Volunteers’ Week: Chris Fox
We’re kicking off National Volunteers’ Week 2021 with a piece written by Chris Fox, one of our longstanding volunteers, who explains in his own words, what volunteering at We The Curious means for him.
Thank you Chris for all of your support, past and present!
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it keeps this fox alive! Hi, my name is Chris Fox and I’ve been a volunteer with We The Curious since 2015. Now that I’m retired, I enjoy having the opportunity to be a part of the dynamic, creative atmosphere that is We The Curious.
It has been fascinating watching Project What If evolve to become foundation for the wonderful new layout on the ground floor. So many interesting questions, so many stimulating answers, or, if not answers, a curious exploration of the possibilities.
We The Curious has made me feel welcome and a part of the team, and it’s great to chat about all things scientific and beyond. I appreciate the way I can choose what hours I can offer — some weeks more than others, so I end up doing a couple of hours on average a week over a year.
I enjoy helping out in the sessions for schoolchildren, from primary age up to teenagers. Discovering the best material to use in a space nappy for astronauts, learning about forensic techniques to solve a crime, sending rocket cars hurtling down a track — no chance to get bored there! A “question of taste” is an all-day session for A Level students, where they can discover if their experience of tasting a bitter chemical matches with their own genes — extraction of each student’s DNA then PCR analysis and gel electrophoresis. What an amazing opportunity to share in discovering sophisticated techniques!
During school holidays it’s fun to be part of the team on the floor of the exhibits, meeting the children and mums and dads and grandparents, chatting about what they’re discovering and being fascinated by, helping them sometimes to see what they might otherwise have missed.
After hours events are always so creative and surprising. Watching people “delivering” a baby was comical but inspiring; and where else would I have had the chance to model a genuine astronaut space suit? Or to levitate a drop of gin?
Above all, it’s great fun, and I hope I can continue to stay curious and volunteer for many years to come!
Tune-in to our social media channels for more #VolunteersWeek goodness, including some short films shot in 2019, or take a look here on our Medium channel for more tales from our Volunteers and staff, like Jo , Nick and Lara.
