher demand for air conditioning during heatwaves, leading to high demands on power supply resulting in system failures. Heatwaves can disrupt power generation and distribution as well. Increased thermal expansion during heatwaves could lead to the sagging of powerlines resulting in transmission failure. Drafting a workplan such as what was done in the breakout rooms have the potential to help companies with business continuance plans, town planning, health care planning, emergency services, heat policies and workers’ compensation. Another point of discussion was the interdependency between the impact of extreme heat on human health and power. When power generation and transmission fail, the demand for cooling cannot be met, thereby increasing the heat stress on the population. If this is not accounted for in the risk analysis, the population would be locked in a vicious cycle of heat stress. Taking part in this event turned out to be a great experience for me. I enjoyed working with the actuaries and engineers and hearing their perspectives on analysing climate risks. I thought the event was successful in that it helped build relationships and understanding between the climate science community and industry, as they will increasingly need to work together. Through these events, the ESCC Hub strives to identify gaps in the current knowledge base. It was a friendly environment to communicate the utility of climate science to industry and it also gave me some insight into how industry could potentially use climate data to inform their operations. If this event had taken place in person as originally planned, there would have been greater scope for discussion and further networking among the participants. However, we made the most of the allotted time to discuss the issue at hand, with the flexibility of being in the comfort of our homes. When you are a PhD researcher, you often straddle on the border of being a student and a scientist. I tend to identify myself more with the former than the latter and that probably has something to do with my confidence issues. It was refreshing to be called a ‘climate scientist’ and I am happy I had this opportunity to interact with members of the industry and to share whatever knowledge I had with the teams I worked with. Shout out to Sonia Bluhm from the National Environment Science Program ESCC Hub for inviting me for this programme 😊 Preparing for my PhD confirmation with the added stress associated with physical distancing and working from home, was made easier by my supervisors who have been super supportive since day one, my friends and family who have been constantly checking in on me, and my aunt and uncle who have taken me under their wing. This blog post is about navigating my PhD during a pandemic. The Climate Change Research Centre had its Annual Postgrad Review round last week. There are three types of reviews that take place at each round: the PhD confirmation, the formal review and the informal. The PhD confirmation takes place within one year of the start of your candidature. For their confirmation, each student prepares a confirmation report (~ PhD research proposal), delivers a 15-minute talk and faces an hour-long meeting with their designated panel. After the confirmation, a candidate’s progress is reviewed (informally) every six months and (formally) every twelve months, until the end of the candidature. Being eleven months into my PhD, I had my confirmation during last week’s round of reviews On the day of my review, I was feeling quite nervous. Instead of facing a packed seminar room, I sat comfortably at my desk and gave my talk via Zoom. It was a strange experience because it felt like I was talking to my screen. Every now and then I had to remind myself that there were 30+ people listening in. Except for a few technical glitches, everyone’s talks went smoothly. A few hours later I had my panel meeting which was also on Zoom. I was asked a lot of questions and there was some interesting discussion around my proposed work on terrestrial and marine heatwaves. When it was finally over, I felt a huge sense of relief. As soon as my meeting finished, I called my parents and then I went for a run and it felt very liberating. I decided to relax during the next few days. I used this time to catch up with friends and family as well as to get back into reading. COVID-19 did get in the way of my initial post-confirmation plans but it still could not take away the sense of relief and happiness I now feel, having achieved my first milestone. The last few weeks were rather stressful because there were days when I had writer's block and I could not get any words on paper. I was also stuck with a bit of analysis I wanted to get done in time for my review. On such days, I just had to tell myself that I would eventually get the work done. I made sure I went outdoors everyday for either a walk or a run. Staying physically active helped maintain my mental energy levels. As did my morning yoga/meditation and evening Netflix sessions. This past year has a been a steep learning curve for me (as it is for most PhD students). I have learnt so much and I have come to understand my project even more. I have also learnt a few things about myself. While it’s okay to be self-critical to a certain extent it is also important to know when to pat yourself on the back. The right dose of self-confidence can help you navigate around your PhD (and anything else in life). A PhD is tough; steering through it during a pandemic is tougher. I’ve learnt that it’s easier to take things one day at a time. It’s okay if you can’t see the light at the end of the (PhD or COVID-19) tunnel, as long as you have a bit of light wherever you are now, to get you through the day :) Today I did my first ever park run. For those of you who are not familiar with it, park run is a 5km run organized once a week at a local park. It’s a global movement founded in 2004 in the UK. Today park run events are organized in 21 other countries. It doesn’t cost you anything to be a part of this community and it’s open to all. I registered for park run last month after being convinced by a friend to give it a try. For one whole month I kept putting it off for various reasons including not wanting to wake up early on a Saturday morning. A month later, I finally did my first park run. It was amazing! I had a very early start to the day – I had set my alarm for 5.45 am (yes, you read that right). I caught a bus at 6.30 and reached Centennial Park by 6.45 in time for the 7 am start. Even while walking from the bus stop to the park, I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. Before the run began, there was a first timers’ briefing during which they explained how park run works. We then had the run director share some fun facts about leap days/years. Today’s run was the first ‘leap run’ in the history of park runs. It felt rather fitting to be doing something different on a leap day 😊 After the briefings, we started the run. There were over 300 runners today and they were diverse in terms of age, gender and pace. There were people running with dogs and some others with prams! You can take part as a group, with people you know, or you can turn up on your own. It is also entirely up to you to either run, jog or walk. All that matters is that you wake up early on a Saturday morning and get to the park. There were times during the run when I wanted to stop but I kept going. I may have stopped if I had been running on my own. Despite it not being a race against other runners, running with a crowd helped me push myself to keep running. The volunteers were