The Planet Earth Zone ran from 11 January to 5 February 2021 and was funded by the Royal Institution (Ri).
The activity was themed around the Ri’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES 2020, “Planet Earth, a User’s Guide”.
The Zone featured scientists and other contributors involved in producing the lectures, as well as scientists working in related fields, such geology, environmental science, oceanography, and sustainability.
Scientists and contributors
43 scientists and lecture contributors took part. They included:
- Alistair Young, who monitors water quality and pollution as a Trustee for the River Wey Trust. Alistair contributed to lecture 2, “Water World”.
- Hazel Jeffery, project manager at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
- Liam Taylor, PhD Student in climate science at the University of Leeds.
Students
1,637 students from 27 schools across the UK logged into the Zone.
66% of active students were from target schools: 54% from underserved schools and 16% from widening participation schools.
Live chats and questions
89 live chats took place during the activity: 61 were school classes, 24 were open chats accessible to members of the public, and 4 were for Ri Young Members.
On average, 5 scientists/lecture contributors attended each live chat.
219 student questions were approved. There were 278 answers provided.
