Charlotte here – happy 2025! It’s not even a full two months into this year, and it already feels like it has been packed with lots of fun and wonderful things. That said, it has also been full of hard work – as we speak, I have just submitted my most recent assignment; a data handling project where we were using data sets to select Lemur leaf frogs to design our own captive breeding programme. 

Observing Elephants, Red Pandas & Penguins

It has also been a fantastic week for field trips. This term I am studying 3 modules on my Wildlife Conservation and Zoo Biology degree: Biology and wildlife documentation, conservation in zoos and wildlife behavioural ecology. One combined trip for our behaviour module was to Blackpool zoo, observing animals of our choice using different methods such as one zero and continuous. For our project, me and my team were observing elephants, red pandas and penguins. I may be slightly biased with the elephants however – they’re my favourite, and I currently volunteer at Blackpool zoo as an elephant behaviour researcher. Each week, I go along for a few hours to monitor their behaviours and log these on the system. The elephants have become like my family, and I love them all. Their names are Mimbu, Noorjahan, Esha, Tara, Kate and Emmett. 

BTS at Manchester museum

We were also extremely lucky to get to go behind the scenes at Manchester museum for our documentation module, with a focus on the amphibians and reptiles in the vivarium and the entomological collections in the archives. With my passion for invertebrates, I definitely had the best time looking at the very rare Queen Alexandra Birdwing specimens, and also enjoyed getting to experiment with different lenses to get the frogs in just the right light!

Winning the Student of the Year Award

The most exciting news of all came very late last year when I headed down to London for the NEON awards at the houses of Parliament. Because of my work on my studies and on helping lead the science club at university, the kind team at Salford university nominated me for the student of the year award 2024! I really didn’t think I was going to win, it came as a total surprise and was such an honour. Immediately every word of the small speech I had practiced left my mind, but I did remember to say my favourite quote: ‘never underestimate the power of one person to change the world’ – Margaret Mead. It was also extra special to receive the award at the houses of parliament and to get to explore as it is a building I have never been to before, despite being to London lots. Because it was just before Christmas, as we left the Westminster cathedral choir were singing carols just outside and it started to snow – just like in a Christmas film!

“Never Underestimate the power of one person to change the world!”

Creativity in education

Outside of the sciences, and also alongside them, I am very passionate about education and the humanities. I think being able to express yourself through art, and having teachers who really care about what they teach, is incredibly important. Because of this, much of my background is in music, English literature and teaching. All three of these have come together recently as myself and two friends who are equally passionate about all of these things have been working on some research around the impacts of COVID-19 to teaching and access to arts education. Our research has gained some interest and we have just received some funding to lead a round table at a conference in Hartford in April, 2025, so outside of my studies much of my time is currently being dedicated to researching how best to improve and support working-class schools to provide the very best reading and writing teaching possible. 

A Summer Exchange in Florida

On a final note, one last piece of very exciting news… this summer in 2025 I am headed to Disney World, Florida, to take part in the Disney cultural exchange programme! I am going to be working in attractions which means I will be getting to know all about the rides, how they work and helping guests to have the most magical time. I am hoping to use lots of my free time there also to get to know the animals of Animal Kingdom, as well as the more mechanical and engineering side of things. But regardless, I am so looking forward to this adventure and cannot wait to share more!

I’m off to a bit of a busy day now (but all lovely things) with a meeting with our new society (I am the wellbeing officer for our women in STEM society), to help out with my local Girlguiding unit and to spend some time with my lovely horse Spirit (who you can see peeping in the photo below – he loves a selfie!).

A letter from Sir David Attenborough

And as a last last wonderful thing, when I got back from the aquarium one day I had this letter waiting for me in our postbox. I couldn’t believe it – a reply from one of my heroes, Sir David Attenborough!