FIRST PERSON

SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR

I was happiest when … my 16-year-old son wasn’t taller than me. You wouldn’t know it but … I love talking to people smarter than me about science. And I’m from Queensland. My most embarrassing moment was … confidently predicting just 10 years ago that no one would ever watch TV on their phones. The last time I cried was …. when hero journalist Mark Colvin died. The last book I read was ... The Boy Behind the

Curtain by Tim Winton. My favourite film is ... anything with a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (like

Dunkirk). I really want to … live long enough to see people discover life on Mars. My guilty pleasure is ... slow-roasting meat with lots of garlic. Life has taught

me that ... no matter what you think you know, just shut up and listen. My first job was ... counting weevil eggs on water weed in a dark lab on weekends. My

most memorable moment was ... seeing rivers of vivid blue meltwater cascading into crevasses on an Antarctic glacier. What I enjoy most about my job is ... (a) having one, and (b) being endlessly surprised and impressed by the ingenuity of what people do. I’m

about to ... have a public conversation at TMAG with a man who knows more about Tasmanian devils and thylacines than most [Dr David Pemberton, manager of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.]

Mark Horstman is MC for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) Devil Sunday sessions. Join Mark as he discusses with leading Tasmanian scientists and conservationists the future of the devil. Includes live music, a licensed bar and food vans. This free event runs from 2pm to 5pm tomorrow and next Sunday in the TMAG Watergate Courtyard