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Ruben
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Science Communicator
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Who do you work for?
I’m self employed and I contract to ABC
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What does your job involve?
- Doing science shows at schools (lots of organisation, mail outs, travelling around)
- Researching and writing science articles for magazines and the world wide web
- Researching, writing and illustrating science activities for teachers / kids
- Designing and running forensic science competitions (lots of research, meetings, funding applications, writing support materials).
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What do you like most about your job?
I love the variety, the travel, meeting people and making kids laugh.
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What are the perks of your job?
The travel, the hours I work (lots, but I work when I want and get to surf a lot)
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What is the most unusual or fun thing you’ve done in your job?
Sliming celebrities as “punishment” in the Whodunit competitions
Having a cement block smashed on my chest with a sledge hammer while lying on a bed of nails to demonstrate that P=F/A (pressure is equal to force divided by area).
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What inspired you to choose a career in this area?
I have a short attention span, and I’m interested in everything, so this suits me best.
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How did you get to where you are now?
As part of the Grad Dip in Scientific Communication at the ANU, I got to travel throughout Australia with the Shell Questacon Science Circus doing science shows in schools. I loved it, and it was the reaction from school kids made me want to do more so I’ve continued doing science shows ever since.
In 1999, I had an idea to run a whodunit where kids would solve a ‘crime’ involving celebrities as the suspects. I won some funding from the Commonwealth Government and launched “Who Stole the Mayor’s New Malibu?” Over 5000 Gold Coast kids performed forensic tests on the ‘evidence’ and caught the culprit. It was a lot of work but heaps of fun, so a few years later, I asked the Minister for Science, the ABC and Triple J to do it nationally. With Griffith University’s support, it all came together and over 130,000 people got involved. When that was all done, I was asked to travel to London to set up whodunit for England. Over half a million kids did that one so who knows where it’ll end?
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Who or what has been an inspiration to you?
It inspires me when I show people who tell me they’re ‘no good at science’ something amazing and I watch the penny drop for them… it’s very rewarding changing someone’s opinion of themselves.
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What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Don’t be scared to resign from a job if you’d rather be doing something else!
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What training/qualifications do you have/need?
Have: Bachelor of Applied Science (QUT) and a Graduate Diploma in Scientific Communication (ANU)
Need: A science degree, be interested in everything, know how to get good help when you need it, and good presentation/public speaking skills
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What subjects did you study at school?
English, Maths, Physics, Biology, Art, Geometrical Drawing and Perspective
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What are your career goals/plans for the future?
I don’t have any specific goals or plans because things change so quickly. I’m really enjoying what I do at the moment, so I’ll stick with this for a while, but as far as I know I might want to sell pizzas three years from now.
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What career opportunities are there for people in your field?
It’s difficult to say but I reckon it’s growing. There is a very strong demand from schools for fun, educational science programs.
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What is the average starting salary for a graduate?
$35-45K
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