How do you know you are having an impact? What does your data tell you about what is working or not?
What else should you know?
We can help you answer those questions and more.
Are your processes as efficient as they could be? Are manual tasks slowing down your progress?
We can help you find smarter ways to work, using the latest in AI and automation technologies.
Is your workplace welcoming to everyone? Do your products and services cater to the widest possible audience? How inclusive are your communication practices?
We support you to do better for all.
I'm Kathryn Carter, founder of Cottage Science Consulting.
With a diverse work history and broad interests, the unifying theme is my deep desire to help others improve and succeed.
I do this by:
pinpointing the core challenges, questions or needs
harnessing robust data and evidence
crafting creative, pragmatic solutions with the latest in best-practice tools and approaches, including ethical AI use
delivering clear, compelling communications and striking visuals.
Accessible Communication
I work with the Easy Read Toolbox when drafting my Easy Read and Plain English documents. I love that it is a social enterprise employing people with disabilities.
I also work flexibly on the team, stepping up when needed and managing the Easy Life Skills for Every Youth (ELSEY) project.
Unlocking the potential of AI
As a writer and illustrator I didn't see the value in generative AI - until I heard from Dr Nici Sweaney talking about positive uses for education.
Now, I'm a proud graduate of her AI Business Academy. I've delved into automations and assitants to help do what I do faster and with less cognitive load.
Data Science and Evaluation
I love being a part of this team that supports community organisations, social enterprises, and other NFPs.
We provide a range of data services, including designing and building data systems, evaluations and insights into your community, as well as advice on how to use your data better and more safely.
Life and Career Advice
As a loud, proud and relatively well-adjusted AuDHD adult, I've often been asked to help guide young adults around me.
I am happy to now offer that support to others. Having an 'Aunty' who really gets you, and is backed by years of research, can really make a difference!
Obviously, this is not a professional headshot. I was delighted with my efforts at learning to knit - which gave me an excuse to fidget with my hands and look away when talking with people.
I'm a proud member of the Disability Leadership Institute, but let's normalise discussing accommodations without requiring disclosure of formal diagnosis. Mine are:
I need a sturdy chair. I'm heavy, and they sink under me if they have those levers to adjust the height. I'd also prefer no armrests.
I dress to meet my sensory input needs and with what is available in my size. Please do not think I am less professional for that.
If I get excited and bring up many ideas in rapid succession, it is fine for you to ask me to slow down. I often send a recap email at the end to ensure all major points are understood.
My experience and training in cross-cultural communication have brought home to me how important it is to situate yourself with regard to your land of origin and your family.
I was born in Australia and pay homage to the traditional custodians of the land. This illustration of mine represents the hill near my house that I used to climb it every Sunday. The style is in homage to the incredible Australian artist Bronwyn Bancroft.
My father is a recent arrival in this land, having come here on a boat when he was in his tweens. His part of the family is largely from the North of England, although one ancestor is Scottish. Unfortunately, their original name and tartan are lost to history. My mother was born in Queensland. Her ancestry is traced back to Swedish and Danish roots.
My husband is from Carterton, north of Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand. His hill is that of his family farm, Glencoe. The marae of the district is the Hurunui-o-Rangi Marae. We bought a cottage there, which is where the name Cottage Science comes from.
My children were both born there. They like to remind people of this when explaining why they do not wear shoes unless absolutely necessary. Their names are Ethan and Aidan.
If you put my initial together with my sons', you form "KEA" which is also the name of a bird in New Zealand. We created a logo together for which I initially drew the kea. Together we have a channel where we document our artistic (and other) experiments.
I attended the binational (Australian-French) primary and secondary school, Telopea Park School. Being bilingual meant I could complete my tertiary studies in France. I attended an école préparatoire in Strasbourg specialising in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geology. There was also a lot of Maths and some Literature, Philosophy, Languages and Geography.
I was successful in the final exams and attended the École normale supérieure , rue d'Ulm. I didn't become a civil servant as I wasn't French, but had an extraordinary time learning from leading scientists. Being a normalienne also meant I could do things like organise seminars on the epistemology of science. It also meant I could be a part of amazing education initiatives, including Main à la Pâte.
My final year of scientific study was in Montpellier where I specialised in Ecology and Evolution.
I completed the coursework for a Masters in Museum Science with the National History Museum in Paris. It was a fascinating insight in the history and design of museums, as well as the supermarket science that informs exhibit design.
This degree, a.k.a. the Questacon Science Circus, was through the Australian National University. We perfected our performance skills but also studied science communication more broadly.
My part-time study of this Diploma was interrupted by COVID. It was invaluable to discover Design Thinking and gain a working knowledge of InDesign and Illustrator.
Moving from the early childhood policy work in Australia, including working on the Indigenous Early Development Framework, to the New Zealand Ministry of Education was eye-opening and humbling.
I was honoured to coordinate the Research-Policy forum and discuss curriculum implementation with world-leading academics, including those responsible for Te Whāriki. It informed my work supporting the New Zealand representative of the OECD Early Childhood and Care working group, which at the time was looking at how you might evaluate and compare early childhood education systems in different countries.
I organised a conference for the OECD group in New Zealand on the implementation of Te Whāriki. Being world leaders in the development of such a curriculum means that New Zealand is also well placed to critically reflect on implementation to support other countries.
I joined PrimaryConnections as a project officer in 2007. Working closely with highly experienced teachers like Julie Smith (founder of Sprouting Science), and under the tutelage of Shelley Peers, I learned to write units of work to support primary school teachers in Australia to teach science.
I then started consulting as I worked and lived in different countries, writing units of work and advising on curriculum. Eventually, I fulfilled the role of Curriculum Director and oversaw the publication of new units and award-winning supporting resources.
When the Curriculum team was disbanded in 2018, my team made me the centre image as part of my parting gift. They used an image from the Women in Science book and modified it to reflect me.
I was a leader and then Vice-Director of educational holiday camps, in charge of staff development and activity oversight.
I developed new products, including language camps and Harry Potter-themed camps that continue to this day.
After almost a decade, I took the plunge and directed my first camp. It was themed around rockets - I even had a NASA scientist on staff!
I lived and worked in Kathmandu. I conducted a number of evaluation projects for Save the Children in Nepal and their partner organisation NNDSWO, including disaster preparedness projects and a long-running scholarship program.
Here I am pictured running a focus group for a baseline assessment for a new project on foster care and orphanages in rural Nepal. The qualitative data helped us intepret the numbers and plan.
After almost two decades of writing and trialling units of primary science for others, I wanted to use what I learned to create my own modules, drawing on the strengths of an online delivery model.
I found amazing teachers to work with, but our first product didn't hit the mark. Undaunted, we went back to the drawing board and managed to create something better. Getting this positive feedback was a real red-letter day.
Writing Easy Read and Plain English documents for the Easy Read Toolbox was a natural fit for my skillset. Co-presenting a workshop meant dusting off my presentation skills.
It was wonderful to discover that I could manage online presenting. Not only that, I was part of championing inclusive practice in action and met incredible people doing important work across the health sector in the ACT.