• Question: What made you want to become a scientist?

    Asked by Gibby to Freddie, Zarah, Kon, Kirsten, Jena on 14 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by kate Baleson, iidontneedyouu.
    • Photo: Jennifer Bates

      Jennifer Bates answered on 14 Nov 2016:

      I was on excavation in Turkey about 8 years ago and was asked to run something called a flotation tank. It’s a machine that sorts seeds from soil, and I wanted to know more about what I was finding in the machine. I could see all the little seeds coming out of the machine, but had no idea what they were. I spoke to the scientist on the excavation and she suggested that I do an archaeological science course. I realised it would help me answer the BIG question that I have always been interested in – how did people live in the past? Food is a really good way to explore that because everyone has to eat! If you can explore what people are eating then you can understand how they are interacting with the environment, with each other, and how that might change over time!

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