Eilidh Morrison (23), a physics graduate from Aberdeen and Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) was starstruck last month when she met her long-time inspiration, blind astrophysicist Dr Wanda Díaz-Merced.
Born with Joubert Syndrome, a rare condition that includes retinitis pigmentosa and ocular motor apraxia, Eilidh has become an advocate for blind and partially sighted young people through leading-sight loss charity RNIB Scotland and their youth forum, Haggeye. Alongside her advocacy, Eilidh’s passion for space and science has been a driving force in her life.
Dr Wanda Díaz-Merced.
“I’ve always asked questions about everything from our place in the universe to why my cup of tea leaves the table warm,” Eilidh says. “Because of my sight loss, I couldn’t keep up with fast-moving cartoons like my friends, so I ended up watching science programmes instead. That’s where my love for space began.”
From childhood, Eilidh followed space missions like the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and explored concepts like black holes, the life cycle of stars, and Newton’s laws. But despite her deep interest in astrophysics, she struggled to imagine a future in science because she couldn’t see any role models in STEM who were blind, until she discovered a TED Talk by Dr Wanda Díaz-Merced.
Eilidh and Wanda smiling.
Dr Díaz-Merced, who lost her sight during her studies, pioneered sonification – a method of translating astronomical data into sound. This groundbreaking work enables her and others with visual impairments to engage with scientific data in a non-visual format, levelling the playing field in physics.
“Seeing her talk about gamma-ray bursts while holding a white cane changed everything for me,” Eilidh recalls. “I had someone to inspire me.”
RNIB Scotland recently held its technology-themed IDS conference at Glasgow Science Centre, where Eilidh and a fellow Haggeye member hosted a stall promoting the work they do for blind and partially sighted young people. During the event, Eilidh had the chance to meet Wanda in person.
Dr Wanda Díaz-Merced.
“It was incredible,” Eilidh says. “After being inspired by Wanda for so long it was fantastic to meet her. She showed me 3D models of binary star systems, let me feel the shapes of nebulas, and even allowed me to listen to a telescope translating electromagnetic rays into pitch. Her creativity, grit and determination are just amazing.”
The meeting came full circle when Wanda invited Eilidh to participate in the ‘Science in Braille’ initiative, an opportunity Eilidh sees as a launchpad for her postgraduate journey.
“Meeting Wanda was the positive spark I needed,” she says. “It reminded me not to let my lack of sight hold me back from my passion of the stars.”
Wanda presenting at IDS.
