I’m a Scientist – Live! at The Festival of Tomorrow

A group of seven people (L to R: Dr Suze Kundu, Mark Ridgill, Hobbs Willetts, Dr Ben Dryer, Dr Bea Gomes, Alejandro Allo & Shane McCracken) stands on a stage in front of a yellow backdrop with "Festival of Tomorrow" repeatedly printed in black. They are dressed in a mix of casual and professional clothing, with some wearing bright colors like red and orange, while others wear darker or neutral tones. The group is diverse in age and gender, with relaxed postures and smiling expressions. The stage is dimly lit except for spotlights illuminating the group.

The Festival of Tomorrow is the place for science, workshops, and demonstrations in Swindon. This year 47,000 visitors interacted with it. At the Festival Finale, on Saturday 22nd February, we ran I’m a Scientist – Live! with support from STFC.

Five scientists tested the audience with science facts and fiction about their area of work. Our MC Dr Suze Kundu then literally threw open the event for questioning from the 210 members of the public in the audience. 

Catching foam filled Catchbox microphones ignited the enthusiasm from the younger members of the audience to interrogate the scientists. Questions about quantum entanglement, favourite planets, motivations for researching cancer and an unforgiving contest between chemistry and the rest, for the title of best science subject followed.

Our participants were Mark Ridgill from Evotec, Hobbs Willett from the Quantum Engineering Technology Labs in Bristol, Ben Dryer from the Open University, Bea Gomes from the Turing Institute and Alejandro Allo from the Institute of Cancer.

After 50 minutes our audience held up coloured cards to indicate which scientist they wanted to win. It seemed evenly split, but a slight edge of red gave it to Ben Dryer. Space wins again.

The audience, now familiar with the voting system, put it to one final use to give us some feedback on what they got out of the session:

91% agreed with “I feel inspired by the science and technology I heard about today“

92% indicated “I would like to go to other places like this again“

93% said “I feel the science and technology I saw today are important to my life“

Dr Ben Dryer in a red knitted cardigan and glasses speaks into a microphone while gesturing with his left hand during a panel discussion. He is seated in a modern, light gray chai. To his right, Dr Bea Gomes in a white turtleneck and jeans sits in a purple chair, her hands folded in her lap, listening with a slight smile. The stage is dimly lit, with a dark background emphasizing the speakers.
Dr Ben Dryer and Dr Bea Gomes
Dr Suze Kundu with long, dark hair stands on stage, holding a microphone in one hand and a green padded throwable microphone cube in the other. She is wearing a black blazer over a dark outfit and gestures as she speaks with a confident expression. To her right, a man with short gray hair sits on a chair wearing a blue t-shirt that reads, "The periodic table can't be wrong." He has a slightly amused expression and looks off to the side. The stage is dimly lit, with a black curtain as the backdrop.
Dr Suze Kundu
A wide-angle view of a panel discussion at the Festival of Tomorrow shows a dimly lit auditorium with an engaged audience. On stage, a woman in a black blazer stands at the edge, speaking into a microphone while six panelists sit in a row of modern chairs. The panelists are dressed casually, with some wearing bright colors like red and blue. A yellow "Festival of Tomorrow" backdrop stands behind them. The audience, including adults and children, is seated in tiered rows, some taking notes or holding programs. A suspicious looking man in an orange jacket stands near the exit at the back.
Panel discussion at the Festival of Tomorrow

Posted on March 18, 2025 by ModShane in Evaluation, Evaluation Reports, I'm a Scientist - Live, STFC. Comments Off on I’m a Scientist – Live! at The Festival of Tomorrow

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What is I’m a Scientist?

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

It’s a competition between scientists, where the students are the judges.

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.