Science Insights Online 2020, Gracie Taylor

Gracie Taylor talks about her experience on Science Insights Online 2020.

I first came across the Science Insights Programme around a year ago when I was frantically searching for biomedical work experience. I applied in February when the week was still set to happen in person, on campus at various research institutes across the university. Then, obviously due to the pandemic, the programme was moved online, even though I knew that I wouldn’t get the hands on lab experience I had hoped for I was still super excited to get stuck in.

Meeting Scientists

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week but for me the highlights were the MS Clinical Trials Ethics Workshop and the Meet the Scientists sessions that we took part in at the end of every day. As someone who is hoping to be involved in medical research, understanding some of the ethical dilemmas around clinical trials was very interesting and a side of my l future career that I hadn’t ever thought about before. The meet the scientists sessions were nerve-wracking at first but as we went through the week I became more confident in asking questions. It’s not very often that you have the opportunity to interact with that many scientists who are all incredibly passionate about their work so I fully embraced this opportunity. I knew that science was broad and multi-disciplinary but I had no idea of just how much potential and flexibility there was, it has made me excited more than anything just to get stuck into my scientific career.

Inclusion

Another highlight of my week was Dr Katie Baines’ talk about her research into equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM. I’m a young leader at my local Brownie so empowering young girls and women so that they feel capable in STEM careers is really important to me. Katie really inspired me because she came from a scientific research background but then used her experience to drive more of a social change, something that I had no idea you could do with a science degree. Our generation more than ever are likely to completely change career paths multiple times, this is something that used to scare me but now I’ve realised how exciting this is. I honestly couldn’t tell you where I’ll end up but Science Insights has shown me that there’s a world of opportunity that is waiting for me.

Confidence

I feel like not only have I gained so much insight through the programme, I’ve also grown in confidence. I’ve found that meeting like-minded people has really helped me as I now know people who are passionate about similar things and we can bounce ideas off each other. My one piece of advice to any prospective `Science Insights applicants is just apply! I got so much out of the week and I know that anyone who gets a place, even if it’s online next year won’t be disappointed.

Gracie Taylor, August 2020