Profile
Becky Rendell
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About Me:
I am married and have a young toddler who keeps me on my toes! I enjoy walking, board games and Indian takeaways!
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I also enjoy baking cakes and reading different books.
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I research the impact of sunlight on people’s health.
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Sunlight is great – it makes you feel in a good mood, it lets you see and helps you sleep! You get vitamin D from sunlight too. This is important for healthy bones. Too much sunlight can cause harms to health though, like sunburn, skin cancer, or cataracts, where your eyes go cloudy! So you need to get the right balance. This will be different for different people, in different places and at different times of the year!
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My Typical Day:
My work days can be very different. Sometimes I am reading about work other scientists have done on how sunlight impacts our health. Sometimes I am doing my own experiments in a lab, for example, on sunscreen. Sometimes I am looking at the results of an experiment I have done or some measurements of sunlight I have taken.
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Sometimes I have to travel to sort out some equipment and make sure it is measuring correctly. We have equipment that measures sunlight all across the country, from Cornwall in the south up to Shetland in the north. I have had to climb onto the top of buildings whilst wearing a harness and a hard hat to get to some of this equipment!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would probably discuss with our outreach team to see what would be most useful! It could be to help us buy more kit to engage with the public and school students when we run outreach events.
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Work History:
I started off as a supermarket worker. This was a great introduction to the world of work. I went to university and then did a placement year in industry. I would really recommend that as a great way of getting specific experience related to your subject! After university I got a job at the Health Protection Agency, and it is now part of the UK Health Security Agency.
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Current Job:
Radiation Protection Scientist
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Employer:
UK Health Security Agency
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
baking cakes, science and sunlight
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had no idea!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Arts and crafts or teaching!
What's your favourite food?
Thai green curry
Tell us a joke.
How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh? Ten tickles.
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