An interview with Dr. Sarah Croker researcher and lecturer in forensics and anatomy (University of Sydney):
Tell us about your research:
Originally my research started out with comparing human and non-human bones for the purposes of forensic (or archaeological) identification. This expanded a bit to incorporate other areas of forensic anthropology, particularly time since death research. On a different note, my teaching of anatomy has now led me into research in the area of anatomy education.
What are some achievements from the last few years you are really proud of?
It would be lovely to be able to pinpoint specific awards or publications, but unfortunately they are rather non-existent! Instead, I am proud of broader “achievements” – being thought of as a good educator (according to students and colleagues), rising to new challenges (supervising students, contributing to new units of study) and getting myself out there at lots of different conferences (and on social media, which was scary!) so that I now have a global network of colleagues and friends across several different disciplines.
What is it that drew you to your research topic?
For the research I started out in, comparing human and non-human bones, I distinctly remember the moment my Honours supervisor suggested it to me, and it just seemed perfect – I am drawn to the beautiful shapes of bones, and I fell in love instantly with the thought of studying so many different shapes! With the anatomical education research I am now involved in, it came to me more slowly, particularly as I did not even realise it was a field of research for quite a long time! I started wondering how to scientifically test whether different ideas or approaches in education were actually worthwhile or just sounded good – it can be easy to lose sight of the important part (the students and their education) when you get all carried away with a fun idea.
How do you stay passionate and focused on your goals as your career progresses?
Going to conferences is the main way for me – at least friendly and collegial conferences (like ASHB)! It makes me realise that there is a whole world of others just like me out there having the same struggles but also interested in the same things (and it’s great getting sidetracked by other interesting topics at conferences too). Seeing the accomplishments of others inspires me to get on and produce new things myself. Also I can’t deny that I love travelling to a new place as a part of my work – makes me head back refreshed to do some more so I can get out in the world again!
How do you balance work and social life and do you have any tips for achieving this?
Unless there is an emergency deadline (usually marking) I don’t work on the weekend. Whenever I have tried working on the weekend I face Monday with a defeated attitude already! I think it’s important to get a proper break and then work furiously during the week – then I feel I have earnt my break at the weekend. However, I can be my own worst enemy and tell myself all weekend that “I must do work”, never actually get around to it, then the work is still not done but I’ve had the cloud hanging over me the whole time! So I’m trying to avoid that nowadays. I try not to check my Twitter account on the weekend as that is mainly for work and then I find myself thinking about work again, even if I don’t have to actually do anything – I find I need to pretend the work doesn’t exist at all for two whole days. I usually work on my long train ride home as it’s very conducive to concentrating but then pack it away for the rest of the evening once I’m home to have some down time there too (though as I can work quite well at night once I’m into it, I sometimes do that – anything to get ahead for that weekend break!)
Grant or job failures are commonplace in science. How do you deal with rejection and do you think there are ways as a scientific community we can help each other through this inevitable part of our work?
The best thing about having a failure is that you tried in the first place. I am lucky to have not had too many but that is only because I have not applied for many, so when I do I may definitely need some advice for it myself! I think we have to remind ourselves that every time we try we must surely learn a bit more and get better at it, so that all of that will one day culminate in success. I think sharing the stories of our failures can help so that others know it is actually a very commonplace experience that happens to everyone that puts themselves out there in the first place. We tend to hear more about the successes which can provide a skewed view of the true situation for a lot of nevertheless capable people.
Are you actively involved in science communication? If so, what efforts do you pursue to get the public engaged with your science?
Although I am on Twitter (@drsarahcroker) I tend to use it more to see what other people are doing, so I couldn’t really call myself actively involved there! I conduct a couple of workshops a year with school children who come to the university. They do terrify me slightly beforehand as I don’t know what I will get, but I always end up learning a lot myself and inevitably am impressed by the level of knowledge and interest in young minds. It’s a great challenge as the school students are often a bit more switched on than university students as they are still so full of energy, and they come up with some very different questions!
Furthermore, I am always happy to offer an opinion on what bones anyone else is eating if I go out to dinner…
Read More About Sarah's Research:
Croker, SL, Bryce, D and Burgess, A. (2018) The games students play: student perceptions of creative revision strategies. The FASEB Journal Vol. 32, No. 1_supplement, abstract number 507.22, April 2018
Croker, SL, Reed, W and Donlon, D. (2016) Comparative cortical bone thickness between the long bones of humans and five common non-human mammal taxa. Forensic Science International 260:104.e1-104.e17.
