2015

Ageing Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Ageing Zone was funded by the Physiological Society, of which Peter and Siana were members. The scientists involved were working in a range of areas related to ageing processes including the effect of exercise on ageing, what happens to the immune system, dementia, the physical fitness of over 65s and studying how mice age. The Zone was focused on its theme and was very busy in ASK, where over 1000 questions were submitted and over 400 approved. Students asked questions about many aspects of ageing, the research of the scientists, and about science as a career. This zone saw lots of discussion in the comments of ASK, and the final two scientists, Sara and Richard, engaged strongly throughout. Richard gave more answers (283) than any other scientist in November’s zones.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, Physiological Society, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Ageing Zone Report – November 2015

Extreme Pressure Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Extreme Pressure Zone was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and the research of Jack, Craig, Giuditta and Flavia was funded by the organisation. The concept of extremely high pressure was involved in each scientist’s background, such as Giuditta’s research using it to warp magnets, Craig’s work looking at atoms under high pressure and Sheona simulating the action of plate tectonics and the earth’s mantle. Popular topics in the zone were the research areas of each scientist, as well as questions about the scientists opinions on personal issues. The live chats in the zone were busy and all the scientists did well to engage in some very fast-paced chats. Between them, the final two of Jack and Giuditta contributed 60% of both lines in live chat and answers in ASK.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, STFC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Extreme Pressure Zone Report – November 2015

Heart Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Heart Zone was a themed zone funded by the Wellcome Trust, and Michael and Loan do research with the Trust. The scientists looked at areas such as the genetics of heart disease, stem cells involved in heart repair, blood vessel development, and how fat damages the heart. This was one of the busiest November zones in the live chats and also saw over 1000 questions submitted by students in ASK. The heart was the strong focus of the zone, with student’s especially keen to find out about heart diseases and treatments. The scientists also talked about their research and what they get from doing their work. Cristina, in particular, engaged strongly in ASK and live chats, in which Praveen also worked hard to connect with the students.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, Wellcome Trust, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Heart Zone Report – November 2015

Spectroscopy Zone Report

READ THE FULL REPORT The Spectroscopy Zone was funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, of which Baljit, Jesus, Arlene and Michael were members. All the scientists used types of spectroscopy in their research or work, for instance in detecting explosive compounds, in forensic chemistry, or to analyse the light from distant galaxies. The students in this zone were interested in the research of the scientists and picked up on the details in their profiles, leading to varied discussion of careers in chemistry as well as how they each used spectroscopy. All scientists communicated well with the students and Jesus, the zone winner, engaged strongly throughout. He attended all 19 chats, often as the sole scientist, and contributed a third of the zone’s answers in ASK, as did Baljit.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, RSC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Spectroscopy Zone Report

Osmium Zone – November2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Osmium Zone was funded by the Institute of Physics. It was a general science zone where some of the scientists taking part had all previously studied physics but were now in roles outside of traditional academia and research that still required the science skills they had learnt. For example, Aaron, who has an undergraduate degree in physics, is a communications officer for the Royal Academy of Engineering, Keith now works for the National Nuclear Laboratory as a diplomat at the British Embassy in Tokyo, and Abbey is a mechanical engineer at Renishaw PLC. Popular themes with students were the varied careers of the scientists, and different areas of physics, both related to these careers and on broader topics. The live chats were often busy and Natalie did particularly well in them, contributing 1,178 lines in total, the most of any scientist in November’s zones. Both Natalie … Continue reading →

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, IOP, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Osmium Zone – November2015

Rhenium Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Rhenium Zone was a general science zone funded by the Wellcome Trust. The scientists were from a variety of backgrounds including the immune system of worms, making molecules for use in nanotechnology, promoting evidence based medicine and physical activity research, detecting radiation levels and investigating the genomes of viruses. This zone had the highest rate of active students in November and 95% of the students who logged in used ASK, did a live chat or voted. Popular topics in the zone reflected the research of the scientists, as well as more general questions about chemistry, biology and physics. Of the scientists, David and Nicholas engaged particularly well throughout, not just in the high level of answers and live chat but also in the quality of their responses, often to questions outside of their expertise.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, News, Wellcome Trust, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Rhenium Zone Report – November 2015

