• Question: Who inspired you to become the type of scientist that you are?

    Asked by anon-218611 to Shannah, Richard, Matthew (known as Kaan by, johnpaterson, Emma, Anna on 13 Jun 2019. This question was also asked by anon-218331, anon-218908, anon-218959, anon-218297.
    • Photo: Emma Markham

      Emma Markham answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      I’m not sure. I didn’t have any role models or mentors when I was a kid, and none of my family went to university. I had never met a scientist or really knew what they did. I left school at 16 and became a tailor, then went back to school to obtain A-Levels. During my A-Levels I had a great biology teacher and I fell in love with genetics, so I think my biology teacher did help me and was supportive when I considered studying biology at university.
      Personally I think mentors are really helpful, especially for students who don’t have family who have been to university, and that’s why I do a lot of mentoring to help them through the process and give them the support I never had.

    • Photo: Matthew Alkan

      Matthew Alkan answered on 13 Jun 2019:

      My chemistry teacher

    • Photo: John Paterson

      John Paterson answered on 14 Jun 2019:

      I don’t think I had a role model or mentor in my personal life that I followed to become a scientist. Most of my inspiration has come from people I’ve never met but whose research and work I’ve read about – scientists and naturalists like Charles Darwin, Mary Anning, Richard Dawkins, Rosalind Franklin and Carl Sagan.

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