News

June 2013 Moderator Job Vacancies

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is an award-winning online event allowing teenagers to interact with real live scientists. We’re looking for 6 moderators to work on the next event which will run from the 17th to the 28th of June 2013. We will also be running 2 zones in I’m an Engineer at the same time, which will also need moderating. Your key responsibilities will be will be: hosting/moderating live chats approving questions looking after your zones logging and keeping track of great questions, comments and dialogue checking the site for errors and inappropriate content helping to run the site It’s actually a lot of fun as the students (and scientists) are quick and funny and full of energy. And hey, promoting science engagement is a good thing. What we’d like from you.. You should be bright, thoughtful, pick stuff up easily, ideally with an interest in … Continue reading →

Posted on May 13, 2013 by in Event News, IAS Event, Science Engagement | Comments Off

I’m a Scientist and RCUK

Research Councils UK (RCUK) first funded an I’m a Scientist zone in June 2011 when its Lifelong Health and Wellbeing programme supported the Healthy Ageing Zone. In March 2012 the RCUK Energy programme funded the Energy Zone, and in March 2013 the RCUK Digital Economy programme supported the Digital Zone. Why RCUK funds us Ruth Williams, Senior Policy Manager for Public Engagement with Research at RCUK, explains why RCUK chooses to continue funding zones in I’m a Scientist: RCUK has provided funding for I’m a Scientist in order to provide RCUK researchers with a platform to engage young people in their research and develop transferrable skills such as communication. A key aim for RCUK is to encourage engagement between young people and researchers to inspire, enthuse and motivate the next generation of researchers and enable more young people to act as informed citizens. I’m a Scientist gives young people a flavour … Continue reading →

Posted on May 8, 2013 by in News | Tagged Case Study | Comments Off

Reporting STEMNET interactions

We’ve been working with some STEMNET contract holders to provide information on the number of interactions between STEM ambassadors and school students during I’m a Scientist events. During the March event we recorded 68 unique interactions for 4 STEMNET contract holders, and we’d like to work with even more contract holders. If you can encourage lots of schools and STEM ambassadors from your region to sign up, in return we can tell you the number of interactions that took place during our events, along with providing you with the names of both STEM ambassadors and schools involved in these interactions. Liz Lister, STEMNET contract holder for Bristol, Bath and Somerset, explains how information on I’m a Scientist interactions is useful: We receive really positive feedback from schools and scientists about their IAS experiences, and we are keen to promote IAS participation as widely as possible throughout our STEM communities. “We … Continue reading →

Posted on April 29, 2013 by in News | Comments Off

Take part in June 2013!

In just 10 weeks time we’ll have started our next ‘I’m a Scientist’ event. From Monday June 17th to Friday June 28th we’ll be in the midst of yet more wonderful science engagement and outreach. We’ve got 18 zones confirmed so far. Zones Human Limits – funded by The Physiological Society Cells – funded by the British Society for Cell Biology Energy – funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry 3 zones just for STFC researchers. Preliminary suggestions are: Crystallography New Materials Extreme Speed 2 zones funded by the Institute of Physics for Stimulating Physics Network schools Earth Quantum 5 general zones funded by the Wellcome Trust – from Silver to Antimony 5 biomed themed zones funded by the Wellcome Trust UPDATE Proposed Biomed zones are: Animal Behaviour Blood Disease Hormones Reproduction Take Part Scientists wanting to take part should apply by Monday 6th May 2013 at https://imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply (see the email, to update … Continue reading →

Posted on April 17, 2013 by in Event News, Project News | Comments Off

I’m a Scientist and IOP

The Institute of Physics (IOP) has been funding zones in I’m a Scientist events since March 2011. Within two years it has funded three Space Zones, two Quantum Zones and a Laser Zone, Earth Zone and Medical Physics Zone. Why IOP funds us Taj Bhutta, IOP Careers and Student Officer, explains why IOP continues to support I’m a Scientist: It’s a new way of reaching students who are making that all important decision about what to study at A-level or university. Although traditional careers fairs and outreach activities work well at local level, I’m a Scientist has things going for it that make it an attractive proposition; it works across the UK, we have a reasonable guarantee that the scientists involved will be good communicators and we can target specific groups of students in order to widen participation. This year we are giving priority to students from the 400+ partner … Continue reading →

