'You hear questions you would never have thought of yourself'
Pitch competition Breaking Science, children's science festival Kennisknetters, the Science Weekend: there are all sorts of public activities in which you, as a young researcher, can participate. But why would you do that at a stage in your career when you are busy establishing yourself as a scientist? What does it yield? We asked two young researchers about their experiences.
"How can I do more with my research? That question has been on my mind for a while. During my Master’s thesis, I already noticed that by engaging with society, you learn that, as a scientist, you make all sorts of assumptions that do not necessarily match reality. And you hear questions you would not have thought of yourself. The conversations I had with children at the Science Weekend went in all sorts of directions I'd not expected. What I liked was that there was a lot of recognition from colleagues who had seen my post about my participation. That appreciation and visibility contribute to my desire to do more with science communication. Not only with children as the target audience, but also with adults."
Sophie van Wijk is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Geosciences.
"During my PhD trajectory, I realised that it would be dreadful to have to conclude in ten years’ time that my research had only been read by scientists. That motivated me to take part in public activities. I have done it more often now, and what I really enjoy is that it often brings me something different from what I expected beforehand. During Kennisknetters, I gave a presentation to children about bullying. Afterwards, several of them came up to me to ask questions or to share what they had experienced. For them, it felt like a relief to talk to someone who has knowledge about bullying. I had not anticipated that! But it is precisely those personal interactions that confirm to me that my message really does get through."
Dr Daudi van Veen is a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences.