iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

This is apples and oranges. Once they worked, they worked better and better. It took a long time to make them work / useful. You think fusion energy should be like a prototype solar panel from day dot. Im saying fusion is only now reaching its prototype readiness stage of your deployment model.

Plot of pace of deployment of various energy sources, starting from the day they reach 100 Terawatt-hours per year capability. Hydro and fossil fuels take 40 years to reach 1000 TWHr per year. Nuclear and renewables took 10 years.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Most recent results not included. Logarithmic scientific progress on a difficult question over time included.

Two plots of fusion progress measured against time from around 1980 to 2000. Latest results not shown. One shows progress against the triple product figure of merit for fusion performance, the other shows power output in Watts. Both show clearly positive logarithmic progress.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Joining new technician networks meant a new set of conferences, equity themes and foci for improving the work we do. Can still use social media to share the insights of papers and conferences in lovely long threads though! #makeithappen

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

In the technician role I went straight to a public meeting to promote the UK's fusion energy project locally, very agenda driven communication. Then a real challenge to layering the messages - school careers in STEM with every year group in turn!

Going into schools on a sunny day armed with badges and stickers!

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Lots of great charities working in this space. Smashing stereotypes to make sure everyone can see themselves in science, technology or engineering careers. We get together for #LGBTSTEMinar and do #LGBTSTEMday at our home bases.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Speaking of out scicomm, going to Pride is a fantastic, targeted way to communicate. Have to change the explainers a wee bit so they suit the mood though! Love doing the ED&I work, the insights on the department committee and workshops at events like CUWiP teaching communication.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

As well as talking down and up there's been a lot of genuinely 'out' communication. The late night science museum events are great. You cant talk down to people - have to frame your topic in a way that invites them to contribute their thoughts too!

Winter jumpers and happy team at a museum after hours event for adults. In the background one of the group is struggling with the cover sheet for our inflatable dome!

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

And then there's writing 'up' for your own industry. Keeping engaging content while persuading people who already broadly know the answers why your version of it is the one they should give attention!

Fusion In Close Up magazine two page story on the podcast including a picture of a drinking glass submerged in seawater.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

At the other end there's also been lots of SciComm to 'talk up' including engaging with big meetings of senior people who really force you to fine tune your work to one or two key reasons to care.

The cover slide from the event 'Fusion Energy using tokamaks: can development be accelerated?'

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

As I say, so many science fairs and school events to put flesh on the bones of curriculum concepts and talk seriously about science, engineering and technical careers as viable options. Challenging to discuss fusion things simply as well as accurately.

Your dashing author stands in front of our plentarium style inflatable dome. It is covered with a sheet that looks like the sun's red-glowing surface and he is carrying two strong magnets.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

One of my absolute favourites was spending time with Technology in Play at the NRM communicating scientific ideas to a very young audience and pushing hard the STEAM concept of creativity in scientific thinking!

Two battery packs for kids are connected in series with conducting play-doh. A circuit of small metal connectors is joined in the same way.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Continuing the education theme Ive spent time with the Isaac Physics programme helping young women and disadvantaged young people do well in exams. Have written questions based on online simulators for it and been an 'expert' replier to online questions from students.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

Scicomm went international when I & colleagues entered the Spark! essay contest. Exploring nuclear power's niche in a democratised and decarbonised grid of the future, we finalists were invited to Paris to meet political & industry leaders.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

The Fusion Masterclass workshop I built to introduce postgrad subject matter at high school level (incl. maths problems) made it big. Written for the Headstart programme, it was published and then part of York's Binding Blocks programme. Phys. Educ. 54 044001, doi.org/10.1088/1361...

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

The biggest was a fusion energy podcast called A Glass of Seawater. We did chatty episodes on technical topics with big guests. Curated a twitter handle sharing news and explainers of nuclear fusion science and tech. It won an Institute of Physics science communication prize.

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Andrew @itinerantscot.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

A physicist who loves communicating. Thread of some of my favourite scicomm projects on top of academic posters and talks, ED&I, science fairs, lab tours, workshops, teaching and blowing minds at parties… 1/ ‘Through a Plasma, Darkly’

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