The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Stuart Green is a remote sensing / Earth observation specialist working for Teagasc. Here he talks about how he chose his career, a typical day in work, and his tips on work experience.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

As a primary degree I studied geophysics, graduating in 1992. I had given little thought to further study, but an economic downturn made me reconsider.

The Erasmus programme was offering excellent bursaries to study for an MSc in remote sensing in Dundee University, and without doubt this was the major career milestone.

It not only introduced me to my area of work but the programme also allowed for travel within the EU, which was how I came to study in UCD for the second half of my Masters.

After the MSc I decided to stay in Ireland and was offered a technician post in the lab where I had completed my MSC, the applied physics lab in UCD under Eoin O’Mongain.

After a couple of years on rolling short-term contracts, an opportunity for a PhD came up in the lab, which I took.

Describe a typical day

At any time I may have four or five projects “live” – some instigated and led by me (for instance a creating a map of hedgerows for the whole country), some where I’m a partner (using airborne lasers, LIDAR, to measure forests) and others where I am merely providing information or input (mapping farmland habitats).

It’s best to concentrate on one project in a day, but phone calls, emails, reports etc can quickly take over if you are not careful. But you can always switch to another if you get stuck, deadline permitting!

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

My main task is to research the use of remote sensing and Earth observation technologies in agriculture in Ireland. Most work is based on the computer with a little field work.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

As in most scientific enterprises, you need to combine good technical skills with curiosity and ingenuity. I think I’m good at problem solving: coming up with elegant and not so elegant solutions to issues.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I took a wide range of subjects at secondary school: physics, chemistry and maths but also English, history, classical studies (ancient Rome and Greece) and art.

What is your education to date?

• A-level maths, physics and chemistry
• BSc in Geophysics
• MSc in remote sensing

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Undoubtedly maths is very important in this type of science career. It carries through to many different areas.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

For my PhD I flew all over Ireland in a single-engine Cessna.

Working in the lab I took part in research cruises in the Aegean and working for Teagasc I helped create the National Indicative Soil Map. This is now used as a fundamental dataset by literally hundreds of researchers, engineers and government agencies.

What advice would you give someone considering this job?

Be willing to learn on the job. Remote sensing can only be really successful when the researcher understands the system and the physics but also understands something of the target.

So even though my background and training is in “physics” I’ve had to pick up lots of information on forestry, ecology, soil science and others.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Curiosity, adaptability and a good “spatial awareness” – you need to get used seeing unusual things in unusual contexts!

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Computer labs, design studios and digital media will all give a sense of handing and using images on a computer. Architects and civil engineering firms will give an idea on maps and spatial awareness. Try using Google Earth for a specific goal, such as introducing Google Earth and Google Maps into a community organisation or charity.

The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Stephen Church is a newspaper systems administrator (sysadmin) and a director at Irish Micro Electronic Services. Here he talks about how he chose his career, what he studied at school and college, and what his work is like.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

In secondary school I chose to do engineering to build a practical and theoretical base for learning engineering, and I also took part in the BT Young Scientist competition in 2006 and 2007 as well as DCU’s CTYI Programme (the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland)

When I was 14 I registered my first company, making small money repairing computers and unlocking mobile phones locally.

I attended NUI Maynooth to do electronics engineering, which interested me the most.

Describe a typical day

Typically I work answering emails and phone calls in the morning while driving around doing calls for my customers at my own company, Irish Micro Electronic Services. At 3pm I start my other position at the Irsih Daily Star newspaper and assume a development and support role.

This will usually entail looking over the status of many servers and connections, and checking for updates or news from different hardware and software vendors to determine if there are any new or updated solutions that may assist in effective and efficient service delivery and maximise uptime.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

Overall it’s hard to define. My responsibility is to make sure business runs as smoothly as possible for everyone else while making my skills available as much as possible.

I suppose if businesses were to be bricks I would be cement. I fill any role as needed, which could involve anything from rebuilding a server RAID array to fixing an overflow pipe on an air conditioner, to bug-fixing a software package.

What are the main challenges?

The biggest challenge in the world of IT is definitely the pace at which it moves, from new hardware and software to changes in trends and in how the industry works. If you don’t take time to keep up to date on what’s happening, you’ll lose out very quickly.

What’s cool about the work?

Working in IT itself is cool, it’s an ever present industry that impacts all of our lives. As time goes on, computers are becoming more and more integrated into our work and home lives.

