Ágnes Kis-Tóth

I grew up as a child of teacher parents. Despite that, when it came to career choice, I was not attracted to the teaching profession. Or maybe precisely for that reason. I could see first hand how hard a path it is. I first applied to the Eötvös Loránd University majoring in theoretical mathematics. Yet during my college years I started tutoring. As the years went by, I taught more and more people and so teaching creeped into my life unnoticed. It was the biggest surprise for me when I realized how cool it is. Teaching became my passion, a never boring hobby and a beloved work. Thus after graduation when I was offered a job in a private school I happily accepted it. Later an even more exciting opportunity found me, to teach in the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. There I enlightened students about the beauty of mathematics for 8 wonderful years. I met with more than 700 one-of-a-kind students, was lucky to work with truly admirable co-workers, collected amazing experiences, learned and improved a lot. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that physics is an incredibly interesting and exciting science. I became more and more curious and enthusiastic about the fascinating physical phenomena I read about on the internet and heard about in scientific TV shows. Even sci-fi movies were filled with jaw-dropping expressions like dark matter, dark energy, black holes, wormholes, big-bang, elementary particles, neutrinos, quarks, tachyons, quantum-something, quantum-everything.. One thing was sure: I Needed To Know More! Thus with a sudden urge I went back to the Eötvös Loránd University, and in parallel with teaching I started studying again. It was a completely unique and indescribable experience to be a teacher at one and a student at another university at the same time. It was probably the hardest, most challenging and also the most fantastic period in my life so far. The world of physics was so enchanting that I not only completed my bachelor’s and master’s degree, but also continued my research in the PhD programme. I am currently working at the Department of Atomic Physics, creating a detailed theoretical model of the so-called Cosmological Ionized Bubbles.

In 2018 a new affection found me. The Famelab International Science Communication Competition was announced for the first time in Hungary. I applied mostly out of curiosity, but also because everytime I face with a new, interesting and tempting challenge, I have a tendency to say “Yes!”. A completely unexpected journey began with this step. I realized that it is not only important and gripping to cultivate science, but also to communicate it. Communication skills can be developed and this can be useful for a myriad of reasons. First on a personal level, because an improved self-expression can be fundamental in a successful career and in a healthy personal life as well. Second at the societal level, good communication of the scientific news is truly vital. As scientists it is our duty and responsibility to transmit scholarly results in a credible and intelligible way to everybody. In the era of fake news and pseudosciences it is more important than ever. And last but not least for the future of science. We need new generations in science, so it is key to show to young boys and girls that science is amusing, lovable and understandable, scientists are colourful, inspiring but otherwise ordinary people. A career in science is not just super interesting and valuable but also within their reach.