The Shell Questacon Science Circus Team
We're sixteen enthusiastic science graduates who staff the Science Circus as it brings lively presentations of science to towns and schools across regional Australia while we study for a Master of Science Communication Outreach.
There are now over 350 Science Circus graduates, employed all around the world. Find out more about these amazing people!
The 2012 Science Circus Team
Every year we recruit a new team of presenters for the Shell Questacon Science Circus. To join the Shell Questacon Science Circus next year, start by finding out more about the Master of Science Communication Outreach. Applications close August 31 each year. Contact the ANU by e-mail or telephone on + 61 2 6125 2809.
Imogen Aitken
Hi, my name's Imogen and a piece of paper from my undergraduate degree tells me I'm a geologist—but when I think back through my years at uni I realise I learnt lots and lots about lots of different things. As well as learning all about the Earth I delved into psychology, chemistry and even a bit of astronomy (I also did a major in politics, but that's another story)—and I loved it all! I didn't know what to do with this whacky combination but knew that I loved talking and communicating, I liked museums (I worked in one for a while) and I liked science.
That's when I heard about the Shell Questacon Science Circus—it fulfilled all of my criteria AND (bonus) it involved lots of travel around Australia. I'm very excited to be a part of this wonderful program. I think it's a great way for people all over Australia to experience that wonderful moment when things just make sense.
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Sarah Andrewartha
Growing up as a city girl in Melbourne, and spending my holidays at the beach and camping with my family, I always had an insatiable curiosity and intense appreciation for the natural world. Blessed with a science teacher for a father and a mother who was heavily involved in performing arts, I was always encouraged to question and wonder, pull things apart (and attempt to put them back together), create and perform.
My love of animals led me into a Bachelor of Science (Animal Science) at La Trobe University. I then completed my honours year, a PhD in a comparative animal physiology and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Texas, driven by my fascination with how animals “work”. I have joined the Shell Questacon Science Circus this year because I am passionate about sharing my experiences, ideas and the inescapable truth that science and the world around us is fascinating.
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Clare Caulfield
Originally from the 'sleepy hollow' of Geelong in Victoria, I finished my undergraduate degree at Monash University in 2011. I studied a mixed bag of science at university: botany, plant physiology, chemistry, geography, molecular -, micro- and conservation biology, science philosophy, ecology and finally some physics. Somehow that all came out as a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biotechnology, but after trying out a career in research, through a summer research project, I discovered what I really loved was working with people. I wanted to feel like I was doing something that really made a difference to other people's lives.
I can't wait to see Australia while on tour, spread some science-love and make up for all this messy, loud fun I've been missing out on! Eventually I'd like to be a teacher- the crazy one who does the best experiments, inspires students to enjoy science and to use this science in making informed decisions about Australia's future.
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Blaire Dobiecki
I never thought that I had what it takes to run away and join the circus. I spend most of my time reading science books, listening to Robyn Williams and Natasha Mitchell on ABC Radio National Science, watching science documentaries with David Attenborough, Brian Cox and Carl Sagan... then it occurred to me... I could run away and join the Shell Questacon Science Circus!
Without these amazing science communicators out there, I would have never appreciated all the intricacies that make up our everyday world. They taught me how to just sit and wonder and I've never been bored since! I look forward to meeting people all over Australia this year and encouraging them to wonder too. Maybe some of them might eventually seek out some new discoveries in our beautifully diverse universe!
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Jarrod Green
Without discounting a great deal of evolutionary time, a combined Arts and Science degree from the University of Tasmania and a lasting fascination with how our world works, I'm here today in large part because I've been in your shoes. I know it can be a pretty tough gig trying to work out a future pathway. Even now I can't tell you with any certainty where I will be in the future or how fast I will get there.
However, I can tell you that there is a pretty high probability you will find me occupying any space where science, society and communication overlap. I'm always excited by the energy and innovation that exists in these kinds of spaces. That's why I decided to join the Shell Questacon Science Circus and it's why I absolutely can't wait to meet you on the road!
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Josh Hindle
Hello, my name is Josh. At the University of Melbourne I studied everything from archaeology & modern art,to physics and geology, resulting in a sort of giant salad of random knowledge. I was unsure about what I should do after my degree- until I heard about this course! If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that the entire universe and how it works is really pretty interesting and amazing. There was no way I could miss the chance to get out and tell people about it with the Shell Questacon Science Circus, and share some delicious knowledge salad.
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Jeremy Just
Hey! I'm Jeremy and I'm from Hobart, Tasmania where I grew up and studied a lot of different areas of science. Really - a lot of science. After graduating from a science degree majoring in chemistry (explosions, yay!) and microbiology (infections, yuck!), I discovered a strong interest in science communication which led to a casual job at CSIRO Education in Hobart.
Now I've moved to the big smoke and I'm very excited to be a part of the Shell Questacon Science Circus. I hope to inspire young Australians to love science as much as I do and I hope to have a great time on the road doing so! Who wants to see me hold fire in my hands safely and in the name of science? (Don't try this at home!)