The best thing about working has to be that moment where you come across a problem that nobody else can fix, that perhaps a few engineers have encountered or it’s an unknown problem not documented anywhere, when you fix that problem and know that it’s over, all that hard work and those hours put in have resulted in success.

What’s not so cool?

The hours. I sometimes work some scarily long hours to fix problems. I once started re-patching a network cabinet at 11pm and wasn’t finished till 6am, and I had been working solid from 10am the previous day, but it had to be done.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I tend to keep an upbeat attitude and keep going until a problem is solved.

An excellent working knowledge of a variety of systems, combined with seeing how they perform in the real world, definitely gives me an advantage when tackling problems or recommending new solutions.

In terms of personal qualities I can be a bit blunt when I need to be, but in general I’m able to communicate effectively with clients who might not be technically minded, and explain their problem and the solution, and in between just have a general conversation.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

For my Leaving Cert I took engineering, physics and construction studies. I also taught myself technical graphics. These have definitely helped me along my career path and let me gain a greater understanding of how our world works and materials and electronics as a whole.

I felt that all these subjects properly geared me for both engineering in college and a career in IT. If I had to do it all again, I’d pick exactly the same subjects.

What is your education to date?

Leaving Certificate, BE Electronics Engineering (on hiatus for the moment). I think my self-taught skills are the most important though. I have taught myself multiple programming languages, applications such as Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, as well as microcontroller programming, web design, auto electronics, car repair and a lot of general DIY skills.

What aspects of your education have been most important for your job?

A Leaving Cert is a good foundation to get onto the career ladder. After that I have found that some college experience and a lot of my self-motivated learning has helped me gain experience and move up the career ladder.

Do you plan to undertake any further training?

I would love to do a course on Adobe After Effects, as well as learn Objective-C# (programming language). Those are two skills that could help me turn some of my ideas into physical realisations.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Turning a profit from my own business and building a reputation as somebody who can reliably get the job done when needed.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

I would consider myself a fairly ambitious person. I’m always on the lookout for new concepts and ways of doing things that I could bring to other businesses.

I think self confidence helps an awful lot with getting through the door and reassuring people that the job will be done properly. I’m a fairly sociable person and it helps to build a rapport with clients and make a job feel less clinical and mundane.

What is your dream job?

I’m sure we’d all love to be Ferrari test drivers or professional party-goers, but in the real world I would love to be head of a multinational corporation, influencing design and product trends across the world.

Why? Well mostly I just want to make my mark on the world and be remembered for something. I would like people to benefit from my ideas and progress technology as far as possible in my lifetime.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for your job?

Creativity, problem solving and being able to separate work and life.

You need thick skin to work in a stressful environment where tensions run high – you need to block it out, knuckle down and get the job done.

What kind of work experience would provide a good background for your kind of work?

I would recommend that anyone looking for a career in IT tries to get a part-time job in a computer repair shop or IT help desk.

It will give you experience and you can build up your troubleshooting and communication skills to set you up for your career.

Microbiology is concerned with the interactions between micro-organisms and their hosts and is of immense importance in relation to the environment, agriculture and food, medicine and biotechnology.

What do microbiologists do?

Most people know that microbes are the cause of infectious diseases like ‘flu, or whooping cough but they don’t realise that exploiting microbial activities brings us many benefits. Microbes can make you ill, but they are also the source of the antibiotics that can cure you.

Microbiology is a vast subject which overlaps with other life sciences such as genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and even engineering.

Microbiologists can be found at work in many different place but they are normally based in a laboratory. As there are many different types of microbes there are many different types of microbiologists.

Food, pharmaceutical, agrochemical, biotechnological, environmental and pollution control companies all need microbiologists to develop new products, monitor the production of existing ones and solve problems.

Hospitals, public health laboratories, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies offer work in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of illnesses caused by microbes. Agriculture, environmental and health specialists study the role of microbe in plant disease, pest control, nutrition and soil fertility, or monitor and control pollution and devise biological treatment of waste.

Microbiology is of fundamental importance in the environment, with micro-organisms carrying out many of the processes that cycle elements such as carbon, nitrogen and sulphur in the biosphere.

Microbiology is pivotal to solving the challenges we face in the health, food and environmental sectors. Knowledge of microbiology will enable you to improve the quality of our lives in relation to the environment, to fight disease by immunisation and to combat pollution.

