Scientists

Showing students the multitude of pathways into STEM careers

Through I’m an Engineer, Aisling Lee was able to show school students a different pathway into STEM. Continue reading

Posted on May 17, 2022 by modjosie in News, Scientists | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Showing students the multitude of pathways into STEM careers

Transforming scientistsā€™ approaches to public engagement through Iā€™m a Scientist

Taking part in Iā€™m a Scientist, Get me out of here! transformed PhD student Liam Taylorā€™s approach to public engagement. Continue reading

Posted on October 19, 2021 by modjosie in Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Transforming scientistsā€™ approaches to public engagement through Iā€™m a Scientist

Supporting an employee’s public outreach

RĆ©ka Nagy, a Scientist at Genomics PLC, approached her employer about taking part in Iā€™m a Scientist in the summer of 2020. Her manager found that taking part was beneficial to both of them: “In addition to the fact that she was doing something useful, I think RĆ©ka benefitted from the opportunity to improve her presentation and engagement skills.” Continue reading

Posted on April 21, 2021 by modjosie in Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Supporting an employee’s public outreach

Learning quality engagement principles in IAS Academy

Katie believes taking the course ā€˜really added valueā€™ to her experience: ā€œThe IAS Academy was of interest to me as I havenā€™t had the opportunity for much formal training in outreach and felt that my skills could be improved by doing it alongside the IAS activity.ā€ Continue reading

Posted on January 20, 2020 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Learning quality engagement principles in IAS Academy

Transforming perceptions of public engagement

Julian is an active malaria researcher. He also leads a programme of learning and engagement around genomics for scientists, healthcare professionals and public audiences.

In 2011, Julian took part in the Argon Zone of Iā€™m a Scientist and describes it as a ā€˜transformative momentā€™ in his public engagement career:
ā€œOn my office wall I have a couple of papers that have made the covers of certain journals. Right next to them is my certificate from Iā€™m a Scientistā€ Continue reading

Posted on December 4, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Transforming perceptions of public engagement

Highlighting technician roles in industry

Jess Leung took part in an Iā€™m a Scientist general zone along with five other scientists from a range of industries and career stages.

School students were very interested in her work ā€œtesting flavours that go into food and drinksā€ and she found the whole experience rewarding, fun and flexible enough to fit in around her work schedule. Continue reading

Posted on October 10, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Highlighting technician roles in industry

Kickstarting an award winning public engagement career

Suzi won the Brain Zone back in June 2011 as a PhD student at the University of Bristol. She wanted to put her prize money towards starting a podcast that explained the science of substance use. Continue reading

Posted on July 24, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Kickstarting an award winning public engagement career

Improving communication skills and finding phrases that work

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Aileen remembers taking part in Iā€™m a Scientist when at school. Now a PhD student in Data, Risk and Environmental Analytical Methods, Aileen participated as a scientist in the Climate Zone.

Aileen had had experience communicating her work to visitors at her research institute and at one off events like Big Bang Fair. However, she believes taking part helped her develop short ā€˜quick-fireā€™ explanations of her research. Continue reading

Posted on June 25, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Improving communication skills and finding phrases that work

Long lasting benefits for employees and employers

 

Before taking part in I’m an Engineer, Emma Ryan felt the engagement events she was involved in werenā€™t reaching those who would benefit most. ā€œTalking to girls about engineering is a big push for what I do,ā€ she says, ā€œbut we were going to speak to women at university who know theyā€™re doing engineering… I think itā€™s more important to go back to primary school.ā€

In Iā€™m an Engineer, Emma was able to directly reach this audience. Winning the zone then gave her Ā£500 towards her own engagement activities, which she used to leverage support from her employer. Continue reading

Posted on June 17, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Long lasting benefits for employees and employers

Two-way engagement: immediate feedback on communication

 

Before taking part in Iā€™m a Scientist, Max Jamilyā€™s previous outreach experience was mainly blog posts and summer camps. ā€œThat definitely sets Iā€™m a Scientist aside, where the main focus was me and my work,ā€ he says. Continue reading

Posted on June 6, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Two-way engagement: immediate feedback on communication

Improving communication skills through text-only conversations

 

Euan took part in Iā€™m a Scientist during the second year of his PhD at the Quantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training. Answering questions through the text-based format allowed him to ā€˜recalibrateā€™ his language to suit his audience.

Euan had done some in-person engagement previously but does not think of it as the best way to develop communication skills. Continue reading

Posted on June 4, 2019 by modemily in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on Improving communication skills through text-only conversations

STEM engagement for scientists’ busy schedules

Hayley Pincott took part in Iā€™m a Scientist in June 2018, spending two weeks chatting with school students about her role as an Associate Practitioner Healthcare Scientist at a University Dental Hospital. Hayley found the experience flexible enough to fit around the workload of a public sector scientist, and it gave her the skills and confidence to do further public engagement. Continue reading

Posted on April 3, 2019 by admin in News, Scientists | Tagged | Comments Off on STEM engagement for scientists’ busy schedules

‘That was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in science’ ā€“ November 2017 Winners blog posts

After every event we ask the winning scientists to write a short postĀ to be sent to all the students who took part in the zone. Itā€™s the perfect way for the scientists to reflect on the previous two weeks, thank all the students for voting for them, and talk about how they plan to use their Ā£500 prize money.

