Interview with Jasmine Lee

I’m a conservation scientist focusing on how we best conserve terrestrial biodiversity in Antarctica. I work at the British Antarctic Survey and am a research associate at King’s College.

Most of my work is broad-scale or continent wide and I focus on understanding how species will be impacted by climate change, human activities, non-native species and other threats, and how conservation can help to mitigate these threats. Most of my work is on the computer as I do a lot of spatial analysis and modelling, though occasionally I get to do some exciting fieldwork.

 

When did you move to Eddington?

I came about three years ago and I moved from Melbourne. Before moving I had a colleague that worked at the university recommend Eddington to me, so I applied just as Covid was finishing and was very lucky to be found a space. Having my accommodation sorted before moving to a new country made the biggest difference.

 

What is the community in Eddington like?

I’ve met lots of people living in Eddington, everyone’s so nice and that’s the main thing. I’ve got friends in the chemistry department in Eddington who are doing really interesting things and it’s nice to have a like-minded community of people around. My neighbours are lovely and walking around is very nice, you feel very safe and I never want to leave. I also go to the sports centre and you always walk or cycle there with the same people who become your friends.

 

You mentioned the sports centre, how often do you go there?

I love going to the classes they have there. I regularly go to spin and body pump first thing in the morning and I play squash with friends. I’ve also tried the padel courts which was really fun. It’s super easy to use, I’m a member and can just sign in on the app.

 

What has made you stay in Eddington?

So many things have made me want to stay. Eddington has everything I need, including a supermarket, bakery, restaurants, and the new cycle shop. There are lots of nice places to walk nearby and it’s super convenient for work, even getting into town is only a 10-12 minute cycle.

 

How do you feel about the sustainable features in Eddington?

That’s one of the main things I love about Eddington. Housing is a big issue in Cambridge and Eddington is a good example of solving that problem very well. The apartments themselves are so great, they’re modern and really sustainable, I very rarely turn my heating on.

The green spaces are great too, the lake is really popular and the wildlife there feels away from the middle of town. I love the events Eddington put on, they have the biodiversity tours and they recently had a tour of the heating and hot water facility. I’d love to see more as they’re always sold out.

 

How do you feel about the plans for future phases?

I’ve seen a few signs around in Eddington showing plans for future development and I think it’s great that it’s continuing to grow. Eddington is such a great place to live and there is such high demand. In the future phases I would be keen to see even more focus on encouraging biodiversity in the green spaces.