Science Speed Dating

In a couple of weeks, I'll be participating in a Science Speed Dating event at a sixth-form academy in London. The school administrators have recruited several scientists from various fields who like doing outreach work. We have 2-3 minutes to introduce ourselves, and then students sign up to have 4-5 minute chats with each of us to learn about our jobs and, presumably, decide if they'd want to pursue similar careers.

I've been given a PowerPoint slide to fill out to use for the introduction, and there's one box on it I've been struggling to complete. All it says is "People don't know that I..." and you're supposed to fill it in with some quirky fact about yourself. This is where you come in, internets. Tell me which of these facts you think I should put in the box. I suspect you know most of these, but people who haven't been reading my blog for years won't.

Poll #6229 Science Speed Dating

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

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You should tell the students that you...

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used to be a cheerleader
3 (15.8%)

worked as a nightclub bouncer to help pay your university fees
15 (78.9%)

are secretly a goth
1 (5.3%)

No no no. You should tell them this:

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International Women's Day

Grammy


In the plain frames are copies of hand-coloured photos of my maternal grandmother in her early twenties. Also in the image are the side of our wardrobe, a chest of drawers, two white tulips and a piece of flint from the Maasai Mara in Kenya. I spent some time on this International Women's Day remembering her. Her greatest regret was her lack of formal education. She never went past the eighth grade. Though she was a warm and intelligent woman who read extensively (with an especial affection for historical fiction), she lacked confidence in her abilities. She wanted very much for her children and grandchildren to be university educated. She did not live to see me get my PhD.

She spent her last ten years suffering from dementia. I'm not much of one for wishes, since I think they're futile, but if I could have one wish, it would be for her to have spent those years with the clarity and peace of mind she exhibited before her decline.

~*~

The UK Census meme:

In 1981, I lived in Honolulu, Hawai'i. I was brown as a berry, spent every moment I could in the ocean and was blissfully unaware that I would shortly be moving to the mainland US without my parents.

In 1991, I lived in Olympia, Washington. I had been reunited with my parents and was discovering the joy of high school. My hair was so big it had its own weather system and I was convinced no boys liked me because I didn't have straight blonde hair and blue eyes.

In 2001, I lived in San Diego, California. I was most of the way through my PhD and had just come out of the very dark period in the middle of it when I wasn't sure I wanted to continue breathing finish. I had also discovered that plenty of boys liked me and that, sadly, this did not guarantee that I would like them.

In 2011, I live in Cambridge, England with a loving partner and two cats. I have a good job and some well-established hobbies. I like to think Grammy would have been proud of me.