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Natalie Kelman
Hi, I'm Nat and I grew up in California and Canberra. Having fled the nation's capital six years ago to study medical science and law at the University of Wollongong I decided to come back and do what any reasonable person would do: join the circus!
I love being part of the Shell Questacon Science Circus because I get to spend the year travelling the country, meeting lots of different people and talking to them about what I love most: science! Not only that but I get to do it with 15 other amazing science communicators. This definitely beats an office job!
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Jim Mangisi
I didn't choose science, science chose me. After high school, I knew I wanted to study further and decided to explore many different subjects in a science degree at Monash University. In this course I was able to explore an awesome range of subjects ranging from astronomy, psychology, geography and maths, to my specialty environmental science.
The best thing I got out of this was an appreciation for the scientific mode of thinking! You must love evidence, you should always ask questions, and experimenting is essential!
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Shane McMaster
Why did I run away and join the science circus you ask? Well it all starts when I was a kid and my parents decided that I wasn't allowed to say the word "why?" anymore. They were good parents, but they just had enough of me constantly questioning them on everything and needing to know all the answers. It was this insane curiosity that drove me to science- after all it does have the answer to everything.
Skip forward a few years to university and I did a Bachelor of Science-Majoring in Applied Chemistry and Marine Biology at Griffith University on the beautiful Gold Coast. When a friend told me about the circus, I'd say I would've looked just like a cartoon with my eyes so bright. I got together with a local science communication group (to get plenty of practice), sent in an application and now I have the best job in the world!
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Carly Mooney
At school you would have found me on the stage through either music or dance, never in a science lab. I am sure my high school science teacher would be rendered speechless if she knew where I was today! Through dance I became fascinated with the human body, the way it moves, works and functions. When I started investigating this brilliant machine you could imagine my shock horror to find it was science! I ventured to Sydney to study physiology and anatomy at the University of New South Wales and while there discovered the many avenues and disciplines within the science field
I hope that through my year with the Shell Questacon Science Circus we can inspire and awaken people to the vast world that is science and have some fun with it!
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Gemma Mullaney
I have always been interested in the world and finding things out. I come from a family of scientists which means that our dinner table conversations growing up were a little out of the ordinary—from genetics, inheritance and the biology of altruism, to which chemicals explode with the biggest bang! I did a lot of different things before I started my science degree, like studying opera singing and teaching English overseas, but I always knew I wanted to make my living in science.
After a science degree majoring in microbiology and pathology, and a year doing research in a hospital lab, I had figured out a few things: I didn't really like research but I loved presenting, explaining and sharing that research with others! I also worked for two years at Scitech Discovery Centre in Perth as a science communicator and puppeteer, which might be one of the best jobs in the world as no two days are ever the same! My love of presenting and the fact that I already loved my job in science communication meant that the Shell Questacon Science Circus seemed like a perfect fit for me. I am really excited and can't wait to get out there and continue sharing my passion for science with the community!
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Aimee Parker
Hi! My name is Aimee and I am a scientist who has left the lab to travel the country and communicate science. I'm interested in why things work the way they do, particularly in our bodies, and I love to share this with others!
Last year I completed Honours in Biochemistry, studying a part of the immune system. Resigned to the knowledge that a Nobel Prize was unlikely, I decided to follow my interest in talking and writing about science and joined the Shell Questacon Science Circus. I look forward to performing science shows in schools all around Australia.
Aside from science I like teacups, red shoes and the pictures in recipe books. One day I hope to write a book, understand the Bernoulli principle and visit Italy.
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Katy Tomkins
When I was little I loved exploring the bush and watching birds and lizards. I thought I'd grow up to become a teacher and have a wonderful time helping kids learn about the world. Then in college I had an amazing science teacher who inspired me to continue studying science at university.
After completing a science degree at the Australian National University (ANU), I spent a year trying out different science-related jobs - explaining scientific research to visiting interstate students at CSIRO Discovery, promoting science courses at the ANU and volunteering as a guide at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. I realised I loved interacting with kids, so applied to join the Shell Questacon Science Circus.
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Alissa van Soest
Having grown up in a rural town on the coast I have had first hand experience with how closely intertwined human health is with the environment. My love of animals led me to spend four years working at a veterinary hospital and to do work experience at Taronga Zoo.
If my Bachelor of Science Communications at the Australian National University has taught me anything it is that science is in EVERYTHING and because I want to learn everything I've run away to join the Shell Questacon Science Circus. Now I too can help spread the magic that is science.
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Michael Wilson
Hey, yo, whoa. The name is Michael from Adelaide ya'll. I want to tell you that I did science because of how super smart I am, but that might be stretching the truth a little bit. I got into science waaaaaay back in primary school when a bunch of guys, not unlike the circus, came to our school.
After going to every single sciencey thing I could, I ended up doing a Bachelor of Science at Flinders University. When I got towards the end of the degree I decided that being in a lab was not for me. I still enjoyed science but I wanted to get out there and be a bit crazy. It turns out "science" and "crazy" are two big parts of joining the circus, so here I am.
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