If youā€™re a scientist keen toĀ experience the ā€˜best crash course in scicommā€™, apply now for the next event, taking place 5thā€“16th March, at imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply

Continue reading

Posted on November 24, 2017 by in News, Scientists | Comments Off on ‘That was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in science’ ā€“ November 2017 Winners blog posts

‘My spirit is uplifted’ ā€“ June 2017 Winners blog posts

After every event we ask the winning scientists to write a short postĀ to be sent to all the students who took part in the zone. Itā€™s the perfect way for the scientists to reflect on the previous two weeks, thank all the students for voting for them, and talk about how they plan to use their Ā£500 prize money. If youā€™re a scientist keen toĀ experience the ā€˜best crash course in scicommā€™, apply now for the next event, taking place 6thā€“17th November, at imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply   Sanjib Bhakta, Birkbeck University of London, Drug Resistance Zone I never believed live-chat could be so easy and often stress-busting! My special thanks to all the students for engaging constructively and asking brilliant questions all round. I am reassured that all your intensely inquisitive minds, love, passion and extended hands will make global health emergencies like drug resistance appear trivial and under control in the near … Continue reading

Posted on June 30, 2017 by in News, Scientists | Comments Off on ‘My spirit is uplifted’ ā€“ June 2017 Winners blog posts

March 2017 Winner Blogs

After every event we ask the winning scientists to write a short blog to be sent to all the students who took part in the zone. Itā€™s the perfect way for the scientists to reflect on the previous two weeks, thank all the students for voting for them, and talk about how they plan to use their Ā£500 prize money. If you’re a scientist keen toĀ experience the ‘best crash course in scicomm’, apply now for the next event at imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply Letā€™s take a look at what the MarchĀ Winners had to sayā€¦ Carrie Ijichi, Animal Behaviour Zone The students have blown my mind with their open, creative inquiries about animal behaviour and how much they care about the subject. To be voted the winner at the end of all that fun was such a surprise and made me feel really special. I want to thank all the students who asked questions … Continue reading

Posted on March 23, 2017 by in News, Scientists | Comments Off on March 2017 Winner Blogs

November 2016 Winner Blogs

After every event we ask the winning scientists to write a short blog to be sent to all the students in who took part in the zone. Itā€™s the perfect way for the scientists to reflect on the previous two weeks, thank all the students for voting for them, and talk about how they plan to use their Ā£500 prize money. If you’re a scientist keen toĀ experience the ‘best crash course in scicomm’, apply now for the next event at imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply Letā€™s take a look at what the November Winners had to sayā€¦ Joe, Brain Zone A big thank you to all of the students with their exuberant enthusiasm, never-ending curiosity, and fantastic sense of humour. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with youĀ and discussing your questions. I was really impressed how some of you put the finger right onto the big questions that have kept scientists and philosophers busy forĀ centuries. Other … Continue reading

Posted on December 5, 2016 by in News, Scientists | Comments Off on November 2016 Winner Blogs

June 2016 Winner Blogs

After every event we ask the winning scientists to write a short blog to be sent to all the students in who took part in the zone. Itā€™s a great way for the scientists to reflect on the previous two weeks and thank all the students for voting for them. Letā€™s take a look at what the June Winners had to sayā€¦ Jonny, Antibiotics Zone I was super nervous in the run up to the the result because I really didnā€™t think I would win! Originally, I thought it was going to be difficult to juggle my time in the lab and devoting time to answering questions and participating in live chats. With some careful organisation things worked out really well and as soon as the questions started pouring in, I became addicted! I hope you all learned as much as I did! Read more Laura, Catalysis Zone The questions … Continue reading

Posted on July 6, 2016 by modjosh in News, Scientists | Comments Off on June 2016 Winner Blogs

Iā€™m a Scientist acts as a public engagement booster for scientists

Anecdotally, weā€™ve heard of how Iā€™m a Scientist can be a good starting point for science communication activities. This was the case of Suzi Gage, Tom Crick or Suze Kundu, who took part in Iā€™m a Scientist in June 2011 and are now putting a great emphasis on the communication side of their scientific careers or even fully devoting to it. However, we were still curious to know to what extent we could extrapolate this to the wider community of scientists that have participated in the event during the last years. How could we know if Iā€™m a Scientist had encouraged them to do more science outreach? Well, we decided to ask them. We sent a survey to all the scientists that had participated in Iā€™m a Scientist until 2012, leaving a gap of at least one year since they took part in the event. Approximately a quarter of the … Continue reading

Posted on January 8, 2014 by modangela in Evaluation, Event News, News, Science Engagement, Scientist Benefits, Scientists | Comments Off on Iā€™m a Scientist acts as a public engagement booster for scientists

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 didnā€™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. […]Ā 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. […]Ā 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 on Valeria shares her I’m a Scientist experience

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