Posted on April 10, 2013 by in News | Tagged Case Study | Comments Off

I’m a NeuroScientist LIVE – And the winner was…

Last night saw the final of I’m a NeuroScientist live at the Barbican Centre, with over 200 audience members asking questions and voting as the five neuroscientists battled it out to win £200 for charity and the much-coveted I’m a NeuroScientist winner’s trophy. Both scientists and science-lovers came to see neuron network modeller Sarah Jarvis, March I’m a Scientist Brain Zone winner Jen Todd Jones, depression researcher Mark Horowitz, brain collector Pascal Durrenberger and music-lover Lauren Stewart. At £5 a ticket, audience members – 35% scientists themselves and the rest members of the public with an interest in science – were keen to have their brain questions answered by the experts. Questions included I’m a girl, I can read maps but I can’t multitask – am I broken? and can stress ever be good? At the end of the evening Mark Horowitz walked away with the trophy after some great answers on how stress … Continue reading →

Posted on April 10, 2013 by in I'm a Scientist - Live, News | Comments Off

Running I’m a Scientist with BTEC students – a teacher’s view

Teacher Emma Wagg, from Trentham High School (@ejw232 on twitter) has taken part in I’m a Scientist since 2011. I asked her if it feels different each time she takes part, and if some groups of students take to it more than others. Here’s what she said about taking part with her BTEC class.. Last year I did it with triple science students but this year with students completing the BTEC Principles of Science course. Their questions were amazing. Their interest was fab. They were genuinely interested in the answers. And were really impressed that the scientists gave up their time for them. It was the first time I’ve really felt like they truly appreciated that. They also recognised that the scientists could discover/create something truly amazing. The look on their faces when this dawned on them was something special. At the end of the live chat, Jack said ‘Miss, that was awesome’. It … Continue reading →

Posted on April 8, 2013 by in IAS Event, News, School, Science Education | Comments Off

I’m a NeuroScientist – Live: Last call for nominations for final

So here’s the plan. Heat winners Sarah Jarvis & Mark Horowitz are confirmed. Sarah models networks of neurons, to identify certain principles and test out scenarios, to establish why the neurons in our brains are connected to each other the way they are. Mark studies the molecular causes of depression using a human hippocampal stem cell model to understand what effect stress hormones, inflammation and antidepressants have on the brain. They will be joined by one of these five who are currently battling it out online for supremacy of the Brain Zone. That leaves two spaces in the I’m a NeuroScientist Live final. We’ve had a few nominations in, but we’re giving one more chance for final suggestions. Please email iaslive@gallomanor.com with your nominations by Friday 15th March 2013. Talking of spaces. There aren’t many left for the audience. Book online now. £5 plus a booking fee.

Posted on March 12, 2013 by in I'm a Scientist - Live, News | Comments Off

I’m a NeuroScientist – heat winners

“Do we need a brain?” “Can you ever stop thinking?” “Why does depression come on so quickly?” One sign of success with a public Q&A session is that the public mob the panel afterwards with the questions they couldn’t ask during the main event. Thank you to all the scientists who hung around for ages after the events last weekend. Congratulations to Sarah Jarvis and Mark Horowitz our I’m a NeuroScientist – Live Weekender Heat winners. The events at the Barbican last weekend were a real blast. The place was packed. People queueed to take part in science activities about the brain. It was a great feeling on both days to come out of the green room to find a large audience of about 150 people already sat down waiting for our show to start. Saturday had a distinctly youthful feel to it. they were excitable, noisy and ready to … Continue reading →

Posted on March 8, 2013 by ModShane in I'm a Scientist - Live, News | Comments Off

