 Live from Copenhagen, Denmark, it's theCUBE. Covering Nutanix.next 2019, brought to you by Nutanix. Welcome back everyone to theCUBE's live coverage of Nutanix.next. We are in Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm your host, Rebecca Knight, hosting alongside Stu Miniman. We're joined by Fran Scott. She is a science and engineering presenter. Thanks so much for coming on the show. No worries at all. It's good to be here actually. So you are a well-known face to UK audiences. You are a three times BAFTA nominated science and engineering presenter. Well-known. Winner. You're the Susan Lucci of science. You are the pyrotechnician and you lead the Christmas lectures at the Royal Institute. So yeah, yeah. So I head up the demonstration team at the Royal Institution. So we come up with all the science demonstrations and the visual ways to show the science ideas. I head up that team. So we build the demonstrations and we show science to people rather than just tell them about it. So mostly you have a very cool job. I want to hear how you got into this. What inspired you? Oh gosh, two very different questions. So in terms of what inspired me, I was very lucky enough to be able to pursue what I love. And I came from a family where answers weren't given out really nearly. You know, if you didn't know something, it wasn't a bad thing. It was like, let's look it up. Let's look it up. So I grew up in an atmosphere where you could be anything because you didn't have to know what you had to be. And so you could just have a play with it. And so I love being hands-on and making things. And I grew up on a farm, so I was quite practical. But I also loved science. Went to university, did neuroscience at university. I enjoyed the learning part, but where I was in terms of the science hierarchy, I found out that once you actually go into a lab, there's a lot of lab work and not much learning straight away. And it was the learning that I loved. And so my friends actually got me into science communication. They took me to the Science Museum and they were like, Fran, you will love this. And I was like, will I? And I was like, you are so right. And I got a job at the Science Museum in London and by just approaching someone on that visit and being like, how do I get a job here? And they were like, well, you've got to do this, this, this. I was like, I can do that. And so yeah, I got the job there and I realized I loved science demonstrations and building stuff. And so eventually I just combined that love of science and being practical together. And now I produce and write and build science props and science stage shows. And then it became a thing. I love it. So Fran, our audience is very much the technology community, very supportive of STEM initiatives. It gives a little flavor as to some of the things you're working on, you know, where's their need for activities. I suppose the biggest example of that would be a show that I did a few years ago where there was a big push for new coders within the UK and I was getting approached time and time again for visual ways to show computer coding or programming as we used to call it back in the day. And I didn't have an answer because then I wasn't a coder. And so I was like, well, I'll learn. And then I'll figure out a demonstration because like I, this is what I do. So why don't I do it on coding? And so yeah, I set about, I learned to code and I came up with an explosions based coding show and era 404 and we toured around the country with that, Google picked it up. And it was a huge success just because it was something that people wanted to learn about and people were stumped as to how to show coding visually. But because this is what we do day in, day out with different subjects, we could do it with coding just like we do it with physics. What do you think is the key? I mean, a lot of your audiences is kids. Yes, yes, and family audiences. So what is the key to getting people excited about science? And I think science itself is exciting if people are allowed to understand how brilliant it is. I think some of the trouble comes from when people take the step too big and so you'd be like, hang on, but why is that cool? Why? Because they don't understand, well, they would understand if they were fed to them in a way that they get it. The way I say it is anyone can understand anything as long as you make the steps to get there small enough. And sometimes the steps are too big for you to understand the amazingness of that thing that's happening. And if you don't understand that amazingness, of course you're gonna lose interest because everyone around you is going, oh, this is awesome, this is awesome. And you're like, what's awesome? So I think it's up to us as adults and as educators to just try and not patronize the children, definitely not, but just give them those little steps so they can really see the beauty of what it is that we're in awe by. One of the things that is a huge issue in the technology industry is the dearth of women in particular in the ranks of technology and then also in leadership roles. I mean, as a woman in science and also showing little girls everywhere all over the UK what it is to be a woman in science. I mean, that's a huge responsibility. How do you think of that and how are you in particular trying to speak to them and say, you can do this? Yeah, I've done a lot of research onto this because well, if this was the reason I went into what I'm into, I worked a lot of the time behind the scenes just trying to get the science right. And then I realized there was no one like me doing science presenting. The girl was always the little bit of extra on the side and it was the man who was the knowledgeable one that was showing how to do the science and the woman was like, oh, well, that's amazing. And I was like, hang on, let's try and flip this. And it just so happened that I didn't care if it was me, I just wanted a woman to do it. And it just happened that that was me. But now that I'm in that position one, well, I run a business as well. I run a business where we can train other new presenters to do it, so it's that giving back. So yes, I train other presenters. I also make sure there's opportunity for other presenters. But I also try, and actually I work with a lot of TV shows and work on their language and work on the combination of