Profile

Photo:

Lauren McNaughton

My CV

  • Education:

    Ryton Comprehensive (renamed Thorp Academy)
    Newcastle University 

  • Qualifications:

    GCSE’s (Triple Science, Maths, Geography, English, Spanish, Art)
    A Levels (Biology, Psychology, English Language, Photography)
    Degree (BSc Biology)

  • Work History:

    Cafe Assistant

  • Current Job:

    Science Explainer

  • Location

    Space Zone

  • Size

    1.5m across

  • First displayed

    October 2019

  • About my Science Centre

    Life Science Centre 

    Life Science Centre is here to inspire everyone in North East England to explore and enjoy science and to discover its relevance to their own lives. 

  • About Me:

    Hi, I’m Lauren! I’m a Science Explainer at Life Science Centre. I enjoy reading, baking and long walks in the countryside.

  • Read more

    Hi, I’m Lauren! I’m a Science Explainer at Life Science Centre. Before I worked at the Science Centre, I did a Biology degree at Newcastle University. My favourite topics were ecology and biodiversity (anything involving plants and animals really). You can usually find me walking in the countryside, trying out new baking recipes or with my nose stuck in a book. 

  • About the exhibit:

    Lauren’s favourite exhibit is the Sphere used for climate change talks.

  • Read more

    My favourite exhibit is the climate change talk where videos are projected onto a giant globe (it’s like a cinema on a big sphere). The sphere can spin around so the beauty of our planet can be seen from every angle! This unique view is great for looking at the impacts of climate change on Earth, like rising sea levels as we can see which bits of land might be flooded in the future. This starts some great conversations about what people can do to help and inspires them to act now which is really important so we can save our planet and the life that lives on it!  

    Here’s a link to me introducing the sphere and a bit about climate change –

    https://youtu.be/9HcUuig55XM

  • My Typical Day:

    A typical day at the Science Centre starts by welcoming school groups and the public. Throughout the day I present sphere talks and planetarium shows (both like mini cinemas) and help people do their own science experiments.

  • Read more

    One day can be very different from the next as there’s lots of things a Science Explainer does. On a usual day in the Science Centre I present talks using our huge sphere (like a cinema on a globe), help the public run their own science experiments and interact with school groups. Showing kids the drinking fountain toilet is always a favourite!

  • About the exhibit:

    Lauren’s favourite exhibit is the Sphere used for climate change talks.

  • What is this exhibit?:

    Meet Lauren and the Climate Sphere in this video

    The Sphere is a giant globe that shows videos on it’s surface and can spin around to show the beauty of Earth from every angle!

    Satellite data from space and scientific measurements on Earth are used to create the maps and videos that show how temperature, sea levels and ice cover have changed over time. This is a view of our planet that no-one else has in the North East!

     

  • Why is this exhibit important?:

    The Sphere is an important exhibit because it shows us the impacts of climate change on our planet Earth. We can see which countries will be the hottest and which cities will be become flooded.

    Climate change is having harmful effects on plants, animals and people all over the world so it’s important we act quickly to stop this getting worse! The Sphere can inspire conversations about what we can do to help like recycling more or eating less meat.

     

  • Who’s representing this exhibit in I’m a Scientist?:

    Hi, I’m Lauren! I’m a Science Explainer at Life Science Centre. I did a Biology degree at Newcastle university. My favourite bits of my degree were ecology and conservation (anything involving plants and animals really). That’s why my favourite exhibit is the the Sphere’s climate change talk. It’s crucial we protect wildlife because plants and animals play a key role in keeping Earth functioning and avoiding the impacts of climate change. I think it’s really important we do everything we can to keep our planets beautiful nature.

    You can usually find me walking in the countryside, trying out new baking recipes or with my nose stuck in a book. 

  • More information about this exhibit:

    Learn more about climate change by trying out these activities in class or at home

    https://www.life.org.uk/im-a-scientist/sphere

     

     

     

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      Curious, Friendly and Patient

      What did you want to be after you left school?

      I didn't know but knew I wanted to do something with science

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Not that I can remember

      What’s an interesting fact about this exhibit?

      Over half the ways we measure climate change are from Space! Satellites are used to collect the data that's turned into maps for our Sphere.

      Who looks after it?

      Myself and the other Science Explainers run the Sphere climate change talks, which were created by our public engagement team

      Why should you vote for this exhibit?

      It's really important we all work together to combat climate change and save our planet, so why not show your support by voting for this exhibit!

Questions answered by Lauren

View all Lauren's answered questions