Career opportunities

Microbiology is an exciting and rapidly developing area of the life sciences and underpins much of the molecular biology and medical developments that are revolutionising our lives.

It is an integral part of many professions. Recent graduates have been employed in hospital laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry, genome mapping, medical diagnostic development, manufacturing companies, forensic science, education, environmental agencies and journalism.

Graduates in microbiology find employment in pharmaceutical and medical research laboratories, as quality control officers in the preparation of drugs, in food processing and packaging or in public utilities.

Industry employs microbiologists in the manufacture of numerous products, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cosmetics, food and drink, either because micro-organisms are used in the process or for reasons of microbiological safety and hygiene.

Many other industrial concerns have requirements for graduates in biological disciplines in such areas as environmental protection, quality control of starting materials, in-process and finished product monitoring.

The multidisciplinary nature of microbiologists’ training means that they find employment in a wide variety of positions.

Did you know?

Battling infectious disease

Sixteen million people worldwide die from infectious disease every year. In the developed world, antibiotic resistance amongst bacteria is increasing and ‘new’ micro-organisms, such as the viruses causing HIV and SARS, pose threats on a global scale. All these problems require a broad understanding of microbiology if the opportunities offered to solve them are to be grasped.

Too many bugs

Food-spoiling bugs can munch away on vegetables without causing any damage as long as there aren’t too many of them. But once their population grows to about 100 million bacteria per gram, they release enzymes to get extra nutrients and it is these enzymes that make the vegetables go off.

The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Simon Elliott is researcher in Theory, Modelling and Design in Tyndall National Institute. Here he talks about how he chose his career and what his work is like.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Research must be one of the most varied jobs there is. Most of the time, I am free to organise my day how I want.

Sometimes there are bursts of stress, such as working late nights or travelling at weekends. But most of the time I am free to fit together work commitments and priorities outside work.

How did you go about getting your current job?

I was approached at an Irish conference (great for local networking) and invited to apply for an upcoming position. As the position was in a technology institute, I was dismissive about being suitable, but came down for an interview anyway.

Despite my doubts at the start, the institute has turned out to be a great place to do science and see how it can be applied. So I’ve now been here since 2001.

Describe a typical day

The day starts with checking email and replying to the easy ones. Then I check the computers to see how my simulations have got on overnight. Other than that, every day is different.

I’d be involved in a couple of research projects simultaneously, so I have to keep all those “balls in the air”. This can mean discussing results with other researchers (face-to-face here in Tyndall or abroad via email or phone). Or maybe putting together reports of the work as papers or presentations.

What are the main challenges?

Sometimes I feel that I’m running a small business, which I certainly find challenging. I have to keep on top of developments in the “marketplace”, bid for new contracts, find and employ good staff. But that’s OK as long as I don’t lose sight of the science that’s at the centre of it.

What’s cool?

Most science is done in teams, which are often spread across many countries. It’s great to have the chance to travel, see foreign cities and meet the other members of the team.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

The most important thing is probably to be self-motivated, but that’s easy when you love finding out new things. Sticking at a puzzle and seeing it through to the end is also vital.

You need an active imagination, a creative approach to solving problems and an appreciation for the beauty of how the world works. The really good scientists can also express themselves clearly and elegantly and get other people enthusiastic about what they do.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

For the Leaving Cert I took maths, English, Irish, chemistry, physics, applied maths, German and musicianship. Maths and English were probably the most important of these – because of being able to express yourself or address a problem in numbers and words. Having the basics of German meant I was able to travel for further study. Of course I really enjoyed the science subjects, but career-wise it would have been no big deal to pick them up later if I needed to.

What is your education to date?

Leaving Certificate, four-year degree in chemistry, doctorate in theoretical chemistry.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Giving an invited talk at an international scientific conference. In some ways this was the culmination of six years’ work and it was very rewarding to have that work recognised by experts in the field.

What would be your dream job?

In research – basically what I’m doing now. As far as I can tell, most scientists feel this way – we are really lucky to be doing our dream jobs already. Of course, in my dream job I would organise the work differently and never be distracted from science by administrative tasks… dream on!

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Curiosity, persistence, creativity.

