In March 2020, I’m a Scientist, Stay at home was launched to allow school students to stay connected with STEM during the school closures due to coronavirus. Students could log in and take part whether they were at school or at home, reconnecting with their teachers and each other.
The Chemistry Zone ran over 9 weeks as part of the Stay at home activities, instead of the usual two. There were 45 live chats, compared to the usual two week zone average of 16. This Zone was funded by Johnson Matthey with additional funding from UKRI.
- 89 scientists created profiles in the Zone, and 83 engaged with students in live chats and answered questions. 73 of these scientists were new to the I’m a Scientist activities.
- Scientists from a broad range of areas and career stages took part. For example, Tiffany Chan is researching radioactive drugs for cancer treatment, Zoe Ingold is a PhD student at studying enzymes, and Andrew Stonor is a pollution control scientist at Johnson Matthey. On average, 9 scientists attended each chat session.
- 643 students from 36 schools all over the UK logged into the Zone. 18 of these schools had taken part in a previous I’m a Scientist activity.
- 6% of active students were from Widening Participation schools, and 23% from Underserved Schools.
