OH Dr. Steven Zhang (K 09) shared his scientific expertise on Channel 5’s Ice Age: A Frozen World last Sunday. Steven explained the modus operandi of the fabled sabre-toothed cat Smilodon, specialist predator of large herbivores on the Ice Age prairies, to wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan.

Steven is now a postdoctoral researcher in palaeontology at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Geosciences and Geography. He is also Honorary Research Associate at the University of Bristol, where he completed undergraduate and PhD studies in the discipline.

Steven writes: “Working with the series’ production team was a fun eye-opener into how mass media translates primary scientific research I’m familiar with into formats digestible to a non-technical general TV audience.” He reflects, “Michaela was a class act to work with on the day of the shoot, she was keen to absorb what I have to say about the Ice Age’s charismatic megafauna like a sponge, and happily spilt nuggets of her superb broadcasting knowhow on how to best explain some nuanced and tedious ideas in an accessible fashion. Ultimately, as scientists the better we get at accurately conveying our research through media exposure, the better we fulfil our institutional mission of enhancing the collective human understanding of how the world works.”

Those of you who missed the TV premiere can now find it on Channel 5 catch up https://www.channel5.com/show/ice-age-apocalypse/season-1/episode-1