Fulbright, Fatbergs, Boris Johnson, Taylor Swift
Wednesday, 24 July, 2019
Even a short few years ago, I could not have predicted that I would write an article with any of the words in the title above. While I had a vague idea of the Fulbright Programme, I could not see the full relevance to me or envisage that I would be eligible for such a prestigious scholarship. The word “fatberg” only entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015, shortly after I started researching the problem of sewer blockages. I definitely could not have foreseen that a future UK Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) or a pop superstar (Taylor Swift) could have any relevance to my work. Yet, all of the above connect with my research as I will outline below in a reflection on my Fulbright study, one year later.
I was hosted for my Fulbright visit in North Carolina State (NC State) University by Professor Joel Ducoste in June-July 2018. It is an impressive institution and has much in common with University College Dublin (UCD) in terms of disciplines, student numbers and world ranking. Due to the relatively short nature of a Fulbright TechImpact Scholarship, my host and I agreed on two realistic objectives which were achieved: 1. To co-author a (opens in a new window)paper which I presented at the (opens in a new window)ASABE conference in Detroit, a few weeks after my study; 2. To collaborate with an international network of researchers and industrial partners to develop and submit a research proposal as a follow on to my work on testing sensors for detecting sewer blockages. Another benefit of visiting NC State was that it facilitated connecting with other researchers (UNC, Duke University, etc.) and industry contacts in the thriving Research Triangle in North Carolina. I really enjoyed training with the Raleigh GAA Club where I witnessed a great concept of a “Travelling Game”, allowing players who travel to a tournament to take part in a practice Gaelic football game, irrespective of age, gender or skill level. It was also a great location to visit the wider region as a tourist when my family came for a visit as I finished my work.
Discussing research with my Fulbright host Prof Joel Ducoste
One of the biggest impacts of my Fulbright study was that it raised the public profile of this global problem of fatberg blockages in sewers. I received many interview requests, many of which are listed in the media section of the project website. As I was leaving NC State, I was contacted by The Wall Street Journal and arranged a time for a call; however, the interview was cancelled at the last minute due to the political upheaval in the UK caused by the resignation of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary that week. The topic of fatbergs had been relegated as a news item and so, my chance of being quoted in the The Wall Street Journal disappeared, thanks to the future UK Prime Minister!
After one of my radio interviews, several people told me afterwards they remembered that I said to “only flush the 3 P’s (paper, pee and poo)” down the toilet and to avoid wet wipes, which are often found in fatbergs. Around the same time, I saw a call for academics to perform standup comedy about their research in (opens in a new window)Bright Club Dublin in Whelans, so I volunteered to take up the challenge as I saw it as an opportunity to raise public awareness and communicate in a different way about “Fatbergs and the 3 P’s”. The organisers of Bright Club were very helpful in making me focus on my main message and to exaggerate all aspects in order to develop funny stories for connecting with the audience. I admit that I would wonder every second day in advance of the event if this was a risky idea and that my career “might go down the drain!”. I started the comedy set with a confession of my own failings in relation to fatbergs and how I am now working as a “Fatberg Avenger”, “Dr Fatberg”. The illustrator and author of the book “Adventures of Fatberg”, Nathan T. Wright, kindly created an image of “Dr Fatberg”.
For the finale of the comedy set, I performed a parody of a Taylor Swift song which I called “Look What You Make Me Do (Please, Paper, Pee, and Poo)”; my kids inspired me and helped to write it.
(opens in a new window)Watch “Fatbergs and the 3 Ps” Standup Comedy at Bright Club Dublin
In conclusion, the Fulbright experience helped my personal and professional development in a way that I could not have predicted just a short time ago. I definitely did not foresee having a media interview cancelled because of Boris Johnson or performing a comedy set, which ended with a Taylor Swift-inspired song, also my first time ever singing in public!