Judith and Tessy Ehiguese created the winning video “Internet Sensation” for which they wrote a song and filmed an accompanying music video, to promote the many positive aspects of the Internet for young people.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald T.D. was on hand with Avril Ronan, Trend Micro to present the overall prize of €3,000 to St. Joseph’s College in Lucan this week.

“The Internet is an amazing resource for young people and at Trend Micro we want to promote the positive side of the Internet, while also encouraging school children to learn about digital safety”, explained Avril Ronan, co-ordinator of the Internet Safety for Schools & Families programme at Trend Micro. Hundreds of entries were received, from both individuals and schools across the country, that answered the question “What does the good side of the Internet look like?”

“The unique thing about this competition is that it is peer led – young people become advocates of their own message in promoting the positive side of the Internet as all entries are posted for public viewing, shared online and rated as well as final judging by a panel of online safety experts and anti-bullying champions.

Now in its second year in Ireland, this year’s “What’s Your Story” competition had a record number of entries from schools and young people all over Ireland. The site recorded over 35,000 public views, ratings and comments about the entries. The competition, run by Trend Micro’s Internet Safety team in Cork, has received huge praise from Webwise, antibullyingcampaign.ie, Discover Science, SmartFutures.ie as well as Suicide Aware, Facebook and other leading anti-cyber-bullying organisations in Ireland and also internationally.”

Judith and Tessy’s entry has also been selected to represent Ireland in the European Award for Positive Content for Kids in Belgium later this month.

The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Sharon Davin is Project Manager at the Strategic Research Cluster in Solar Energy Conversion at UCD. Here she talks about how she chose her career, what her work is like, and her tips on work experience and what to study.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

Right from secondary school I knew I wanted to work in science and I chose subjects that would allow me to do this (with French and music for fun).

Looking back on it now, it would have been good to do a business subject too, but I really hated it in school.

I loved the lab work side of my degree in DCU, so it seemed like the perfect choice to do a PhD there, and I felt that working in the area of the environmental research was a worthwhile cause.

Outside of science, my main hobby is in musical theatre and I have been on the committee of the Glasnevin Musical Society for the last number of years.

Skills that I have honed there in marketing, publicity and dealing with people have been very useful in my current job.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My dad was a manager in our local brewery and had to wear a white lab coat to work. Perhaps this influenced me from an early age!

My older sister is also a scientist, and I think that a love of science was ingrained in both of us from our biology teacher, Mrs Cashin, in the Presentation Secondary School in Kilkenny.

My PhD supervisor, Dr Brid Quilty, really helped me in deciding what to do with my degrees.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Choosing a PhD in biotechnology was very rewarding but one of the main drawbacks was growing cells!

Like us, they need time to grow and to be fed, so it can take a little bit of juggling to balance work/study and life.

It is also a tough choice to delay having some of life’s luxuries as you don’t earn the same wages as colleagues who go into industry after their degree. However, PhD student stipends are fairly good now, so you can still plan that holiday in the sun.

Having a PhD has allowed me to develop my career beyond the lab from lecturing to my current role in research management. Although my current job as a project manager for a SFI Research Cluster on solar energy conversion is busy, there is always a new challenge every day to keep my interest.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

My job encompasses a wide range of tasks within the project, from replying to general queries, setting up meetings and taking minutes, publicity and materials, fostering new industrial and academic links, education and outreach, financial management, new student recruitment, intellectual property rights, conference organisation and reporting.

What’s “cool” about your position?

I love being part of a new project that really has the potential to contribute hugely not only to life in Ireland, but to society as a whole.

Energy is such a fundamental concern in everybody’s life, and being able to utilise solar energy for everyday living, at a more competitive price than is currently available, will be awesome.

What is your education to date?

I loved science right from the start of school and really focused on it for my Leaving Cert by taking on biology, chemistry and applied mathematics.

National Certificate in Applied Science (Chemistry) from Waterford IT

BSc in Biotechnology and PhD in Biotechnology from DCU

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Because biotechnology covers a wide berth of science and engineering, it has really given me the ability to see the bigger picture and potential in projects.

A PhD and research really focuses your talents in organisation, planning and being able to critically review your research. These are very important skills in my current role.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

I really enjoyed my PhD graduation and having all my family and friends with me on the day, which also coincided with my birthday!

It can be easy to forget that it is a big achievement not only for you, but for your family too.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

I bring an inherent sense of calmness and organisation to the table, along with the ability to interact with all colleagues in a friendly manner.

