Carmen won the Immune System Zone in March of 2015 and has already been hard at work making the most her £500. Here Carmen fills us in on what she’s been up to…

Thanks to the I’m a Scientist prize money, I’ve gotten to step out of my research laboratory at the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and talk with students and members of the public about science and science careers. During the competition, I had a blast meeting the many students online that participated in the I’m a Scientist chats, and they asked fantastic questions about infectious diseases, bacteria and vaccines.

I participate in outreach to students as a STEM ambassador because not only do I want to spread the good word about bacteria and vaccines, I really want students to see research scientists as real people, rather than people always in lab coats and safety goggles. I want them to know they don’t have to have the most perfect grades in every subject, that they can have hobbies like languages and music as well as work hard to cure cancer or make a vaccine! I am trying to inspire students to take science A-levels, and ultimately consider going into careers in science that they might not have ever heard about or knew to exist.

My flashy new Giant Microbe collection and ‘Bug bites’ sweeties!

When I won the Immune System Zone I said I would use the £500 prize money to visit schools and help with events that would encourage science and science careers in young people and that is just what I have done. I have used the prize money for various train journeys to transport myself and co-workers to schools. I have also bought squishy cute Giant Microbes to help me explain different diseases and bacterial attributes, such as flagella, cell morphology, and sporulation. We have bug-shaped sweeties to hand out as rewards for asking good science questions, and pencils too! We’ve even gotten fancy bright blue lab coats for students and us to wear during a science outreach activity.

One of these activities uses a Glowgerm solution which we get students to rub into their hands either before or after hand-washing with soap; it goes on clear and then we ask all the children to wash their hands. Then using a black light the bacteria will light up so they can see how well or badly they washed their hands. It’s a fun experiment to do with all school age kids and brings home the message about washing your hands and preventing spread of bacteria really well.

In my travels so far I have been to a ‘Women in Science’ day at Tolworth Girls School where I talked with Year 11 students about careers in science along with 11 other women from different science backgrounds. The students said that they found the day ‘inspiring’ and many said they would want to take science A Levels.

Me as an ultra-serious looking living library book. | Photo: Dr. Andrea Zelmer

I’ve also just been a ‘Living Book’ as part of an event at the London Bloomsbury Festival. I was ‘borrowed’ by members of the public for fifteen minutes at a time so I could talk with them about the topic of  ‘Bugs as Bioweapons’. I used the prize money to print off materials on microbes, antibiotic resistance, and the history of vaccines, and information on foam boards. Between myself and two co-workers we probably talked to almost 100 people at the event. I found this a really fun experience and we had some lovely feedback, one visitor said it was the’ best thing’ at the festival!

I’ve also participated with four of my favourite co-workers at a ‘career speed-dating’ event in Surbiton where I got to speak with over 150 year 6 students to convince them to take science A-levels, and I even have a work experience student now visiting me at my lab.

Aside from visits, I’m aiming to use some of the money to generate some simple, fun and re-usable ‘outreach packs’ to be used at festivals and school visits and help me and other scientists explain vaccines and infectious diseases in a simple and clear way.

Here I am holding some home-made beer, to show bacteria have their good, not just bad uses! I’m also holding career stories about people with science jobs and what A-levels they had taken to get them into the jobs they now have.

The I’m a Scientist prize money is helping make all of this possible, and teachers are thrilled when I get in contact and offer to come visit. Coming up in November I’m off to a primary school in Taunton, Somerset to spread the good word about vaccines and careers in science as part of the schools ‘Science Week’, where apparently I’ll get to sing songs about science, give out prizes at an assembly, and then meet with Years 3-6 individually to do some activities. I’m also looking forward to planning more school visits, including a ‘science masterclass’ for 6th formers from Camden in the New Year.