Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre

Who we are

Meet the EBSOC team and get to know us better!

 

Dr Nicola Stock

 
Dr.Nicola Stock_EBSOC profile

I am the Public Engagement with Research Manager at The Roslin Institute and Project Lead for The Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre (EBSOC). My job is to lead on public engagement activities at The Roslin Institute and I am delighted to have EBSOC up and running after almost four years of planning!

I’ve worked in science communication and engagement for over ten years, but I started out as a scientist, studying biology and infectious diseases at the University of Cambridge, followed by work in a research lab at the University of Leeds and a PhD in Molecular Virology at the University of St Andrews. My first experience of science communication was as a volunteer docent (visitor guide) at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, while I was working as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University.

I enjoyed working with visitors to the museum so much that I decided to leave my career in the research lab and work in science communication full time, first as a Science Explainer at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, and then as their Education Officer and Education Manager. I enjoy all types of science engagement and I led a wide range of projects at Centre for Life, from hands-on maths and early years science to schools outreach and the UK-wide Hands-on DNA project, so when the opportunity to join The Roslin Institute came up in autumn 2012 I jumped at the chance to combine my background in research with my science communication skills.

 

Charis Hogg

 

 

Education & Engagement Officer.

Charis Hogg

 

Previous EBSOC Interns

 

Based at the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Campus, the Roslin Institute our interns support the setup and delivery of public engagement activities at the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre (EBSOC).

  • Rona Duncan

  • Chloe Stewart

  • Zoe Ennis

  • Subhashini Dharmapalan

 

 

Rona Duncan

Photo of Rona Duncan smiling

I am an intern at the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre. The EBSOC internship role has the advantage of integrating the lab with public understanding of science. I help in the setting up and running of workshops and other public engagement events. This job is varied and involves working in EBSOC, the Central Services Unit (CSU) and the Roslin Labs. CSU provides essential support to the researchers working in the labs on campus. Here I help with media preparation, restocking solutions and apparatus as well as cleaning glassware and disposing of lab waste. Within the Roslin Labs I’m currently working on a research project developing an ex-ovo live embryo imaging approach. 

Recently, I left college where I studied an HNC in Applied Sciences. I enjoyed the practical classes a lot which led me to look for work experience. Over the summer I gained experience at The Beatson Institute Transgenic Technologies Laboratory in Glasgow, this was my first opportunity in a research lab. I was intrigued by the scientists' experiments and the advanced equipment and machines I got to use. Hence, my excitement when this internship was advertised as it allowed me to build my practical lab skills whilst working for a world renowned institute for animal research.

I feel privileged to have gained hands-on experience at two of the highest regarded research facilities in the country before I progress my academic studies further.

 

 

 

 

Chloe Stewart 

Chloe

Hi, my name is Chloe. My final years at high school were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lot of my practical lessons couldn’t go ahead. I found out about the internship, and I knew that this would give me the perfect opportunity to gain the confidence and experience I felt I was missing before going on to start university. 

My job at the Easter Bush Outreach Centre is to help prepare and run the workshops delivered to primary, high school, college students and teachers all over Scotland. I also work with the Central Service Unit (CSU) on campus who stock all the laboratories with the things needed by the research scientists. I collect used glassware for washing, make lots of solutions and collect the contaminated and infected lab waste that needs to be dealt with correctly.

Sometimes I assist in the undergraduate vet student’s practical classes. Occasionally, I get to take part in the classes myself as if I was a student. I also started my own research project looking at a rare genetic disease called Fanconi Anaemia.

After deferring from university for a year to come and work with the science centre, I will start my degree in Biological Sciences at University of Edinburgh in September 2022.

 

Watch Chloe's video about her internship at EBSOC.

 

PIPS Placements

 

Over the last few years, we have taken on interns to support EBSOC and learn valuable skills including time management, event planning, and organisation skills. We are proud to have partnered with EASTBIO to provide PIPS opportunities. If you are interested in doing your PIPS with us, please get in touch with us. You can also contact previous PIPS students to learn more about what doing a PIPS with us is like!

  • Logan Newstead

  • Danny Schnitzler

  • Scott Dillon

 

Logan Newstead

Logan Newstead photo

My PhD project uses whole-genome sequencing to investigate the population structure and epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis, a bacteria that causes mastitis in cows. Using computational methods, we can explore the DNA sequence of hundreds of bacteria, in order to understand how S. uberis spreads in the farm environment, and how we can develop strategies to control infections caused by S. uberis.

 

My internship with EBSOC allowed me to get away from the desk and gain hands-on experience communicating my research to a range of audiences. I have been able to explore how research can be translated into engaging, informative resources for schools and other learners, and how we can make public engagement more accessible for researchers and audiences alike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Danny Schnitzler

Danny

My research looks at extreme prenatal stress and the programming effects this has on offspring in a rat model. Women that experience extreme stress during pregnancy, such as war, domestic abuse, or natural disasters, have children who experience anxiety and depression in adulthood.

 

I believe communicating my research is just as important as carrying out and through my internship I have been learning so much about the ways I can have an impact on my audience! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Dillon

PIPS intern Scott Dillon

My PhD project explores how you make a skeleton while an embryo is developing. I use powerful electron microscopes to study the methods by which bone cells can create the rock-like hard part of the skeleton at the nanometre scale - that's about 60,000X smaller than the width of a human hair! There are many things that can go wrong with this process resulting in conditions which affect millions, including soft bones in young people and osteoporosis and fractures in older people.

 

It was a real privilege to do my internship with EBSOC. My work there taught me a huge amount about how to reach out to the public to talk about my research, and the impact this can have for both them and myself!