What do you study, and what is your favourite thing about it?

Craig Hendry answered on 7 May 2020:

Good question – I studied both mechanical/civil engineering in my undergraduate and environmental management for my masters degree. My favourite topic which fell into both degrees was renewable energy.
My undergraduate project looked at how raindrops damage wind turbine blades – it might not seem like they would but the speed of both the raindrop and the speed of the wind turbine blades combine to cause a high impact force. Similar to a baseball being hit by a baseball bat can travel for a large distance which occurs as baseball bats are designed to withstand such forces.

Thank you for your question.

Sylvia Soldatou answered on 7 May 2020:

I studied chemistry and then I focused on marine natural products chemistry. Specifically, I try to disover new antibiotics from marine organisms like sponges and corals, as welll as microorganisms that live in deep-sea sediments.
My favourite thing about what I do, is the excitement of discovering something new, something that no one has discovered before and that it could potentially save the world (antibiotics). Also, since I am working with marine organisms, I have spent time SCUBA diving and snorkeling for sample collection. I love the sea and I’m grateful that my job allows my to use my hobbies for work!

Charlotte Walker answered on 7 May 2020:

I study life in the oceans. More specifically I study the creatures called algae that use light energy from the sun and turn it into fuel for the food chain, just like plants do on land. Without them we would not be able to live! They fuel the food chains and they produce half of all the oxygen we need to breathe.

I really enjoy the ability to ask questions about the world and if I can’t find the answers, I can design experiments to investigate what those answers may be! You get to do different things every day, meet lots of really interesting people and travel to different countries.

Michelle Valkanas answered on 7 May 2020:

I study bioremediation of contaminated water. What that means is that I use bacteria growing in contaminated water to remove the harmful metals in the water. This makes the water safer for not only wildlife and plants but for drinking water. My favorite thing about what I study is being in the field. The world is beautiful and I get to study how to keep it that way!

Rehemat Bhatia answered on 7 May 2020: last edited 7 May 2020 10:04 pm

I’m really interested in the chemistry of the oceans and how this has changed through time. I work this out using the chemistry of fossil plankton shells.
I love this area of science because it’s like being a forensic scientist, solving mysteries about the history and evolution of the ocean! Plus the plankton I study are beautiful. And what we can learn from the past can help us understand how the oceans and climate will change in the future.

anon answered on 8 May 2020: last edited 8 May 2020 12:33 am

I have studied Bio-Veterinary Sciences and Wildlife Conservation. Two of my favourite things about these subjects where the genetics lab work and wildlife crime seminars.
Genetics is quite the fascinating subject, how DNA coding works, and the testing and comparing it in a lab. I once got to test the genetics of a Scottish Wild Cat, Domestic Cat and a Feral cat, although their genetics showed similarity there where differences, what was surprising was seeing that the genetic coding of a feral cat was different to that of a domestic cat. When looking at genetics you run the DNA on a PCR gel and it develops this banding pattern, you also have a control so you know where the bands correspond to. These will then get sent off and come back with the genetic codes for comparison.

Wildlife crime was a lot fun to learn, some of it was basic crime practices like getting footprints and finger prints, but other stuff was how insects present can help determine time of death like maggots can be one of the earlier signs of death. The sorts of crimes commkted to wildlife and what sorts of punishments are given for wildlife crime. Wildlife crime is pretty low ranking compared to other crimes in the judicial system, with pretty low sentences, like you will have seen with animal cruelty cases punishments can be up to 8 weeks in prison, wildlife crime carries similar sentences.

Rebecca Roddan answered on 8 May 2020:

I studied Chemistry at university and now I work on how to make drug molecules in a more environmentally friendly way. The way we make drugs traditionally is really bad for the environment, it uses lots of energy and toxic materials.

Lots of drugs that we use to treat diseases are found in plants. I look at how these drugs are made in plants and then we try and replicate the process in the lab instead.

This means that we are doing Chemistry in a much more environmentally friendly way as we aren’t using high temperatures, high pressures or toxic materials, unlike how drugs are made traditionally.

My favourite thing about it is that I get to learn new things all the time as the project has lots of different aspects. I have a lot of freedom in what I can work on which I really appreciate!

Jacque Cilliers answered on 10 May 2020:

I studied Microbiology, which is the study of microbes (bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses).

Right now I study Nematodes (very small worms). We sell Nematodes to farmers because you can use them to kill insects, they act as a biological pesticide. What interests me about Nematodes is that we can use them to help us!

Jessica Gomez-Banderas answered on 11 May 2020: last edited 11 May 2020 10:30 am

I studied Chemistry but I now specifically focus on natural products chemistry which is the study of the chemicals which livings organisms (e.g marine corals and sponges, plants and microbes) produce. We are interested in these chemicals because some of them have useful properties such as being able to fight cancer, get rid of bacterial infections or viruses to name a few. My project looks at trying to find naturally occurring chemicals which could be used to stop marine organisms growing on surfaces under the sea, specifically on oil and gas platforms. We want to do this because it costs a lot of money to remove the growing organisms!

My favourite thing about my research is learning about the fascinating molecules that living things can make inside of them. It’s incredible to think that a tiny organism like a bacterial cell knows how to produce huge, complex molecules in order to survive!

Emily Cheek answered on 11 May 2020:

I think I am a good example of how you can apply your knowledge across a wide range of subject areas and just goes to show where you start off isn’t necessarily where your career will take you.

I studied sport & exercise science for my undergraduate degree but now work as part of a team looking at air quality and public health! I have useful insight into public health and have been able to apply my background scientific knowledge to a new area.

I love how topical this area is and there is always new and exciting things to learn about giving me new challenges and things to think about.

Chloe Carter answered on 11 May 2020:

I studied Geography at University where I studied everything from environmental politics, to gender, to glaciation. I loved how varied it was, my favourite topic was always rivers because they are so diverse. I now study the shape of rivers and how the shape changes when you add wooden flood defences. My favourite thing is that I can run the same flume experiment again and again and get different results because of how water acts and I can also create some fun river shapes. I also really enjoy being able to go out in the field and see lots of different locations, from Canada to Scotland!

Gareth Mason answered on 11 May 2020:

I study the animals and habitats that you find in the woodlands and mountains of Scotland. This means I can be learning about sand dunes one day, limestone pavements another, and ancient pine woods the next.

The variety of habitats I get to work in is definitely a favourite thing about my work.

Emily Goddard answered on 12 May 2020:

I studied Chemistry for my degree, including a year working for a pharmaceutical company.

Now I work with salts that can store heat energy, so you can put them in houses to heat your hot water. I add things to them to make them work better. I think my favourite thing about it is that there’s a lot of problem solving. I also like growing crystals of my salts, they can be very pretty!

Matt Price answered on 13 May 2020:

I study recycling and the chemistry of plastics. My favourite thing about it is probably feeling like I’m doing something important, which might have positive effects in the community and the environment.

Question: What do you study, and what is your favourite thing about it?

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