What is your dream job?

Owning a bookshop-café and being in charge of making the desserts. I love to bake. Well I guess pastry is another type of science!

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

A couple of years of post-doctoral research experience provides you with a good background to a research manager post.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

You need to be interested, organised and flexible – core skills for any managerial role.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

A background in research is essential and an understanding of research policy, commercialisation and funding avenues in Ireland is also helpful.

The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Seamus O’Mahony is lecturer in the School of Food and Nutritional Science at University College Cork. Here he talks about food science, how he chose his career, what his job is like, the cool things in his work, and his tips on work experience in the sector.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

Entering fifth year I was sure I wanted to do science in college but still had some work to do in terms of identifying the specific course I wanted to do. I chose to do Chemistry and Biology in fifth year in school as a foundation for a science-based degree.

It is important to have goals (while they sometimes move) at that stage so that you are making informed choices about subjects etc. Work experience in the milk processing industry (Dawn Dairies and Glanbia) during college summer holidays provided me with first-hand exposure to the products, processing equipment, packaging technology, quality and distribution systems covered in lectures.

Work experience greatly helps to link the theory with the practical and makes it much easier and interesting to learn the theory. Foreign travel (I spent a year of my PhD in a food science laboratory at the University of Wisconsin in the US) also helps to broaden your horizons and is a source of new learning opportunities.

Who were the biggest influences on your career direction?

My parents are dairy farmers and the farm-based environment growing up provided me with early, ongoing exposure to the food industry. They also taught me the value of hard work and the sacrifices that have to be made in making a success of what you do – it takes a lifetime to become an overnight success.

My lecturers in college also had a clear passion for the material they were teaching us – that helped to provide me with interest, curiosity and passion for my area of study.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities in your job?

They can be broken down into three main areas:

• Teaching and learning – developing and delivering lectures and laboratory sessions
• Research – establishing and running a research programme
• Administration – funding proposals, reports, meetings, committees etc

They are all really interesting and each area helps to complement the others.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

Interest in life-long learning. I’m sure that I will never know everything and that I will be learning every day. Patience and respect for people are very important in all jobs.

Collaboration and teamwork are also very important in making the most of the resources available. Working in industry for four or five years before taking up lecturing has provided me with a very good understanding of the needs and expectations of industry in terms of research activities and graduate skills and so on.

What is your education to date?

• Leaving Certificate: I took two science subjects, Chemistry and Biology. These provided me with a good foundation for Food Science in college. I did not have Physics for my Leaving Certificate but this was not an issue as it was taught from a relatively basic level in first year and there were good support structures such as small-group tutorials and so on
• Degree in Food Science (specialised in Food Chemistry)
• PhD in Food Science and Technology (cheese ripening and new ingredient development)

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Work experience in the food industry would be really beneficial. If that is not possible then experience of working in other similar industries (e.g. pharmaceutical industry) would also be helpful.

It is important to remember too that the skills associated with self-development (e.g. people management, time management, teamwork etc) can be learned in any industry, so all opportunities for work placement are beneficial.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

You need to have a genuine interest in and respect for people (students, researchers, collaborators etc). You need to be a self-starter and well motivated.

The Friday interview: Science Ambassador Rory Scarrott specialises in geographic information systems and modelling our environment. Here he talks about how he chose his career, what his job is like, the cool things in his work, and his tips on work experience and what to study.

Our Science Ambassadors include newly qualified and well established Irish scientists. They work in science and technology, love their work and want to help others learn about what it’s really like working in their particular areas of research and innovation.

What have been your main ‘career decision’ milestones so far?

Best “career decision” I made was to go to university as opposed to rejecting study altogether. Honestly, I didn’t like school much. I kept my head down and just did the work, but found the school environment really restrictive. I wasn’t a troublemaker or anything, just didn’t particularly like school.

However, I took to university like a duck to water! I stuck with the courses and modules I enjoyed, and got the best out of both the academic and social sides of university life.

Who influenced your career direction?

My father got me interested in natural sciences from an early age. Dad had a strong interest in the natural world and how it worked, and used to encourage myself and my brothers to question it too.

Secondly, my biology teacher in school (Mr Guiney) was a major influence in my choice of subjects in college, and my enjoyment of them. His passion and joy in studying and teaching biology and life sciences showed me how challenging and interesting the subject was, and I just never looked back really.

