I use the skills I gained every day

Unlike the majority of my course mates, my undergraduate degree was teaching and learning based as opposed to a purely science route.

I graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a BSc in Science with Education (QTS) followed by my NQT year at a school of 600 pupils in Derby, teaching science to students ranging from 11-16.

My teaching experience brought great satisfaction whilst working with students who have a natural ability for science but I have found great reward within the challenge of “engaging the disengaged".

I’ve always had a passion for science, and I am grateful that I’ve been able to access it with ease. However, not everyone finds science “easy” though.

Science is constantly evolving, meaning there is always something new to learn and challenge ourselves with, but many may stray away from this due to previous poor experiences at school or thinking the content is out of their reach.

This is the reason I applied to the MSc in Science Communication here at the University of Sheffield, to make science accessible for all by being involved in research and education of these boundaries.

I believe education doesn’t only happen in the classroom, which unfortunately in my opinion is becoming more target based as opposed to focusing on curiosity.

Starting my role as the Widening Participation Officer here for the Faculty of Science at Sheffield was a complete natural fit to the course, as many of the skills I am using I have already encountered and developed as part of the course program.

Helen Teasdale

Science Communication MSc

A major interest for during my undergraduate studies was the gender gap in STEM subjects, and this is how I became a keen advocate for women in STEM.

The dissertation project on the MSc was incredibly flexible, and I was thrilled to be able to spend it researching the media representation of women astronauts with the skills I learnt from the journalism modules as part of the course program.

Enrolling on the MSc course also facilitated many other amazing opportunities here at Sheffield. During the UK-wide Pint of Science festivals in 2018, I was Social Media Manager for Sheffield, promoting events via social media and working alongside the Publicity Manger and the national social media team which was incredibly fun and rewarding.

Starting my role as the Widening Participation Officer here for the Faculty of Science at Sheffield was a complete natural fit to the course, as many of the skills I am using I have already encountered and developed as part of the course program.

At any given time I am managing projects, planning events, discussing the latest research as well as developing activities for a range of ages. In addition, this role has also allowed me to remain living in Sheffield, a city I have completely fallen in love with.