Tell us about your research:
Originally my research started out with comparing human and non-human bones for the purposes of forensic (or archaeological) identification. This expanded a bit to incorporate other areas of forensic anthropology, particularly time since death research. On a different note, my teaching of anatomy has now led me into research in the area of anatomy education.
What are some achievements from the last few years you are really proud of?
It would be lovely to be able to pinpoint specific awards or publications, but unfortunately they are rather non-existent! Instead, I am proud of broader “achievements” – being thought of as a good educator (according to students and colleagues), rising to new challenges (supervising students, contributing to new units of study) and getting myself out there at lots of different conferences (and on social media, which was scary!) so that I now have a global network of colleagues and friends across several different disciplines.
What is it that drew you to your research topic?
For the research I started out in, comparing human and non-human bones, I distinctly remember the moment my Honours supervisor suggested it to me, and it just seemed perfect – I am drawn to the beautiful shapes of bones, and I fell in love instantly with the thought of studying so many different shapes! With the anatomical education research I am now involved in, it came to me more slowly, particularly as I did not even realise it was a field of research for quite a long time! I started wondering how to scientifically test whether different ideas or approaches in education were actually worthwhile or just sounded good – it can be easy to lose sight of the important part (the students and their education) when you get all carried away with a fun idea.
How do you stay passionate and focused on your goals as your career progresses?
Going to conferences is the main way for me – at least friendly and collegial conferences (like ASHB)! It makes me realise that there is a whole world of others just like me out there having the same struggles but also interested in the same things (and it’s great getting sidetracked by other interesting topics at conferences too). Seeing the accomplishments of others inspires me to get on and produce new things myself. Also I can’t deny that I love travelling to a new place as a part of my work – makes me head back refreshed to do some more so I can get out in the world again!
How do you balance work and social life and do you have any tips for achieving this?
Unless there is an emergency deadline (usually marking) I don’t work on the weekend. Whenever I have tried working on the weekend I face Monday with a defeated attitude already! I think it’s important to get a proper break and then work furiously during the week – then I feel I have earnt my break at the weekend. However, I can be my own worst enemy and tell myself all weekend that “I must do work”, never actually get around to it, then the work is still not done but I’ve had the cloud hanging over me the whole time! So I’m trying to avoid that nowadays. I try not to check my Twitter account on the weekend as that is mainly for work and then I find myself thinking about work again, even if I don’t have to actually do anything – I find I need to pretend the work doesn’t exist at all for two whole days. I usually work on my long train ride home as it’s very conducive to concentrating but then pack it away for the rest of the evening once I’m home to have some down time there too (though as I can work quite well at night once I’m into it, I sometimes do that – anything to get ahead for that weekend break!)
Grant or job failures are commonplace in science. How do you deal with rejection and do you think there are ways as a scientific community we can help each other through this inevitable part of our work?
The best thing about having a failure is that you tried in the first place. I am lucky to have not had too many but that is only because I have not applied for many, so when I do I may definitely need some advice for it myself! I think we have to remind ourselves that every time we try we must surely learn a bit more and get better at it, so that all of that will one day culminate in success. I think sharing the stories of our failures can help so that others know it is actually a very commonplace experience that happens to everyone that puts themselves out there in the first place. We tend to hear more about the successes which can provide a skewed view of the true situation for a lot of nevertheless capable people.
Are you actively involved in science communication? If so, what efforts do you pursue to get the public engaged with your science?
Although I am on Twitter (@drsarahcroker) I tend to use it more to see what other people are doing, so I couldn’t really call myself actively involved there! I conduct a couple of workshops a year with school children who come to the university. They do terrify me slightly beforehand as I don’t know what I will get, but I always end up learning a lot myself and inevitably am impressed by the level of knowledge and interest in young minds. It’s a great challenge as the school students are often a bit more switched on than university students as they are still so full of energy, and they come up with some very different questions!
Furthermore, I am always happy to offer an opinion on what bones anyone else is eating if I go out to dinner…
Read More About Sarah's Research:
Croker, SL, Bryce, D and Burgess, A. (2018) The games students play: student perceptions of creative revision strategies. The FASEB Journal Vol. 32, No. 1_supplement, abstract number 507.22, April 2018
Croker, SL, Reed, W and Donlon, D. (2016) Comparative cortical bone thickness between the long bones of humans and five common non-human mammal taxa. Forensic Science International 260:104.e1-104.e17.