After the seminar
23 November 2017
Seminar’s finally done. It went really well, I think. Full room, good mix of students and staff and both human and physical Geography. It felt odd telling ice-scientists what they do, but several people in the room don’t know, so I had to pitch it for everyone. Thankfully nobody seemed to take offence that I was teaching grandmothers to suck eggs, or whatever. Some great questions and comments, and it finally feels as if people have a better idea of what I’m doing here, or trying to do. Lots of people coming up with suggestions or offering to help, which is great.
I’m still stuck on one of the questions as to whether I’m supposed to be ‘teaching’ the public as it were. Sometimes feel the weight of trying to convey the science in order to ‘save the planet’, that it’s all about climate change and teaching. Sometimes I just want to explore images for no reason, because they ‘deepen the mystery’ as Bacon said. Perhaps I can do both.
Took a bag of coal down to the lab to be crushed (there’s me trying to do it by hand in a pestle and mortar!) and bumped into Maria, who showed me round the lab and is going to let me test out chemicals and litmus paper and stuff and has orange ochre I can use. I’m going at this full-time and there’s just so much to inspire, so many ideas. These subjects are going to keep me going for years.