Story Collider Presents: Stories from the University of Manchester
This December, The Story Collider returns to Manchester for this FREE show produced in partnership with the University of Manchester and its “Investing in Success” scheme. Join us for another evening of stories about science! Hosted by Erin Barker and Fiona Calvert.
Reserve your FREE spot at this show at the link below. Doors open at 6 pm. Show begins at 6:30.
Stories by:
Aranzazu Carmona Orbezo is a third year PhD student at the University of Manchester. Her research is focused on developing desalination systems based on capacitive deionization technology, which uses supercapacitors as a way to treat seawater for human consumption. On her spare time, if the PhD allows her to have some, she loves to knit while enjoying good rock music.
Sheena Cruickshank is an immunologist in the University of Manchester and also the University Academic Lead for Public Engagement. She is also the Public Engagement secretary and a trustee for the British Society for Immunology (BSI). Her research aims to understand how the immune response distinguishes what is good like the friendly bacteria that live in and on us from what is bad like parasitic infection. She is really interested in developing biomarkers as tools that can help with patient diagnosis and patient care. She also enjoys communicating her research to the public and believes it is a vital part of a scientist’s role in society. She co-developed something called The Worm Wagon to share her research on parasites with the public and she now focuses on two inter-linked projects which have evolved from this in which she is enabling access to science for non-native English speakers and working with communities to understand allergies and the impacts of pollution. She has also discussed infection and her work in the media including radio and TV and has received prizes and commendations for her public engagement work.
Holly Langridge is a Research Technician in the Soil and Ecosystem Ecology Lab at The University of Manchester. Her current BBSRC funded work focuses on the role of plant roots in ecosystem response to climate change. Having previously studied a BSc in Ecology and Conservation, and an MSc in Conservation Biology, her interests extend beyond plant-soil interactions to biogeography, tropical ecology, and species conservation. She has previously worked in small mammal research for Natural England, Forest Research, The Wildwood Trust and the University of Stirling. This passion for conservation has manifested in many hours spent volunteering for organisations such as the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and various local naturalist groups. Science communication and outreach are also important to Holly, who handles her lab’s Twitter account; has attended or run many SciComm events; and writes for The Conservation Hub, a multiplatform blog. Her aims for the future include continuing to learn Spanish, progressing to a P5 grade in Krav Maga, and finding a conservation biology role in South America.
Leslie Molina is an ENT surgeon and currently a second year PhD student at the University of Manchester. She is based in the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine. Prior to this, she did a masters of research in Translational Medicine at the University of Manchester in the same lab as well. Her current project is focused on applying genomic medicine to improve diagnosis and personalise treatment of patients with inherited deafness. Hobbies? Music, always, but she also tries to include a bit of everything. Recently she’s been obsessed with reading technology magazines (e.g. Wired), visual arts and photography.
Sinead Savage works as Research Lab Manager in the Nanomedicine lab at the University of Manchester. She is a neuroscientist by background, and did her post-doctoral work in the same lab, looking at nanomaterials as new ways to treat diseases, in particular focusing on Parkinson’s diseases. Prior to this, she did her PhD at Imperial College London, where she investigated if the noble gas argon could be used to treat brain injury during birth. She loves talking about science to anyone who will listen.