From the Cosmic Web to the Classroom: My Two Years as a Laidlaw Scholar

Over the course of two years, Laidlaw took me from studying structures spanning millions of light-years to explaining science to children in classrooms across the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland and Labrador. Between these experiences, the conference and other events such as the residential weekend encouraged me not only to think about what I wanted to achieve, but also about the kind of person and leader I wanted to become. Evidently, in retrospect the path wasn’t so linear. I learned that very quickly when I was doing my research in the first summer. I thought the research may have been somewhat easier than what it was, which is where I learned a lot about discipline, and communication.

I began my summer of research feeling quite certain about how it would go. I had a big plan, which got shattered at the start of the first week. Going to university has the effect of making you know where the materials are, you just type up the universities platform, find the modules landing page and everything is there. Research is far from that. You need to dig and find everything for yourself. Luckily enough, I have had experience using the web of science to retrieve scientific information in a previous module in my degree, so it made the initial start easier.

What was also challenging was the constant time crunch. You learn to plan everything ahead of time and have back ups. I was using Python and CAMELS suite of hydrodynamical simulations which at times was more difficult than the actual interpretation of the science.

I was also not working in my field of study, so disentangling the physics from the hectic grids of data became complicated. This is where communication mattered more than anything else. Being able to come up with an explanation infront of a leading researcher in the field can be intimidating, but it became natural after 6 weeks.

Overall the research period taught me that research is much more creative and uncertain that I once thought.

During my studies I also completed the Oxford Character Project which consisted of 6 sessions teaching us about how to build your character as a leader. Naturally, I don’t tend to take well to these types of classes (ironic, right?) as I zone out when I feel like there is no goal in sight. Part of this came with the fact it was online, I lose focus more easily when I’m in front of a screen. I also find it difficult to discuss things on calls as tones seem to pass through the screen.

That being said, I did try my hardest to take away the most that I could from the programme, and joined as many conversations as I could in the calls. I ended up gaining the ability to focus and concentrate more on screen and ultimately learn what being an ethical leader actually means. This then proved useful in my LiA as I could navigate my leadership skills with more certainty.

One of the points where these separate ideas started to come together was the Laidlaw conference in Durham. Until then, much of my research had existed between myself, my supervisor and my computer. The conference gave me the opportunity to discuss it with people outside of my immediate subject area and forced me to think about how I communicated complicated ideas. Understanding something yourself is one thing, but explaining it clearly to somebody with a completely different academic background is another skill entirely.

The conference also gave me the opportunity to see the range of work being completed by other Laidlaw Scholars. Despite being part of the same programme, our research interests and experiences were completely different. It made the programme feel much larger than my individual project and reminded me that there is no single route through research or leadership.

The residential weekend had a similar effect. It gave us time away from our normal university work to speak more openly about our experiences and the directions we wanted to take. Although individual sessions and activities were useful, some of the most valuable moments came from informal conversations with other scholars. Hearing how other people approached uncertainty, ambition and leadership helped me reflect on my own approach.

The biggest opportunity to apply everything I had learned came through my Leadership-in-Action project. I travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada to spend six weeks working with Let’s Talk Science, an organisation that delivers interactive STEM activities to children and young people. My aim was to learn more about unequal access to education and understand how outreach could address some of the barriers young people face.

During the placement, I participated in more than 20 outreach sessions involving different activities, age groups and environments. I began by observing experienced coordinators but gradually became more comfortable delivering activities and answering questions myself. It quickly became apparent that understanding the science did not automatically mean I could teach it. An explanation that worked perfectly with one group could be met with blank faces from another.

This forced me to become much more adaptable. Rather than assuming that a child did not understand, I began asking what I needed to change about my explanation. Sometimes I needed to make it shorter, introduce an analogy or stop speaking altogether and let the group experiment. There was no hiding behind a prepared presentation because I had to respond to the people standing in front of me.

One interaction has stayed with me more than any other. After taking part in an activity, a child asked me, “How do I get your job?” They probably forgot about the question shortly afterwards, but it captured why educational outreach matters. The aim is not necessarily to convince every child to become a scientist. Sometimes it is simply about allowing someone to imagine themselves doing something that had not previously seemed possible.

The placement was not always easy. It was my first time travelling across the Atlantic, the longest I had lived away from home and, at times, an incredibly lonely experience. I also had to leave an unsafe accommodation situation during the placement. These experiences challenged my understanding of independence. Previously, I probably thought being independent meant being able to handle everything alone. I now understand that it can also mean recognising when a situation is not manageable and being willing to ask other people for support.

My understanding of leadership changed in a similar way. At the beginning of Laidlaw, I associated leadership quite heavily with confidence, expertise and being the person with the answers. My research taught me to become comfortable admitting that I did not know something. The Oxford Character Project encouraged me to think about the values behind my decisions. My Leadership-in-Action experience then taught me that leadership often begins with listening.

This became particularly important when considering how the lessons from Canada could be applied in Scotland. I do not want to copy the Let’s Talk Science model without considering the different communities, education systems and barriers that exist here. Ethical leadership does not mean arriving with a solution and assuming that everyone else needs it. It means speaking to the people affected, understanding their circumstances and being willing to change your approach.

That is the lesson I intend to carry into my future educational work, including the development of Let’s Ask Why and my work creating accessible mathematics and statistics resources. I want to help create opportunities that people can realistically reach, understand and feel comfortable participating in.

Looking back, the different parts of Laidlaw were far more connected than they initially appeared. Research developed my curiosity and discipline. Oxford made me think more carefully about character. Durham taught me how to communicate my work as part of a wider community. Canada required courage and adaptability when plans did not unfold as expected.

I started Laidlaw wanting to become a better researcher and to understand more about the universe. I leave it with a much wider question: who is being given the opportunity to explore that universe in the first place, and what can I do to make that opportunity more accessible?