Women of wonder, Rosie Curran Crawley
Recorded at Ada Lovelace Day Live at the Royal Institution on 10 October 2023
Jane Marcet’s Conversations on Chemistry was first published anonymously in 1805 and is thought to be one of the first science textbooks. After watching Humphry Davy’s lectures at the Royal Institution, Marcet believed it to be important to discuss these scientific principles in a familiar format, making them more accessible to women. The book consists of conversations between a teacher, Mrs Bryant, and her two students Caroline and Emily.
These conversations reminded Rosie of the first time she felt excited by science with her chemistry teacher Ms Tratt. In her talk, Rosie invites us to take a step back to basics and remember what first sparked our own interest in science. She will demonstrate some experiments that Jane Marcet, her science teachers, friends, and Ri colleagues have taught her that led to her own fascination with science - sometimes all it takes is a conversation.
About Rosie Curran Crawley
Rosie presents a wide range of exciting science workshops to young people aged 7-18 in the L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre. Having struggled to find the fun in science when she was at school, she now loves working as a science communicator bringing science to life for young people just like her!
Rosie first worked at the Royal Institution in 2018 as a laboratory assistant before going to university. Having gained a first-class BSc in biochemistry at the University of Bristol, she has worked as a freelance presenter for Wonderstruck and Great Scott! Productions at events across the UK and was excited to return to the Ri at the beginning of 2023.
About Ada Lovelace Day
Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths which aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and create new role models for both girls and women studying or working in STEM.
Ada Lovelace Day Live 2023 was held at the Royal Institution on Tuesday 10 October. It was hosted by comedian Helen Arney, and featured Prof Jennifer Rohn, head of the Centre for Urological Biology UCL; Dr Azza Eltraify, senior software engineer at Ultracell Networks Ltd; Dr Sophie Carr, mathematician, Bays Consulting Ltd; Dr Aarathi Prasad, writer, broadcaster, and geneticist; Dr Anjana Khatwa, Earth scientist and presenter; Dr Antonia Pontiki, biomedical engineer at King’s College London; and Rosie Curran Crawley, presenter at L’Oreal Young Scientist Centre.
About the Royal Institution
The Royal Institution brings the public and scientists together to share their interest and passion for science, empowering people to explore and get involved.
An independent registered charity, the Ri provides science education, public engagement, and heritage activities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK and around the world. These activities include the world-famous Christmas Lectures; public talks from the world's greatest thinkers in its historic lecture theatre and livestreamed online; a successful YouTube channel with over 1.3 million subscribers, a national programme of Ri Masterclasses for young people in mathematics, engineering and computer science; hands-on science workshops in its L'Oréal Young Scientist Centre; award winning animations and films; and the preservation of its scientific legacy through the Faraday Museum and archival collections.
The Ri is a home for science and everyone is welcome. Follow the Ri on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.