Surviving a life changing accident and relearning how to be a scientist

Session

Plenary Talk: Erin Tranfield - Surviving a life changing accident and relearning how to be a scientist

Authors

Erin Tranfield (1)

Affiliations

1. Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência

Abstract text

In September 2017 after a long string of conferences, Erin Tranfield took a weekend off to spend time with friends. What was supposed to be a fun morning riding horses along white sandy beaches turned into 3 crushed vertebrae, a 6 month hospital stay and an ongoing journey to redefine herself as an athlete, a scientist and even a person.  Almost 5 years to the day after her accident Erin was announced as the winner of the 2023 RMS Alan Agar Award for Electron Microscopy. It has been a journey that has included challenging lows and amazing victories. In this seminar Erin will share her experiences with the aim of raising awareness about what it means to be a scientist with a disability. She will talk about what has helped her and where she has struggled and she will hopefully leave the audience with new perspectives on how they can support people around them. Erin’s story is not an easy one, but it is one with hope, and joy. It is a story that proves that despite insurmountable odds, amazing things are possible especially when one has the support of their friends and colleagues.