Story time at the aquarium
The centrepiece of our members’ reception at ACS Spring was a chemistry storytelling event, at which speakers had to compete for attention with a 70-year-old turtle.
The ACS Spring meeting in March was held in New Orleans, a vibrant city full of culture and fun, and we held our Members’ Reception on the banks of the great Mississippi river in the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.
The evening started with a showcase of our storytelling events, a new approach to public engagement that we have been trialling over the last year. Four speakers told true stories about experiences they have had as part of the chemistry community. The storytellers stood in front of a huge fish tank, competing for the audience’s attention with sharks and other ocean dwelling creatures. However, the stories were so captivating the even 70-year-old turtle King Midas wasn’t the star of the show.
Dr Guy Jones, Executive Editor, Data, Royal Society of Chemistry
What was your story about?
The time I spent working as a visiting researcher at the CEA Marcoule, France, one of the largest nuclear research and processing facilities in Europe. While there was a lot of science to learn as part of this visit, I also learned a lot about living and working in France, in particular the differences in culture between the sunny south of France and the chilly corner of Edinburgh where I was working on my PhD! Both the new working environment and French culture lent themselves to some good anecdotes that hopefully made an entertaining story.
What was the experience of telling a story like?
I’ve been privileged (or perhaps unlucky, depending on your perspective!) to tell this story three times – on home turf at an event in Cambridge, at a public lecture at our office in Burlington House, London, and now in New Orleans. Out of all three venues, this last one was the most interesting for me, as the location of the New Orleans aquarium provided a unique setting for the event, although hopefully the audience wasn’t too distracted by beautiful backdrop of fish swimming behind me.
This was also the first time I had been first on the bill, which was a bit daunting, but went well once I got over the initial nerves and the audience laughed at a few of my jokes, but the best aspect was being able to relax afterwards and have the luxury to properly listen to the other speakers’ stories, with some really interesting and moving anecdotes that I would normally have been too nervous to appreciate. Overall, it was a great evening, and I was delighted to be able to tell my story to our members. I hope they enjoyed the event as much as I did!
Dr Marc Reid, Research Associate, University of Strathclyde Glasgow
What was your story about?
Mine was a story of how I came to think more deeply about effective leadership. I had been troubled to hear a fiercely intelligent friend doubt their abilities due to poor supervision, and noticed the positive change that occurred when a more encouraging and empathetic supervisor took over.
What was the experience of telling a story like?
It was as enjoyable as it was liberating and memorable. I love public speaking…and this event topped the list!
Professor David Smith, Professor of Chemistry, University of York
What was your story about?
I told a personal story about how meeting my husband-to-be Sam and learning about his cystic fibrosis ultimately led to me transforming the research my team does, reshaping it towards applied goals. This personal experience encouraged me to take my fundamental knowledge of supramolecular chemistry and molecular recognition, and applied it to challenging targets such as gene delivery and tissue engineering.
What was the experience of telling a story like?
Telling a deeply personal story is well out of the comfort zone of everyday scientific communication – it was both frightening and exhilarating in equal measure. Interestingly, telling personal stories in this way broke down any barriers between presenter and audience, and led to fascinating and open discussions once the storytelling had finished.
Kate Tonge, Director of Communications & Marketing, Royal Society of Chemistry
What was your story about?
I talked about what it’s meant to me to become part of the chemical science community through my role for the Royal Society of Chemistry, and how that lead me being given a chemistry themed nickname (the true sign of belonging!). I might not be a chemist but I’m proud to be playing my part in making a difference for the chemical sciences community and the lives of people around the world.
What was the experience of telling a story like?
Storytelling is harder than it looks – but as one of those who shared their story, I loved every minute.
What was it like hearing the other stories?
All four stories were very different. Our Executive Editor Guy Jones’ story about the cultural differences between the chemistry community in the UK and France had everyone laughing. Professor David Smith’s moving and personal story about changing his research focus to help in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis was profoundly moving. Dr Marc Reid captivated everyone with his powerful story about the impact of a chance meeting and an unexpected conversation on his perspective on leadership in chemical science research and motivating the next generation of researchers.
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