Ambassador profiles

We asked our STEM Ambassador a few questions about their job and what they do day to day. Please click on the links in the right hand side column to get to the profile you want.

Waste Co-ordinator at a nuclear site

(1) What do you do in a typical day?

I organise waste disposals from decommissioning operations.

(2) Was there a specific person or event that influenced you to pursue a career in STEM?

My older cousin who was very interested in chemistry. And Patrick Moore from 'Sky at night'.

(3) What's the most exciting thing you've done / project you've worked on in your job?

Lab scale development of techniques for reprocessing nuclear fuel.

(4) What were your reasons for becoming a STEM Ambassador?

I wanted to share my enthusiasm for science.

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Post doctoral research associate

(1) What do you do in a typical day?

I do lab work, writing and data analysis on various environmental chemistry research projects.

(2) Was there a specific person or event that influenced you to pursue a career in STEM?

My chemistry teacher!

(3) What's the most exciting thing you've done / project you've worked on in your job?

Finding novel compounds in Antartic mud.

(4) What were your reasons for becoming a STEM Ambassador?

For a chance to do for others what my chemistry teacher did for me!

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K'nex delivery

(1) What do you do in a typical day?

I deliver K'nex engineering challenges in schools. I work with primary school pupils and teachers to show how engineering can be fun and educational.

(2) Was there a specific person or event that influenced you to pursue a career in STEM?

My chemistry teacher in secondary school, Mr. Henderson. He was a very enthusiastic and we always learnt something useful in his classes.

(3) What's the most exciting thing you've done / project you've worked on in your job?

When one of our teams from Wick won the K'nex Scottish final in Dundee. It was great to see from this area do well.

(4) What were your reasons for becoming a STEM Ambassador?

I think it is important to show young people today that STEM is an excellent career area to pursue, particularly for Scotland with all its natural resources. I would like to play my part in this.

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Radiation Protection Advisor

1) What do you do in a typical day?

I work on a nuclear decommissioning site at Dounreay. I advise personnel on how to restrict their exposure to ionising radiation during decommissioning process operations.

(2) What's the most exciting thing you've done / project you've worked on in your job?

Commissioning an active coolant destruction plant that gets rid of high hazard material in an environmentaly and safe way.

(3) What were your reasons for becoming a STEM Ambassador?

To learn something new and be involved in youth projects and support science learning in schools as there are a wealth of opportunities.

videos coming soon!