Lastly, my BSc final-year-project supervisor, Dr Harrison, convinced me over the course of many fieldwork expeditions (wandering through woodlands near Macroom collecting invertebrates) that working in the environmental science sector was where I wanted to be.

How did you go about getting your current job?

Story and a half! Building a career in the Irish environmental sector isn’t as clear cut as building one in accounting or in medicine. There are no consultancies lining up to take up fresh faced graduates, and you do have to work at it early on, and build yourself into your chosen career. Despite this, I can say for me it was worth it.

When looking for jobs, I noticed that positions in Ireland pretty much all demand a minimum of one year’s work experience. I did go for a few interviews in Ireland and the UK, but my lack of experience was a hindrance.

I had taken out a student loan to help cover my MSc costs, so I couldn’t exactly leave the country, the bank had to be paid back. I opted instead to work in a bar, but contacted companies, consultancies and research institutes looking for voluntary work experience. It was really dispiriting, but with hindsight it also meant that I got a feel for the industry and where I wanted to go.

After a few months, my offer of voluntary work was taken up by the Coastal and Marine Research Centre (CMRC) at University College Cork. I had a sound knowledge in GIS and ecology applications, and the institute’s director forwarded my CV on to some of the PhD students, one of whom contacted me with a few GIS queries to see if I could help out.

I came in once a week for a few weeks, talked him through the process, what he should consider, and in general provided technical advice and a sounding board for him to bounce ideas off. I also got the chance to do some of the basic processing work, and see the area he was working in.

Then his supervisor got in contact with me with a short (nine-week) opportunity to use satellite data to study peatbog extraction in Ireland. From there I’ve been moved from contract to contract, branching from studying peatlands to looking at phenology with satellite imagery, and on to more GIS jobs.

What’s cool about your work?

When people outside start using my conclusions and results. With the peatlands work I first started out in, a group who funded the project called Friends of the Irish Environment began using the maps of identified exposed peat, when engaging and explaining their position to governing authorities.

When this kind of action happens because of the work I’ve done, it really makes it worthwhile.

What’s not so cool?

Some people are good at some aspects of work, but woefully bad at others. I simply am not what I call a “computer person”. I see myself as being good at looking at systems, and putting the pieces together, but translating that into “computer-speak” is a challenge that I just have to grit my teeth and overcome.

What subjects did you do at school and how have these influenced your career path?

English, Gaeilge and Maths, then I took a language (French) and two sciences (Physics and Biology) and Geography.

In the end I had to cover Biology, Physics and Chemistry in first year in UCC, but once in second year I could drop Physics and Chemistry and focus again on Biology.

I don’t know if the subjects I chose really influenced my career path, I always did whatever subjects I found interesting (except in the case of Physics, but I figured I’d be more miserable doing Economics, and I didn’t qualify for Art unfortunately as it was not an option for me as a Junior Cert subject).

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Maths is undoubtedly vital for whatever science career you choose. It just pops up everywhere. I’m no maths-whizz, but I learned the fundamentals, and use them every day.

Obviously, doing a science subject you are interested in is vital. Through the Leaving Certificate Biology and Physics courses, I was exposed to a huge variety of different scientific disciplines. I didn’t like all of them, but I did like a few, and pursued these later in university.

Curiously, English stands out as having been really important for my career. It took me years to realise this, but every day I find myself using skills taught to me in English class to communicate my research clearly.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Travelling around the Mekong Delta in Vietnam interviewing farmers about their rice crops, and joining their families for the autumn festivals… completely random, totally rewarding, and absolutely brilliant.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Having worked with digital media is always a plus when it comes to looking at remote sensing data. I’ve also found teaching kids science is a great way to start off learning how to communicate what you know to others (if you’re not communicating well enough, a child will simply stop paying attention, and will make it obvious!).

Seek out as many opportunities as you can to go on fieldwork surveys. And not just out in the mountains, but in urban environments too. Fieldwork is physically tough sometimes, but it’s great craic, and even now I jump at the opportunity to leave my comfy desk and go do fieldwork.

Voluntary work experience was crucial in my case. It proved to me I would like what I studied as a career, showed employers I was willing and able to do the work, and allowed me to build up a network of contacts to work with in the future.

What is your dream job?

