Growing up in regional Victoria, the closest thing I saw to a scientist was my high school science teachers, who just happened to be my parents. It taught me a lesson I still carry today: you can’t be who you can’t see. For more than 20 years, I have tackled one of the world’s biggest health challenges—antimicrobial resistance—researching new ways to prevent and treat deadly infections. Today, I am also tackling another challenge: improving STEM literacy in Australia. As the founder of Curiosity Factory and the award-winning STEMpals program, I connect students with real STEM professionals through handwritten letters, because the best way to inspire the next generation isn’t to tell them about science, it’s to introduce them to the passionate people doing it.
Research keyword/s: Antimicrobial resistance, STEM literacy
About the BEAKER STREET ROVING SCIENTIST PROGRAM
Each August, hundreds of Roving Scientists descend upon Hobart, filling up pubs and chatting to strangers as part of Beaker Street Festival. Discover a new world down the lens of microscope, and joining the least-boring bar conversations you’ve ever heard and these free (the chats – not the drinks) events.
For Scientists, Beaker Street’s Roving Scientist Program offers an excellent outreach, professional development, and networking opportunity. It’s the nerdiest and funnest way to share your research with the public, expand your network, and be inspired by leaders in all sectors of science and science communication.
