Profile

Karen Bacon
Curriculum Vitae
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Education:
Santa Sabina in Dublin and University College Dublin
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Qualifications:
BSc (Botany; Geology) and PhD (Plant Palaeoecology)
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Work History:
University College Dublin, King's College London, University of Leeds
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Current Job:
Lecturer in Plant Ecology, National University of Ireland, Galway
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Favourite thing to do in science: I love working with students and seeing them become excited by science. I also love solving a problem.
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About Me: I am a plant scientist and interested in plant ecology and palaeoecology (fossil plants). I enjoy reading and movies and love being outside.
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My Work: I am a plant scientist and I study a wide range of things relating to plants and plant ecology. I am interested in how plants respond to climate change both today and in the past. I work with modern plants and with fossils.
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My Typical Day: This varies depending on the time of year. Right now, we are running exams (online for the first time - so that is challenging) so my day focuses on preparing exams, making sure the exam runs smoothly and answering my students' questions, and then grading the exams. There is lots of things to do in the background too. During teaching term, a typical day will involve preparing lectures, lab classes and feld trips, talking to students, supervising students doing projects with me and answering lots of emails. I will also be writing papers and analysing data. In the summer, I would usually be preparing to run experiments or set up field studies.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Curious, focused, reliable
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I don't have one
What's your favourite food?
Chips
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Hiking Kilimanjaro
What did you want to be after you left school?
A scientist - but I thought I would be a physicist not a biologist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Very rarely but I was sometimes a bit cheecky
What was your favourite subject at school?
A three-way tie between Biology, History and English
What's the best thing you've done as a scientist?
Working on fossil plants and invasive species are both very interesting
What or who inspired you to become a scientist?
I was really just interested in the world around me and that led me to pick science subjects in school and then university
If you weren't a scientist, what would you be?
I don't know. Maybe a journalist.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Happy, healthy and some chocolate
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Work photos:
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My profile link:
https://green.imascientist.ie/profile/karenbacon/
My Comments
Do you think you are making a impact on our climate with things you do in your everyday lives, if so why and what is it (1 comments)
Did you ever do a experiment and it didnt work and then how did you make it better or work more (1 comments)
When you were a kid, what was your favourite subject in school? (1 comments)
Is there any ebooks you'd recommend about science???. (1 comments)
I have a microscope that I can use at home would you use this sort of thing? (1 comments)