Outgoing project manager Dr Emma Robertson took the Science Skills Academy (SSA) from lots of ideas on a piece of paper to the wide-reaching organisation it is today. Since 2017, the SSA has opened five Newton Rooms and given almost 16,500 young people from the Highlands the chance to get hands-on with STEM.
We asked Emma for her top careers advice for young people who wonder if the subjects of science, technology, engineering or maths might lead to their dream job.
Be curious
Emma believes in taking a broad look at the subjects you’re interested in and staying open-minded to associated topics that might just be where your true passion lies.
“If you think of healthcare, you might think of doctors, nurses and dentists,” explains Emma. “But in our health science module at SSA, we try to show all the other work that’s done behind the scenes. For example, if you go to a hospital and have a biopsy or a blood sample taken, it’s done by a doctor or nurse. But that sample may go off to a microbiology or biochemistry lab.”
She also recommends looking at the diversity of jobs required by the sector you’re interested in, as they might be more varied than you imagine.
“One of the health science companies we have links with at SSA has developed an endoscopy capsule that patients swallow. One of their employees comes from a computer science background, and he performs data analysis. So you might hear about life or health science, but you could study computing to get into that sector.”
You don’t have to follow the typical path
Emma stresses that following a STEM career path doesn’t automatically mean attending university or aiming for a PhD. She gives the example of various employees from Highland-based STEM companies that the SSA met and interviewed.
“Some of the employees we spoke to told us they didn’t like school and didn’t do particularly well in their Nationals or Highers,” Emma explains. “But they found another route in and now have an amazing job that they absolutely love. They talked about the great experience they had doing apprenticeships.”
Even within the Science Skills Academy, there are examples of people taking different routes into the same role, something which Emma believes is a real strength. She talks about how the SSA don’t specifically ask for their STEM engagement officers to have teaching experience.
“Our delivery team is so inspiring, and we get such great feedback from young people and teachers. We ask for people with a STEM background, so over the years we’ve had such a strong mix of people: somebody who’s worked in vaccine development, others from pathology and ecology backgrounds - and I think that’s important.”
Advice for parents
Emma is passionate about supporting any interest that a young person has in STEM subjects, and she thinks that parents can play an important role just by talking and listening to their child.
“I would say just give them any opportunity you can, whether it’s taking them to an after-school STEM club or getting them a nature magazine. If they show an interest, try and encourage them.”
She also talks about helping them broaden their horizons.
“Your child might be interested in a specific subject like maths or science. Try to relate that to the everyday world - because you will be able to. Everything around us relates to STEM somehow. Talk about how the young person can make a difference.”
Emma is keen to point out that the smallest of exposures to STEM can be a pivotal moment for a young person.
“I think one of the reasons that I’ve been so passionate about what I do over the years is when you see that one pupil who might have spent an hour, a day or a week with you, and by the end of it they’re like, ‘Now I understand it. This is amazing. This is what I want: I want to be a scientist or an engineer.’”
Tapping into STEM’s possibilities
Before joining SSA, Emma’s work included delivering after-school clubs in the Bronx and STEM outreach programmes in London, running her own STEM business in Inverness and carrying out research in international laboratories.
“Take any opportunity you can get because you never know where it’s going to lead,” she says. “Give it a go. Put everything into it. If it’s your passion, it will pay off.”
Emma is clearly somebody who follows her own advice.
Emma’s own career story
Emma Robertson was brought up in Inverness. She knew from a young age that she wanted to work outdoors, in sync with nature - perhaps as a tree surgeon or a country park ranger. Aged 11, she got the opportunity to go on a week-long field trip to an outdoor education centre where she learnt all about environmental science, and from that moment, Emma knew that she wanted to be a scientist.
Emma started an Environmental Science degree at Napier University in Edinburgh but switched her focus during her studies to Biomedical Sciences. This took her on a path to a PhD in Molecular Biology and subsequent research roles in New York, Minneapolis and London. Emma discovered a passion for carrying out medical research that was relatable to the world around her, and she worked on treatments for diseases such as farmer’s lung and fungal meningitis. Pioneering work on fish pathogens followed, and this work continues to have a positive impact on the aquaculture industry. After several years, Emma realised that the interest she’d been cultivating on the educational side of science was something that she wanted to pursue, and she left the world of research to focus on STEM outreach.
Now, after nearly a decade spent in that arena - including five years with the Science Skills Academy - Emma is returning to nature and the outdoors. Her new role as senior programme manager for the RSPB’s peatland restoration programme for Scotland would almost certainly please her 11-year-old self.
What’s next for SSA
Over the next academic year, the SSA will be teaching primary school pupils about robotics and mathematics, salmon and aquaculture and health science, and secondary school students about renewable energy, sustainable biofuels and space.
Emma admits to being sad to be leaving the Science Skills Academy, but she is excited to see how it continues to build on the momentum her and the rest of the team have created. “I’m proud of what we’ve done,” she says. “There’s so much happening: it’s going to be a busy year with lots of opportunities. I know it’s going to be great.”