Sir David Attenborough’s job: travel the world, go to remote exciting places, and get to see in person the incredible variety of life on this planet.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

• A sense of wonder at the world around you
• A willingness to question, enquire, and learn as you go
• An ability to see things not working as a result – “If it didn’t work, why didn’t it work?”

Chemistry is concerned with the physical and chemical properties, composition and structure of all living and non-living materials, and how we synthesise materials and modify them for their safe and beneficial use.

What do chemists do?

Chemistry is involved in almost everything with which we come in contact. The life processes of all organisms involve chemical changes.

A chemist’s work can be challenging and exciting. Chemists play a key role in the development of drugs, which are helping to cure and alleviate diseases and prolong our life spans.

Most chemists work in laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art instruments. Chemists make new materials and discover ways to use known materials for new purposes.

Chemistry is a fundamental scientific subject and central to a diverse range of human activities. It has made vital contributions to improving human health and life expectancy, advancing methods of food production and in monitoring our environment.

Chemistry is a relatively wide term in the scientific world, as chemists may specialise in different sub-fields. Chemistry degrees are structured around:

• Organic chemistry
• Elements of physical chemistry
• Structural and inorganic chemistry
• Medicinal chemistry

Medicinal chemists are involved in the development of new drug molecules, or in developing the processes needed for large-scale manufacture.

Chemistry is strategically placed within science as a whole, and the interfaces between chemistry and other sciences give the chemist a broad, multidisciplinary outlook on the scientific world. For example:

• Chemists help biologists to understand fundamental interactions between molecules that drive the processes of life

• Chemists make new materials, the properties of which are studied by physicists, engineers and material scientists

• Chemists work with environmentalists to understand problems such as pollution and global warming

• Polymers designed by chemists make their way through applications specialists to become the packaging for foods on the supermarket shelves

Career Opportunities

Chemistry is an exciting modern science which opens opportunities for work as a chemist in a very wide range of industries such as:

• Pharmaceutical drug production
• Clean chemical technologies
• Paints and plastics
• Quality control and validation
• Textiles
• Mineral and metal processing
• Drug discovery and development
• Electronic materials and components
• Biomedical devices

Typical job titles of chemistry graduates include, Research Chemist, Production Manager, Process Engineer, Environmental Manager and Forensic Chemist.

Chemistry lies near the heart of many areas of public concern, such as improvement in health care, conservation of natural in association with resources and protection of the environment.

In the new environmentally conscious age, a challenge facing chemists everywhere is how to prepare new drugs, materials, dyestuffs etc. in ways that are more energy efficient and non-polluting.

Chemists are forever pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge and providing the basic materials for the innovations that revolutionise our world.

The expertise of chemists will impact on genetics, biological catalysis, self-replicating molecules and an understanding of atmospheric and environmental systems. There has never been a more exciting time to become a professional chemist.

Did you know?

Taking on a big killer

Quinine is an anti-malaria drug that is found in gin and tonic. Malaria is reckoned to have killed more people in World War II than either bullets or bombs. Even today, it causes over a million deaths a year.

Slow growers

Today chemists are interested in synthesising naturally occurring compounds which show interesting biological and medicinal properties.

For example taxol is a compound isolated from the bark of slow growing Pacific Yew trees. Taxol has shown promise as an agent against cancer.

We are inviting students across the country to create a project that investigates the life of someone working in STEM. It could be a short project on the life of an astronaut, a food scientist or a games developer! It could be a famous inventor or someone you know that works in STEM. You decide!

So, what do you have to do?

Simply choose the STEM career you want to research and pick the digital tools that you will use to present this information. You could make a webpage, an animation – even a slideshow or PowerPoint presentation. The competition is open to primary and secondary school students in Ireland and is will run until the end of August – so no excuses to be bored over the summer holidays!

Visit our terms and conditions page for all the details. You can also download a poster for your school from this page as well.

“But what’s in it for me?”

We have some great prizes on offer:

• Senior Cycle category (4th-6th year) - Win a Mircosoft Surface Tablet + a work experience opportunity with Microsoft
• Junior Cycle category (1st-3rd year) - Win a Microsoft Surface Tablet + a work experience opportunity with SAP
• Primary school category - A netbook + a science or technology speaker to come to your school

Need some inspiration to help you choose what STEM career to research? Check out our STEM Careers videos to see lots of different people talking about their jobs and what it’s like to work in science, technology and engineering.