When she took on the role as lead science presenter alongside the boundlessly energetic duo Dick and Dom on their Absolute Genius TV show, Fran Scott knew she had found the perfect job. The 31-year-old, Halifax-raised expert speaks to Young Energy about how she got where she is today, and how she brings entertainment to science
Did you want to be a scientist when you were young?
To be honest, I wanted to be all manner of things; from an architect to physicist to vet. I knew that I liked making things, and thinking creatively about the world, but I didn’t have my heart set on one particular job, I just wanted to do what I enjoyed, and what I was good at.
What drew you to the discipline?
To me, science is all about creativity and being practical. It’s about looking at phenomena, thinking about why they are that certain way, and then coming up with a practical means to test that theory.
How did you go about becoming a scientist?
When I was at school, I always worked hard, as the images of people in developing countries queuing for schools really hit home with me and that drove me to take of advantage of the free education we are given in this country.That means I did OK at most subjects, but I chose science because I loved the options it gave for investigation. So after sitting five A levels (in biology, chemistry, maths, physics and general studies) I headed to the University of Nottingham where I read Neuroscience for four years.
Does science offer a good career?
I’m more of a “science translator” than a straight scientist – this means I take scientific ideas and then use high-impact demonstrations or analogies to explain these in an entertaining manner.I do this more for the love of it than for the money. I do it because I know, had there been something like the “products” I make when I was at school, then more of my friends would have had the confidence to do science too.That’s important, because there are many, many great careers a knowledge of science and engineering can lead to, but at the moment because science is being portrayed as something only the super-intelligent can do, these careers are (primarily) only being done by those with enough confidence to pursue these subjects. So my goal is to reveal the foundations of science for how simple they really are, and give those who may not think science is “for them” the confidence to follow their curiosity, and therefore potentially jump on these opportunities too.
What’s it like being a science presenter on TV?
Being a science presenter on TV is a fantastic opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of children with my ideas, and demonstrations, and get science into their “front room”.I don’t take this responsible lightly, as with great reach comes the responsibility of accuracy. And that is my main goal – I use my decade of informal science education experience to show children exciting and funny demonstrations, but also at the same time ensure the science we are saying is 100% accurate.However, I don’t think science presenting will ever be a full-time job. To me, it’s just part of the process, there are so many other aspects to think about (learning outcomes, possible analogies, narrative) before the cameras are even rolling. And it’s that whole package, from conception of idea through demonstration design to actual filming, that I enjoy.
And working with Dick and Dom?
Dick and Dom are amazing at their jobs, and are more curious that you could ever think. They have a great talent for being able to add fun and humour into any situation, and they instantly relax the contributors (Genius Helpers) we have on the Absolute Genius shows.They have an instinctual knowledge of what will work well for their audience. That said, they are just very nice people, too.
How do you make science fun?
To me, science is innately fun. So I just reveal it for the curious subject it actually is. I don’t use jargon, I don’t patronise, I just explain the concept using novel and fun demonstrations – oh, and usually some fire too!
What is one of your favourite experiments you’ve run on the show?
I really like the demonstrations where we simply explain what could be thought of a complicated concept.So, with that in mind, one of my favourites is when we made pizzas as a description of how the binary system is used as the basis of every action a computer makes.That said, it’s also great to have the opportunity to use fantastic facilities to aid my explanations, such as when we used the wind tunnel at Mira (Motor Industry Research Association) to explain how aeroplanes can take off. And then there was the paint-balling to show camouflage, that was fun. Oh, and the heat ray… and the tractor… and the sweet shop. It’s too difficult to pick just one!
When she took on the role as lead science presenter alongside the boundlessly energetic duo Dick and Dom on their Absolute Genius TV show, Fran Scott knew she had found the perfect job. The 31-year-old, Halifax-raised expert speaks to Young Energy about how she got where she is today, and how she brings entertainment to science
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