![]() From the words people say (and how many of them are “um”) to music and special effects, sound editing is a fun and diverting experience. ![]() I’ve also learned to edit, adjust and compose sound. Researchers in particular love their work and asking them to talk about it always elicits a contagious enthusiasm. Firstly, I was struck by how keen people are to talk about their stories. I’ve learned a lot, and have a lot more to go, but a few points stand out to me. Cyberwarfare and cyber in general are very broad, complex topics and I think the coverage we gave did an adequate job of exploring them. However, I was glad to find that once things were lined up, they started falling into place. I’m sure such an overdose of news consumption wasn’t ideal. Further, the current nature of the show meant I had to keep a close eye on the news to ensure my content was up-to-date. This was a challenge for me, as I prefer a degree of stability and certainty within which to work and I find moving goalposts difficult. My show went through many iterations, from a expose of Symmetry (a neighbour to my research) to Cybersecurity (cryptography is an application of my area) and finally to Cyberwarfare (motivated by the invasion of Ukraine). As part of the programme, each intern produces a back half on a topic related to their field. Learning to find these kernels and to expand them into a story the listener cares about is a long journey and I am sure I have only scratched the surface! My Back HalfĮach week the show is split into the first half: news and current stories, and the second or “back” half. Its often a small thing – a surprising application of the science, a character in the story, or a well placed “but why?”, but it really can make the story. I’d later discover that within every “simple” story is a fascinating kernel of truth waiting to be told. However, dialling the content down is not necessarily the correct response. When I imagined myself trying to explain the concept (and without pen and paper, to boot) I had to admit that I’d assumed far too much of the listener. The point at which I clicked for this piece was half way through the interview, when I realised that I found it particularly interesting but only because I was already very familiar with the concept. My first news piece was far too technical for this platform (though still a fascinating titbit, I maintain). Looking back, I think you can see the arc of my learning process quite starkly. ![]() Through teaching and learning mathematics, I’ve started to take a keen interest in how concepts are communicated and relished the opportunity to learn more about pedagogy. But this was part of what appealed about the experience when I applied. Sometimes it feels like this includes the presenter themselves! So coming to the Naked Scientists and communicating scientific topics to a lay audience was always going to be a bucket of ice over the head for me. It is almost expected that most people attending a seminar in mathematics will not understand the speaker to the end of their presentation. Even amongst ourselves, mathematicians often struggle to strike an appropriate level of information density, clarity, informality and complexity. The deadline is approaching! Learning to Speak AgainĬommunicating mathematics (my academic field) is famously an unsolved problem. It also avoids any trepidation: you don’t have time to be nervous about emailing that person or doing the interview. After a recce phone call, the interview and some editing, you have your first output by midday that Thursday.īeing thrust into the deep end means you learn to swim very quickly and I picked up a lot of skills over a short period of time. You are then given a topic to cover that week and must contact the researcher involved to arrange an interview. On your first day you will need to source and pitch a science news story to the team. Starting at the Naked Scientists is a full-on experience. What happened next was a lot of learning. The Naked Scientist is a household name where I grew up, so naturally when an email containing a link to apply for an internship fell into my inbox, I jumped at the opportunity.
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