like, okay, so you've got a man doing that, you've got a woman doing this, let's have a look at more diversity. And just trying to show the kids that there are people like them doing science. And there's that classic phrase that you can't be what you can't see. And so yes, it comes responsibility, but also there's a lot of fun. And if you can do the science, be intelligent, be fun, and just be normal and just enjoy your job. Then people go, hang on, whether they're a boy or a girl, they go, I want a bit of that. In terms of I want that as my job. And so by showing that, then I'm hopefully encouraging more people to do it. Yeah, it's about getting out and encouraging the next generation to do it as well. All right, Fran, you're going to be moderating a panel in the keynote later this afternoon. Give our audience a little bit, what brought you to this event? What's going into it? And for those that don't get to see it live, what they're missing. Oh, I am one lucky woman. So the panel I'm moderating, it's all about great design. And I am a stickler for great design. As a scientist, prop builder, person that does engineering day in, day out. I love something when it's perfectly designed, if there is such thing as a perfect design. So this panel we've got Tobias Manisfits, Satish Ramakandran and Peter Kriner from NOMA. And so they all come with their own different aspect of design. So Satish works at Nutanix, Peter works at NOMA, the restaurant here in Copenhagen. And Tobias, he's basically, he designs the visual effects for things such as Game of Thrones and Call of Duty. And so yes, they each design things for, and they're amazing at their level, but in such a different way and for a different audience. And so we're going to be, I'm going to be questioning them on what is great design to them and what frictionless design means. And just sort of picking their amazing brains. Yeah, I love that fusion of technology and design is something, you know, they talked about in the keynote this morning, you know, think of Apple or Tesla is those two things coming together. I say, I studied engineering and I feel like there was a missing piece of my education to really go into the design piece, something I have an appreciation for that I've seen in my career, but you know, it's something special to bring those together. Yeah. And yeah, I think I was brought in mostly because yes, one, I love design, but also I've worked a lot with Lego. And so I was brought in to be the engineering judge on the UK version of Lego masters. And so apparently designing children's builds is the same as, you know, questioning the owner of no more restaurant. So I mean, what do you think? I mean, obviously you're doing the panel tomorrow. What is, what is in your mind the key to the great design? Because as you said, you're a sucker for anything that is just beautiful and seamless and intuitive. And we all know what great design is when we hold it in our hands or look at it, but it is this very ineffable quality of something that... Yes, so the panel's later today actually. Yeah, yeah. But in terms of great design, yes, we all know when we have great design, but the trouble comes in creating good design. And I think the key, and this is always obvious when you say it out loud, but it's that handed hand partnership with aesthetics and practicality. And you can't have something that's just beautiful. But you can't have something that just works. You need to have it as a mixture of both. And it's those engineers talking with the designers, the designers talking with the engineers, the both of them talking with the consumers. And from that, good design comes. But don't forget, good design means different stuff to different people as well. What are some of the most exciting things you're working on? Because you are a professional pyrotechnician. I mean, we have never had someone like this on theCUBE before. This is amazing. I was strictly told no fire. No fire. Yes, yes, yes, thank you, we appreciate that. I am well at the moment. So as I said at the beginning, I'm lucky enough to head up the demo team at the Royal Institutions. So we are just heading into our Christmas lectures. Now if you don't know these Christmas lectures, they were the first science ever done to a juvenile audience back in 1825 was when they started. And so it's a tradition in the UK. And so this year we're just starting to come up with the demonstrations for them. And this year they presented by Hannah Frye. And so they're going to be on maths and algorithms and how that makes you lucky or doesn't make you lucky. So we've been having some really fun meetings. I can't give away too much, but there will definitely be some type of stunt involved. And that's all I can say, but there's going to be a lot of building. I really need to get back, get my sore out, get stuff made. Yes, excellent. And who is the scientist you most admire? Oh my word. Who is the scientist I most admire? I do have, oh gosh. This is with the wheels are shooting. It's a cheesy one though, but like Da Vinci. Just for his multi-pronged approach and the fact that he had so much going on in his brain that he couldn't even get everything down on paper. He'd half draw something and then something else would come to him. Well, yeah. I had the opportunity of interviewing Walter Isaacson last year and he loved it was the, as we talked about the science and the design and the merging of those, but reading the biography of him, what struck me is he never finished anything because it would never meet the perfection in his mind to get it done. And I've seen that in creative people. It's like, oh, they'll start things and then they'll move on to the next thing in there. And it's like, me as a engineering by training, it's like, no, no, you need to finish work. You know, manufacturing from standpoint, you know, work in progress is the worst thing you could have out there. He would be a rubbish entrepreneur. Right, right. But we're so lucky to have had his brain. Exactly, I think that's the thing. I think it gives us an insight into what the brain is capable of and what you can design without even knowing you're designing something. Great. Well Fran, thank you so much for coming on theCUBE. This was so fun. Thanks for having me. I'm Rebecca Knight for Stu Miniman. Stay tuned for more of theCUBE's live coverage of Dot Next.