Profile
Moya Macdonald
My CV
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Education:
Bonaly Primary School, Edinburgh. George Watsons College, Edinburgh. University of St. Andrews (undergraduate degree). University of Bristol (PhD).
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Qualifications:
Chemistry (Advanced Higher): I now study the chemistry of the natural environment so I have built on what I learnt at school throughout the years.
Biology (Advanced Higher): Often the chemistry of the natural environment is influenced a lot by organisms like bacteria, fungi and plants – so I also have used what I learnt at school and studied it further at university and in my job.
Geography (Higher): as I study glaciers and climate change impacts on people I use geography in my day job.
English and Maths: really useful for general skills I needed at university and that I use all the time at work, like when writing reports or using equations to understand the chemistry of something.
Physics: I use my school physics sometimes when I have to fix or set-up electrical equipment in the field – like solar panels!
Art (Higher): maybe surprisingly, but I do still use art in my job – i have to make graphics, diagrams and maps, and making these look nice makes them easier to understand!
Geology (BSc) – University of St. Andrews. I originally applied to study Chemistry, but after my first year I switched to Biology and after my second year I switched to Geology! Geology taught me lots about how the earth.
Geographical Sciences (PhD) – University of Bristol.
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Work History:
Counter assistant at an ice cream shop and café (part-time job when I was at school)
Windsurfing instructor (school summer holiday job)
Cleaner (the job I did between school and going to university)
Field assistant (summer holiday job at university)
Teaching assistant for undergraduate university students (part time job during my PhD studies) -
Current Job:
My current job is called a Postdoctoral Research Associate – this means someone who has finished their PhD and who works full time as a researcher at a university.
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About Me:
I’m a researcher at a university where I study how climate change is impacting the environment. I love being outdoors and exploring nature, both in my job and my free time!
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I live in Bristol and share a flat with two friends and lots of plants. I’ve lived here for several years now, but grew up in Scotland and I miss it sometimes, especially being in the hills and walking my family’s dog! Since living in Bristol, I’ve started cycling more which means I can explore the countryside nearby and I like going on long bike rides with friends. I also really like cooking with my flatmates and having film nights.
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Peru is in the tropics, but it still has glaciers because the mountains there are so high the temperature is cold enough for ice to survive all year. Climate change means it is getting warmer in the mountains and the glaciers are melting more and more each year.
An example of what a ‘clean’ glacier-fed lake looks like.
In one part of Peru, the shrinking of the glaciers has caused some rivers to become polluted with metals. This is because a metal-rich rocks have been uncovered by the glaciers. The rocks then react with water which, in this case, produces acidic waters full of metals. This can make the water unsafe for people and animals. Some of the metals also change the colour of the water – making the lake go bright green.
Example of a glacier-fed lake that has turned green because of the metals in the water.
Part of my work is also about finding a way to remove the metals and acid from the water – we’re working with local farmers and scientists in Peru to test whether a man-made wetland can clean up the metals. Wetlands have special plants living in them that like living in the water and some of them can pull metals out of water. This means the water that flows through the wetland comes out much cleaner and safer to drink.
You can find out more with this animated video, the first 1 minute is about the research I do! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpt_ZjKzI8E&feature=emb_logo
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My Typical Day:
I get up before the sun has made it above the hills, so there’s still frost on our tents. After breakfast and once the sun has warmed us all up, I load my science equipment into a big rucksack and hike up the valley with my team mates. We stop at different points along the river and take lots of different samples. Each sample is for a different test we’ll do in the laboratory back home. We use the tests to learn about how clean the water is.
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When we are out taking samples at the rivers, our usual day is like this:
- 6:30 am: we get up, have breakfast and pack up our rucksacks with science equipment, spare clothes and packed lunches for the day.
Before the sun rises, it’s really cold so the tents are covered in frost.
- 8am: we leave camp in our pick up truck and drive to the end of the road.
- 9am: we start hiking to the furthest away site, which is 2 and a half hours away!
Two of my team mates walking up the valley carrying big rucksacks full of science equipment.
- 11:30am: we arrive at the site and then split up the tasks between us: someone will take measurements of the river, things like temperature, the amount of oxygen in the water, how acidic it is and how fast the river is flowing. Another person will collect a large bottle of water and then filter it, ready for the different tests we will do in the lab.
A team mate filtering water using a small filter on the end of a syringe and collecting the water in a tiny glass bottle.
- 3pm: we finish our first site and have some lunch!
- 2pm: we will hike back towards the car, stopping at our second site on the way and repeating the tasks we did at the first site.
- 5pm: we arrive back at the truck and drive back to camp, arriving just before the sun sets.
- 6pm: usually I will check the data we collected that day and confirm the plan for the team tomorrow. My teammates will be sorting the samples and preparing tomorrow’s equipment.
- 30pm: we have dinner all together in one big tent, after dinner, we finish any tasks we need to before heading to bed
- 9pm: we go to bed! It’s quite early, but usually everyone is really tired from the big hike and lots of sampling.
When I’m back in Bristol, my typical day is in the lab where I use machines to find out about the chemistry of the water, for example: how much carbon or how much metals are dissolved in the water.
Picture of some water samples in plastic tubes, ready for analysis in the laboratory.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
We are making a virtual reality film of the glaciers and rivers we study so people can really see and hear what it’s like to be there. With the prize money I would buy 4 tablets with headphones so I could bring them to schools in the UK and Peru so that students could really get immersed in the film!
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
A scientist! I wanted to protect the environment.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Sometimes, for being too chatty in class...
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Labrinth
What's your favourite food?
Pasta
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To live in the country with enough space to keep chickens, ducks and goats and space for a giant veggie patch!
Tell us a joke.
What’s black and white, black and white, black and white? ….A penguin rolling down a hill.
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