Our New Science & Innovation Intern: Elinor Buxton

Well I’m back to work on the blog, I apologise for the lull over the last week or so.  It’s amazing how many things can pile up when you’re away! 

First I’d like to extend my thanks to the AMAZING Claire Hastings for taking up the UKinCanada science blogging flag and keeping the blog posts going while I was on vacation.  She’s amazing!

Second, I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team, Elinor Buxton!  Elinor has come to us as an intern, and will be working with us for three months at the British High Commission in Ottawa.  We’re very happy to have her, she’s bubbly, enthusiastic, full of energy and seems to be up for any number of challenges I’ve subjected her to in her first 3 days here (and will be continuing to do for the next little while 🙂 )!  Enough from me, I’ll now let Elinor introduce herself:

Elinor Buxton

 I arrived at the High Commission on a rainy day in late October. I’m a dual citizen: I was born in Nova Scotia, moved to England early on and spent my childhood being shuttled back and forth across the Atlantic. I have homes in both Cambridge and Ottawa thanks to equally patriotic parents. Apart from some time near Toulouse and a year of junior high in Ottawa, I was mostly educated in England, and I graduated with an MPhysPhil in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford in June 2010.

During my degree, I did various bits of work experience, from covering jewellery auctions and London Fashion Week for Forbes, to working in Brussels for a large European law firm. I spent the summer after graduation as a science policy intern in London at the UK’s national science academy, the Royal Society, focusing on a large project about science, technology and innovation in Islamic countries. While I was trying to figure out what to do, I found a spreadsheet on BIS‘s website with Nicole’s email on it and sent a rather speculative letter about getting work experience, and things went from there!

Aside from science, I like learning languages and traveling – I started learning Arabic in Syria a few years ago to try to keep up with my brothers, who speak Mandarin and Russian. My parents moved quite a bit before settling in England, and we have inherited their nomadic tendencies. I also enjoy sports – I rowed at university, swim, and when in Canada am often at the lakes for kayaking or canoeing, or cross-country skiing in winter. I’m very happy to be back in Ottawa for a few months, although moving here for winter was maybe not the cleverest plan…