The host of NRK’s ‘Newton’ tells us about the programme and how she transitioned from being a doctor to working on television.

Tell us about your Prix entry?
My entry consists of two episodes of an organ series which is a part of “Newton” – a science programme for children primarily aged 8-12. The series aims to let kids get a new understanding of the body through dissection of animal organs, experiments and fun. One of the episodes shows me dissecting a bull’s ball in order to compare the sperms extracted from the bi-testicle, which serves as a storage place, with ejaculated sperm. When examined in the microscope one can clearly see that the sperms in the ejaculate are more motile. The viewers learn that this is due to the “lunch bag” of sugar and nutritious slime the ejaculated sperms – for the purpose of pure fun acted out by me – get on their way from the bi-testicle to the penis. The other episode deals with cutting my finger, blood and the mystery of coagulation. So summarised – my entry is hard core anatomy made accessible for kids.

Tell us about yourself?

I was a happy geek as a child, loved science, the body in particular, and wanted to become a doctor. I followed my dream, graduated from medical school in 2011 and worked as a doctor for one and a half years. During the last year of my studies, however, I felt that my engrossing “body love affair” almost ate me up. Still in love with the body, I figured I needed something in addition to my medical books, medical student friends and medical lectures. For that reason I started to work part time in the news department at TV 2, the largest commercial TV station in Norway. I thought TV was fun, and continued to look for job postings in the field. Eventually I applied for a job as a host for “Newton” on NRK, and to my big delight I got the job, in which now allows me to combine both science itself and most important the dissemination of science. 

What is next for you?

Continue my work with “Newton”. Children deserve to have access to “true” science, and I love to be a part of this. I think my medical background is an important contribution to the media, as science journalism mainly is produced by journalists with little or no scientific background.

Tell us one thing you’re putting in your suitcase for Cavtat?
Emergency passport. (And thanks to this question my expired passport came to my mind)