also very encouraging. When I was close to the end of my run, there was one volunteer who really urged me to run faster and I did. As soon as I finished the run, I felt slightly nauseous and very tired, but these feelings were soon replaced by joy! I was so pleased with myself for having done my first park run 😊 I am determined to make this a weekly habit. Running helps me stay fit both physically and mentally. It gives a much-needed boost to my mental energy levels. It’s also a good way to kick off the weekend after spending a week tackling various challenges as a PhD student. I can assure you it’s a better feeling than sleeping in 😉 I’ve been saying yes to things I wouldn’t have imagined a year ago, one of them being running. When one of the PhDs sent out an email asking if anyone would be interested in doing some regular running together, I replied saying yes. Being the least competitive runner in the group, my main concern was not being able to keep up with the others. Turns out, the group is super supportive, and they continuously motivate me to keep running when all I want to do is stop! We’ve been running once a week to (and in) Centennial Park. It was difficult at first, because I felt worn out quite fast. During our runs we share our PhD woes and discuss random fun stuff too! Eight weeks after, I have become more comfortable (and slightly fitter I hope!) and today I did my first run to Coogee Beach with the group. It was tougher as it wasn’t on flat ground, but the views were worth it! In addition to helping me stay fit, running has also helped me boost my mental energy levels. When I feel like I can’t run any more, I push myself to keep going and this makes me feel good about myself. It’s the same with your PhD if you really think about it – there will be moments when you don’t want to keep going but sometimes all you need is a little push and you can get some work done. Of course, you need to know when it’s time to take a break from your work… And that brings me to the next thing I said YES to – boardgames! One evening as one of my supervisors was heading out of her office, she asked me if I’d like to play boardgames with a few others. I hadn’t met them before, but I was keen to play, so I agreed. That’s how I stumbled upon the boardgames gang! Keeping our minds fit is as equally important as keeping our bodies fit. Boardgames are a fun way to exercise your thinking skills, because there’s quite a bit of strategic thinking in play. We’ve played a few games thus far, including Ticket to Ride, Powergrid, Seven Wonders and Codenames, none of which I had played before. This has not stopped me from enjoying our boardgame nights (which have always included pizza too!). It has been nice getting to know more people at the CCRC through these sessions 😊 I also said yes to some paid outreach work. Demonstrating simple science experiments at Science in the Swamp and talking to kids and their parents about climate change courses during the UNSW Open Day were great experiences for me. I was hesitant at first as I had to communicate science to a young audience as a non-native speaker, but I gave it a shot and it was such a fun experience to engage with the community. I feel blessed to be surrounded by individuals who motivate me and encourage me to try new things. It’s so much easier to take a first step, knowing that there are people who support you. But I’ve also learnt the importance of self-motivation. You can’t rely on others during every step of the way. In the end, it comes down to how motivated you are to make the most of an opportunity. Afterall, the thing about opportunity is that you don’t know when you’ll get your next one! I’ve also signed up for an 8-week swimming course which begins next week. This is a HUGE step for me because when I was younger, I accidentally drifted into the deep end of the pool during a lesson and I haven’t been to a lesson since. However, when I moved to Australia, I was determined to learn swimming. Fingers crossed I live to tell the tale :D The last time I engaged in a science outreach activity for kids was five years ago while I was an undergraduate at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. As part of the ‘Fundamentals of Environmental Management’ course, we carried out a workshop on rainwater harvesting to primary students in selected schools. (Fun fact: It was this experience that helped me realize I wanted to pursue a career in environmental science!)
Last weekend I participated in my first science outreach event in Australia. Four of us (representing UNSW Science and SWAQ) demonstrated simple science experiments to children at ‘Science in the Swamp’. This was organized as part of the Sydney Science Festival 2019 which was part of the National Science Week. This is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology where many individuals get involved, taking part in over 1000 science events across the nation. In addition to celebrating the contributions made by Australian scientists to the world of knowledge, it also encourages an interest in science pursuits among the general public. On Sunday morning we headed to Centennial Park and set up our stall. Although the event was scheduled for an 11 am start, we had our first visitors at 10 am, just as we finished setting up. Thus, began the demonstrations. The children were quite small, but they knew what a tornado was and so they were excited to see one inside a bottle! They all wanted to give it a go and some of them were reluctant to let go of the bottles (until their parents reminded them to let the others have a turn). I was pleased to hear some kids go “Daddy can we try this at home?”. If you want to try this at home (or better yet show it to some kids), here's a breakdown of what's going on. There's water in one bottle and air in the other. When you invert the system it will take some time for the water to empty, but this can be sped up by giving it a swirl. When the bottles are inverted, water and air try to move through the same passage at the same time. However, if you give it a good swirl, a vortex (spinning column of air) is formed. The air will move through this column while the water moves around this, with minimal friction with one another. The water is pulled toward the air column by centripetal force and it moves downward due to gravity. As a result, you will see that the water moves faster when you give it a swirl. When I signed up for Science in the Swamp, my main concern was ‘communicating science’ to a very young audience as a non-native speaker. I thought there may be issues with a mismatch in accents, but it turned out that the bigger challenge was in simplifying science. I learnt that the most effective explanations were the ones that used the simplest language and those that were conveyed with a sense of excitement. My experience at Science in the Swamp was enriched by the sheer enthusiasm of the kids who came to our stall. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and leave. It was a well-spent Sunday and the weather was splendid to be outdoors! I couldn’t help but wish we had done similar experiments when we were in school. It’s never too early to get children excited about science and in my case, it’s never too late to get more involved in outreach programmes 😊 |
AuthorBudding climate scientist from Sri Lanka, currently pursuing a PhD on heatwaves, at the Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC) at UNSW, Sydney. Believes in using effective science communication to bridge the gap between science and society :) Archives
June 2021
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