Hunter Doughty, a Brasenose College doctoral student in the Department of Zoology and the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, has recently published a children’s book entitled Abigail Ann in the Bike Path Predicament.
This subtly educational story is woven through a fun and colourful book about a young girl who rescues an injured frog on a bike path and must use her ingenuity to engineer a lasting solution. Through this narrative, Hunter is hoping to empower children, particularly girls, with the confidence to think and act scientifically
Oakenday Press, the publisher of Abigail Ann, aims to creatively educate children on science and conservation issues.
For her doctoral research, Hunter is interested in identifying effective, and repeatable, methods of changing consumer demand for wildlife products in Southeast Asia. Specifically, she will be conducting a behavioural intervention to reduce use of saiga horn (a critically endangered antelope) by consumers of traditional Chinese medicine in Singapore. Her work is part of the Oxford Martin School Programme on Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Reflecting on her book, Hunter commented: "I think it’s important for children to know they have the capacity to take on challenges, be proactive, and if they want, to become the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers!"