Valeria shares her I’m a Scientist experience

Last Summer Valeria Senigaglia, a researcher working with dolphins in the Philippines, took part in I’m a Scientist’s Animal Behaviour Zone. Valeria enjoyed the experience so much that she dedicated a blog post to it. I didn’t win but I had so much fun! It was challenging to explain complicated theory in few simple words and some of questions were so advanced I had to look it up myself. However it does remind you why you enjoy this work so much, by putting the research in perspective. […] It was the perfect chance to exchange ideas and information with some peers. Especially since scientists are usually secluded in small windowless rabbit holes, also called offices, and have few chances to share experiences and opinions, even less in an informal setting as it was this event. […] I highly recommend my colleagues to participate as well. Especially because you have fun in doing … Continue reading →

Posted on March 6, 2013 by in Project News, Science Engagement, Scientists | Comments Off

I’m a NeuroScientist – LIVE this weekend

Join us at the Barbican in London this weekend for two free live I’m a Scientist events giving you the chance to quiz real neuroscientists on the brain. Neuroscientists will be on stage taking audience questions at 3:45pm on Saturday and again at 3:15pm on Sunday as part of the Barbican Weekender. Each day, five scientists will compete for the votes of the audience to win a place in the final which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 9th April in Cinema One at the Barbican. Meet the NeuroScientists Saturday: Thomas Butts – Kings College London We study the evolution of the brain and its associated nerves – how does the developing embryo make neurons that allow it to sense the world around it? and how did it evolve new neurons, and in really large numbers? Martin Coath (@mcoath) – University of Plymouth I write computer programs and help to design … Continue reading →

Posted on February 28, 2013 by in I'm a Scientist - Live, News | Comments Off

Postcards, Postcards, get your I’m a Scientist Postcards

Postcards are great. They’re just the right size to hand out to people, leave in staffrooms, or take to conferences and meetings. They also look pretty, and get across the ‘feel’ of what I’m a Scientist is about. We’ve printed sets of brand spanking new postcards for teachers and scientists. There are 4 designs each for teachers and scientists, with 4 of our favourite questions students have asked over the years. And we need your help to distribute them all over the UK. Please email rosie@gallomanor.com or leave a comment on this post, if you’d like a bunch to hand out. Let us know: whether you’d like postcards for scientists or teachers (or both!) the address we should send them to We’ll post 100 unless you’d like more.

Posted on February 20, 2013 by in News | Comments Off

March 2013 Moderator Job Vacancies

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is an award-winning online event allowing teenagers to interact with real live scientists. We’re looking for 4 moderators to work on the next event which will run from the 11th to the 22nd of March 2013. We will also be running a zone in I’m an Engineer at the same time, which will also need moderating. Your key responsibilities will be will be: hosting/moderating live chats approving questions checking the site for errors and inappropriate content helping to run the site It’s actually a lot of fun as the students (and scientists) are quick and funny and full of energy. And hey, promoting science engagement is a good thing. What we’d like from you.. You should be bright, pick stuff up easily, ideally with an interest in science engagement. You’ll have great attention to detail and will enjoy being online, perhaps have … Continue reading →

Posted on February 11, 2013 by in Event News, IAS Event, Science Engagement | Comments Off

IAS Outreach by STEMNet Area

We’ve selected the scientists and schools (all will be revealed next week) and we’ve looked at where they are across the country. We want to work closely with STEMNet contract holders to promote our events to teachers, scientists and engineers, so we’ve calculated how many schools, classes and scientists are in each STEMNet contract area. From that we’ve calculated the estimated number of interactions (or Live Chats as we call them) we expect per area. On average each class has one live chat and each scientist attends seven. The best news was that there are only 3 areas where there is no activity. We are doing science engagement and enrichment across the country. But where do we have most activity? Most classes signed up: Bristol, Bath and Somerset – 25 Lancashire – 19 Surrey, Central and East Berkshire & West Yorkshire – 18 Special Kudos to Liz Lister in Bristol, … Continue reading →

