David won the Potassium Zone in March 2011, here he tells us how he spent his £500:
When I won my zone of I’m A Scientist in March 2011, I had the intention of taking video cameras on volcano fieldwork, and to make either video- or podcasts of my work in the field.
In early 2011, one of my field sites (Santorini volcano in Greece) was showing some early signs of unrest, so I invested in a simple video camera and three static ‘timelapse’ cameras. We managed to capture some footage of us putting out volcano monitoring equipment, but in the end the unrest died away in early 2012, without any eruption. I have some great timelapse footage of the passing seasons, but nothing that we have yet turned into a polished video.
The other thing that the win did for me was to inspire my efforts in ‘online’ engagement activities. In Oxford, this led to my involvement in OxfordSparks, and our creation of a short animation showing how volcanoes work.