Tantalum Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Tantalum Zone was a general science zone funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. Four of the scientists, Monique, Carsten, Ashley and Bernard were connected to this organisation, either as users of its facilities and data, or funded by its grants. The scientists varied backgrounds included building particle accelerators, firing lasers at proteins, modelling galaxy clusters, developing plant-based biotechnology and improving the safety of steel. This was the busiest of the November zones in terms of questions from students, and over 1200 were submitted. The popular topics in the zone reflected the research of the scientists, and many were physics related, ranging across subjects from sub atomic to galactic scales. Notably, Monique contributed nearly 40% of the answers, whilst zone winner Ashley was the most active in live chats.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, STFC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Tantalum Zone Report – November 2015

Tungsten Zone Report – November 2015

READ THE FULL REPORT The Tungsten Zone was a general science zone for primary schools, funded by the Wellcome Trust. It featured five scientists from different backgrounds, between them covering the immune system, how the climate affects marine life, the brain cells of mice, the structure of metals and bone development. The students were interested in all these areas and other popular topics were space, animals, dinosaurs, the human body, and personal questions about being a scientist. The scientists in this zone put a lot of effort in to engaging with the students in both ASK and live chats. It was notable that a majority of the chats were attended by 3 or 4 scientists and there was a good team atmosphere throughout the zone.

Posted on December 16, 2015 by in 2015, Wellcome Trust, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Tungsten Zone Report – November 2015

Colour Zone Report – June 2015

The Colour Zone was a primary school zone funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The theme of the Zone was colour chemistry and Lynn, Kevin, Jade and Andrew were members of the RSC. Despite being one of the zones with fewer students in June 2015, the ASK section of the Zone was especially busy, with above average levels of both questions asked (1160) and comments left (72). Students asked questions about colour and the research of the scientists, but also about broader general science topics such as space and the brain. There were also a number of questions asking about the scientists’ personal lives and opinions. Some of the live chats were led by the teacher taking questions from the class, meaning they were less lively, but very focused and on-task. The winning scientist, Jess, put a lot of effort into engaging with the students in ASK and … Continue reading →

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, RSC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Colour Zone Report – June 2015

Electromagnetic Zone Report – June 2015

The Electromagnetic Zone was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and involved four scientists, Miranda, James, Freya and Daniel, whose work was supported by the research council. The research of the scientists encompassed a wide range of uses for the electromagnetic spectrum, from treating cancer to encrypting data. As such, questions in the Zone related to many different areas of physics. Although the zone had fewer questions than most of the zones in June, the live chats were the busiest of all the zones and the attending scientists did well to engage with sometimes challenging classes. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, STFC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Electromagnetic Zone Report – June 2015

Extreme Force Zone Report – June 2015

The Extreme Force Zone was a themed zone funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). It involved five scientists whose work was supported by the STFC and was related to the fundamental forces of nature in extreme situations. The topics discussed in the Zone were focused around physics and related strongly to the research carried out by each scientist. It was the one of the busiest June zones and both ASK questions (550 approved) and the live chats were extremely busy. This high level of engagement from the students was matched by most of the scientists in a competitive zone. For example, Steven, Lidunka, and Jillian each answered between 200 and 300 questions each and the scientists evicted early in the competition continued to attend the live chats. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, STFC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Extreme Force Zone Report – June 2015

Health Zone Report – June 2015

The Health Zone was a themed zone funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Biochemical Society. The scientists involved were working in a range of different health areas including heart attacks, drug delivery, cancer cells, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and respiratory illnesses. The Zone was very busy in ASK, and well over a 1000 questions were submitted during the event. Students asked questions about a wide range of health topics, human biology, the research of the scientists, and about science as a career. The majority of the scientists engaged well with the Zone and in particular the winner, Andy, attended nearly every live chat, contributing nearly half of the total lines. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Health Zone Report – June 2015

Hormones Zone Report – June 2015

The Hormones Zone was a themed zone part-funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Society for Endocrinology and four of the participating scientists (Saffron, Partha, Craig and Amy) were members of the Society. The zone was very focused on its theme and there was a relatively high number of answers from the scientists (816), resulting in each question receiving two answers on average. Popular topics in the zone were sperm, muscle and diabetes. It was notable that Laura attended all but one live chat, sometimes as the only scientist present, and she dealt very well with some very busy situations. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Hormones Zone Report – June 2015