Posted on February 7, 2013 by in Evaluation, Event News | Comments Off

International schools still wanted

Over the years we’ve had great support from schools across the world taking part in I’m a Scientist. There is one teacher who has been involved from almost the beginning, taking classes from 3 different school across different time zones, onto the site. I can imagine the event helps english-speaking students at schools across the world keep in touch with the UK through science. Having science questions from students in Budapest or Singapore makes our events more engaging too. Some of the keenest students have been based abroad. But Our funding from the Wellcome Trust is for only 50% of our costs and is only for schools in the UK. That means we need to give priority to UK schools and this March we are full. There is a way for overseas schools to take part. If we charge to cover some of the cost for you to take part … Continue reading →

Posted on February 1, 2013 by ModShane in Project News | Comments Off

Guten Tag, Bonjour, Hola Europe

I’m a Scientist is too good to keep to ourselves. We want to run it across Europe. We can’t do that on our own so we’re looking for others who want to join us in making it happen. Saskia Heijltjes is working with us to explore options, but we’d really like to help from any organisations across Europe who’d like to make the event happen in their country. There is more information about how we run IAS overseas here.

Posted on January 28, 2013 by in International, Project News | Comments Off

We’re oversubscribed with teachers wanting to take part in March

We run I’m a Scientist 3 times each year – March, June & November. The March events are always busy and popular with teachers. It coincides with National Science & Engineering Week and the timing fits in well with schemes of work. Thanks to more funding we’ve added 2 more themed zones – a Digital Zone and a Food Science Zone (more on these later this week in another post). Despite these zones creating 50 extra class places we weren’t prepared for just how oversubscribed we would be this time round. 11 zones with 25 classes in each zone gives 275 class spaces up for grabs. 142 teachers asked for 374 classes between them. Making the event oversubscribed by 36%. So, how have we allocated classes? Give as many teachers as possible places, ie give fewer classes to more teachers Cap the number of classes per teacher at 5 Try … Continue reading →

Posted on January 23, 2013 by in Event News, IAS Event, News, Science Engagement | Comments Off

I’m a NeuroScientist, Get me out of here – LIVE

Are male and female brains different? Is the brain more like a sponge or a computer? Do we really only use 10% of our brain? We’re taking I’m a Scientist on the road again. In March and April as part of Wonder: Art and Science on the Brain, a partnership between the Barbican and Wellcome Trust supported BNA2013: Festival of Neuroscience we are running 3 live I’m a Scientist live events. Instead of answering questions from the safety of your lab we’re asking Neuroscientists to get on stage to take questions directly from an audience. On Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd March, comedian and geek songstress, Helen Arney will be compering the events as part of the Barbican Weekender. Five scientists will compete for the votes of the audience to win a place in the final which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 9th April in Cinema One at … Continue reading →

Posted on January 9, 2013 by admin in I'm a Scientist - Live, IAS Event, News, Project News, Scientists | Comments Off

Space Zone winner Paul Higgins on Science Calling!

Paul Higgins from Trinity College Dublin, won the Space Zone in I’m a Scientist, Ireland this November. He was interviewed by Maria Delaney for sciencecalling.com, scroll down to have a listen.. We put this up, not just because it’s awesome, but because Paul explains perfectly the purpose and point of I’m a Scientist; the importance of outreach, that it’s not just beneficial for students, but for scientists too.. And obviously, how much fun it all is. Congratulations Paul! “I’ve always has this fear of having to talk to primary school students as I think they’re going to tear me apart or ask hard questions I don’t know and they won’t like my answers or something, so I think this is a really good way to get scientists to realise that it’s actually not that scary and they actually are interested in science. If you’re excited they’ll be excited. So it’s … Continue reading →

Posted on December 13, 2012 by in International, Project News, Science Engagement | Comments Off

What themed zones do teachers want?

For I’m a Scientist to work we need to run zones that teachers and students want. So when we’re deciding on zones to run in the next event we ask teachers to tell us what they want. Teachers voted on a longlist of zones we drew up – they could select as many as they’d be interested in taking part in. We also asked them for suggestions for other zones. Over 100 teachers told us what zones they’d like to see. The results are below.

Posted on December 12, 2012 by in Evaluation, IAS Event, News, Science Education | Comments Off

What can you do?

I want to take part with my class ❯

I want to take part as a scientist ❯

I want to find out about funding I’m a Scientist ❯

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.