Meet the finalists

Nick Dickens | Nicholas Harrigan | Philip Jess | Caroline Johnson
Marieke Navin | Jan Schnupp | Peter Zeidman | Reserves

Caroline Johnson, Plymouth Heat Winner.

Caroline works at the National Marine Aquarium. Caroline impressed the judges with her 3 minute expose of the sex lives of seahorses and the feeding habits of starfish.

How did you come up with your chosen subject matter at the FameLab heats?

Everyone loves a gruesome fact so my first presentation was on the starfish feeding methods, how they turn their stomachs inside out. My second was the secret sex lives of seahorses, and as we all know sex sells! I love telling people things about animals that they never knew before.

Did your presentation go according to plan?

I was so nervous in my first presentation that I managed to break the shell I was using as a prop in my hand by squeezing so hard. Apart from that I thought it went well.

Please tell us what you feel your key skills are as a science communicator and why the public might respond well to you

I love my subject and I hope that shines through above anything. I think if you show you love your subject then it encourages others to be interested in it too.
That and remembering to smile once in a while!

How did you get interested in science?

I was good at it. Simple as that really. I got better marks at school in Biology than my other subjects and I understood it. The more I discovered the more interested I became and that was the hook.

What do you do currently?

I work at the National Marine Aquarium as the school programme co-ordinator. My primary role is to take school groups around the aquarium and talk about the animals and marine biology. I am currently involved in two European funded projects that are looking to create resources on climate change and the oceans for schools.

Why does science excite and inspire you?

I love finding out about our planet and for me its science that rules. There is so much we don’t know and that’s the exciting bit. Finding out things that we thought couldn’t be possible reminds us of how interesting our planet really is and how much more there is to know. That’s a pretty powerful motivation.

 

To date, what has been your most exciting scientific moment (other than being a FameLab finalist of course!)

Without a doubt my first dive on a coral reef. I got my qualification in England and had done 4 very cold qualification dives. With my new ticket I headed off to Bermuda to do some research on an endemic hermit crab. My first dive on the reef was a research dive to establish what sort of animals lived in that area and it took my breath away.

Who are your favourite science communicators and why?

Well obviously David Attenborough!!! Watching his documentaries with my dad as I was growing up still stick in my mind. As a child I was still able to appreciate what he was telling us and understood the messages but as an adult you really pick up on his passion as well.

What are your ambitions for the future? Would winning FameLab have any impact on your plans?

I have always thought it would be great to run my own field research station somewhere tropical for A-level or undergraduate students. I really enjoying sharing what I know with others and being able to communicate to wide audiences. I think is a really important job if we are to conserve our planet. If I won FameLab I would feel very privileged to have an opportunity to share my passion with other people. I think it completely ties in with my future plans.