In 2022, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC, rsc.org) directly part-funded 3 I’m a Scientist (IAS) Zones to engage students with chemistry. Members of the RSC participated in a further 4 Zones. This report is a summary of the activity in, and an evaluation of, the impact of those Zones.
Summary:
- Throughout 2022, RSC members participated in 7 out of 12 Zones across the IAS platform, 3 of which were directly part-funded by the RSC
- 4,550 students logged in, with 77% actively engaging
- RSC members took part in a total of 123 Chat sessions
- 83 unique schools took part
- 69% of participating UK schools were priority schools
- Students from 66 schools interacted directly with RSC members
- 46 reported RSC members took part
- representing a wide range of backgrounds providing students with insight into different careers, fields and routes into chemistry
- Taking part has a positive impact on participating scientists:
- 74% of respondents reported an increase in skill in communicating with lay people
- 77% of scientists felt their enthusiasm for communicating with lay audience increased
“I really enjoyed taking part in I’m a Scientist. I had a lot of fun talking to the students and answering their questions. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I signed up, but I would 100% recommend taking part to other scientists.“
Hannah Howman, scientists, feedback survey