Pharmacology Zone Report – June 2015

The Pharmacology Zone was a themed zone part funded by the Wellcome Trust and the British Pharmacological Society, and the five scientists participating were members of the Society. It was a sixth form only zone and had the lowest number of registered students of the June Zones, but the highest number of schools (16). The questions in the Zone were focused around pharmacology, chemistry and careers. The live chats in the Zone were calmer than a typical zone and during these Laura, Richard and Vedia in particular engaged very well with the students. Overall, there was a high level of productive conversation in the Zone on the theme of pharmacology and scientific research in general. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Pharmacology Zone Report – June 2015

Polymers Zone Report – June 2015

The Polymers Zone was a themed zone funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and Thomas, Ruhina, Rose and Anne were themselves members of the RSC. It was one of the quieter June zones and questions from students were a mix of those on polymers and broader aspects of chemistry. The scientists were relatively equal in the number of questions they answered in ASK, whilst in the live chats Thomas, the zone winner, was the most active. The live chats varied in their pace and focus on the subject, with some being fast-paced and on-topic, whilst others were calmer or focused more on the students finding out about the personalities of the scientists. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Polymers Zone Report – June 2015

Hafnium Zone Report – June 2015

The Hafnium Zone was a general science zone funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The Zone involved five scientists whose work was supported by the STFC, covering areas from neutrinos, to neuroscience, to computer programming to lasers. Question topics in the zone were very varied, reflecting the diverse research areas of the scientists. It was the busiest of the June zones (521 active students) and consequently had the most questions approved (563) and the most live chats of any zone (23). The scientists worked hard to match this high level of engagement, with nearly every live chat attended by at least 3 scientists. The personalities and good humour of all the scientists were evident throughout the event, in both live chats and ASK. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, STFC, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Hafnium Zone Report – June 2015

Lutetium Zone Report – June 2015

The Lutetium Zone was a general science zone comprising of five scientists working in a variety of fields from big data about theatre audiences to hydrogen production, to respiratory disease. This zone was one of the largest in June involving 446 active students who had nearly 500 questions answered on a very diverse range of topics, both related and unrelated to the scientists’ work. The scientists did well to match the enthusiasm of the students with the final two, Jonny and Paul, both answering over 250 questions each. The scientists also did well to connect with individual students in the fast-paced live chats, even when facing a high volume of questions. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Lutetium Zone Report – June 2015

Thulium Zone Report – June 2015

The Thulium Zone was a general science zone for primary school classes. It featured scientists from a wide range of backgrounds, covering astrophysics, influenza viruses, cleaner energy, neuroscience and genetics. The students asked questions about all these subjects, and more, in what was a consistently busy primary zone with well above average levels of questions (nearly 1000) and energetic live chats. Ryan, who won the zone, missed only one live chat and contributed over half of the total amount of lines written by scientists. The other scientists were also dedicated throughout the event, for example Claire took part in live chats whilst at Glastonbury music festival. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Thulium Zone Report – June 2015

Ytterbium Zone Report – June 2015

The Ytterbium Zone was a general science zone funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry. At least five members of the Royal Society of Chemistry take part in different general science zones throughout the year. In these zones the participating scientists come from a variety of backgrounds. For instance, in the Ytterbium Zone there were scientists spanning linguistics, bacterial proteins, parasitology, supercomputing and radioactive waste disposal. This wide range of subjects gave the students a chance to ask questions across many areas of science. The scientists in this zone were notable for excellent attendance in live chats, with the majority of chats involving 3 or more scientists. Download the full report

Posted on July 21, 2015 by in 2015, Zone Reports | Comments Off on Ytterbium Zone Report – June 2015

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I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is an online activity where school students get to meet and interact with scientists.

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Students challenge the scientists over intense, fast-paced, online live Chats. Then they Ask the scientists all the questions they want to, and Vote for their favourite scientist to win a prize of £500 to communicate their work with the public.