Case Study: Rory Harris

Rory is a Science Communication placement student with UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

Placement year

Rory studies Physics at the University of Manchester. As part of his degree, he has taken a one year placement with STFC as a science communicator.  He loves science and after finishing his GCSE’s he chose to study Maths, Further Maths and Physics at college.

Communicating science with the public

Rory collaborates with scientists to tell the public about the work they are doing. He has great communication skills and can explain why science is important and what it all means in an easy way.

“My job is to tell everyone all about the great work being done by particle physicists!”

Science communication is very important, a scientist’s work is a lot more useful if everyone knows about it and can understand it too! As part of his job, Rory is also hard-working as he ensures he meets deadlines for news articles and social media updates during his placement.

Volunteering

Whilst studying at university, Rory volunteered at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, giving public tours and answering questions about exhibits.

He really enjoyed doing this and found it was great helping engage people with science. Now, on his placement Rory has helped to create some exhibits for their visitor centre as well!