Meet our speakers: Ginny Smith
How do you turn complex science into something people can remember? Neuroscience expert and science communicator, Ginny Smith (Queens' 2008), reveals why storytelling is one of our most powerful learning tools.
Ginny's Festival session, 'Mastering Memory Show', will explore how memories stored in the brain can play tricks on you through a series of memory games and quizzes.
Before you start reading about Ginny, here's a quick memory quiz: Take a look at the list of words below and spend a few seconds trying to memorise them (you'll be tested later!):
Spiky, minute, puzzled, wiggly, flow, brown, bubble, blade, new, burn.
When did you first fall in love with science and storytelling?
My love for science started early. My mum was a scientist so we often did kitchen table experiments, and I have wonderful memories of science challenges at school where we would compete to see who could build a wooden car that would travel the furthest, or make a parachute to allow an egg to be dropped off the top of the school without breaking. I think these informal experiences of science, of doing it, not just learning about it from books, made such a difference in sparking my curiosity.
I was also a huge bookworm and my parents joke that they had to take a separate suitcase when we went on holiday, just for my books. I also loved performing, I was on stage a lot growing up: acting, dancing or doing public speaking and debating. But it wasn’t until after university that I realised I could combine these loves into a career in science communication.
What makes story telling such an effective route into science?
Storytelling is a huge part of being human, and it's the type of information our brain has evolved to understand. This means that we process it more easily than lists of facts. Studies have found that people read narratives more quickly, understand the key points better, and recall them weeks later. Stories hold our attention, trigger emotions and are more likely to make people change their behaviour. They can be a really powerful way to communicate scientific messages.
What is it about neuroscience that you find most compelling?
The brain is just so fascinating! We all have one, and yet there are so many mysteries still surrounding it. The brain is incredibly complex and difficult to study, yet we're learning new things about it, and ourselves, all the time!
Ginny presenting for 'Braintastic! Science'
What’s a common misconception people have about how the brain works that you find yourself regularly unpicking?
The idea of people being ‘left brained’ or ‘right brained’ still comes up a lot, even though it's complete rubbish! It is true that some abilities are lateralised, with more of the brain regions controlling them located on one side of the brain than the other, but the two halves of the brain are always working together (unless you have had a very rare surgery to disconnect them, which does lead to some fascinating results!)
As we look at the brain in increasingly more detail, and in higher resolution, we're realising that it relies on networks of areas to control complex behaviours, not just one single area. So, the idea that being mathematically minded means you're ‘left brain dominant’ has no founding in science at all!
What can kids' questions teach us about science?
Kids are innately curious, and one of my aims with 'Braintastic! Science' is to encourage that curiosity, which is so often squashed by embarrassment as kids become teenagers. We always encourage questions at the end of the shows, and the more challenging the better! My favourite question was: ‘could doctors ever do a brain transplant?’ Obviously, there are a lot of practical issues here, like connecting up the body’s nervous system to the new brain, but I think the bigger issue is who the person would be when they woke up. Would you really have done a brain transplant, or would it be better called a body transplant?...
"The more you do something, like using your memory, the stronger it gets. You can improve your memory later in life, you just have to keep using it!"
What can audiences expect from your Festival session, and is there one idea you’d like everyone to leave with?
In 'Mastering Memory' we'll explore what’s actually going on in your brain when you learn new things, and how we can use this information to learn better and remember things more easily. When I do this session for adults, one of the biggest concerns that comes up is aging. While it is true that our memories can get a little worse with age, I aim to leave people feeling hopeful. Our brains are flexible and keep changing right through our lives, it just takes a bit longer for these changes to happen as we age. But the more you do something, like using your memory, the stronger it gets. So, you can improve your memory later in life, you just have to keep using it! And actually, one of the best things you can do for your overall brain health as you age is learn and experience new things, like going to the wonderful sessions at the Alumni Festival!
Now, remember that list of words at the top of the page? Grab a piece of paper and see how many of those words you can remember...
When you're done, scroll back to the top to check your answers. Did you find that you remembered the first and last words on the list? Ginny says: 'This is really common when learning lists of words, and is known as the 'primacy' and 'recency' effects. So, if you're ever trying to learn a list of vocabulary, or even a just shopping list, it can help to mix up the order when studying it.'