Zone Reports

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The Nobelium Zone was a general science zone supported by Wellcome. In the zone were six scientists:

• Rosemary Josekutty Thomas, a PhD computer scientist researching how to change people’s behaviour using messages
• Oliver Gordon, the zone winner, who is doing a PhD in AI/Nanoscience at The University of Nottingham
• Leigh Kesler, who uses a particle accelerator to imitate the damage in fission and fusion reactors
• Jordan Kirby, a teaching and research technician at the University of Reading
• Hannah Dennett, a consultant who assesses the impact that developments, such as new houses or roads, have on air quality
• David Sünderhauf, a PhD student using CRISPR biotechnology to combat antibiotic resistance

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The Lawrencium Zone was a general science zone supported by Wellcome. In the zone were six scientists:

• Srinath Kasturirangan, a genetic engineer who builds Frankenstein molecules in an attempt to cure cancer.
• Natasha Dowey, a volcanologist and geoscientist who uses knowledge of tectonic plates to understand where oil and gas can be found.
• Nana Odom, a clinical engineer who works as a healthcare scientist in a hospital.
• Marialuisa Crosatti, a microbiologist working as a technician in a university.
• Gautam Kambhampati, a PhD student interested in using lasers to build a quantum computer.
• Alexander Allen, the winner of the Lawrencium Zone, is a PhD student interested in nanoscience.

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The Drug Discovery Zone was a themed zone supported by Wellcome. It featured six scientists:

• Sebastian Cosgrove, who uses flow chemistry and enzymes to better control chemical reactions.
• Padhmanand Sudhakar, a computational biologist who engages with policy makers and politicians.
• Lee Steinberg, the winner of the Drug Discovery Zone, uses supercomputers to design new drugs and predict how they will behave.
• Jennifer Harris, who helps scientists discover and develop new treatments for patients.
• Fiona Scott, who makes new molecules in an effort to help cure cancer.
• Eleanor Senior, who tests the behaviour of cow parasites in order to locate genes for further testing.

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The Mendelevium Zone was a general science zone supported by Wellcome. It was a secondary school zone featuring six scientists:

• Morwenna Bugg reads and summarises scientific research for commissioners to decide how to work out what healthcare services we need
• Jamal Kinsella is a PhD student researching how people think while they are driving cars, so they can be taught to be safer
• Iain Staniland, the winner of this zone, works as an Antarctic wildlife ecologist researching seals, penguins and whales
• Heidi Gardner is a research assistant working out how to improve the way we conduct clinical trials
• Emma McEntee is a biostatistician working in drug development
• Carl Heron is an archaeological scientist and Director of Scientific Research at the British Museum

Over half of all the questions sent to the scientists in ASK were about science topics, with students wanting to know everything about the scientists’ areas of research and more general science questions. One student stood out by researching Carl’s journal articles and sending a 4-part question to him, including a comment on their favourite article, ‘Organic Mass Spectrometry in Art and Archaeology’. Continue reading →

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The Fermium Zone was a general science zone for primary schools, supported by Wellcome. It featured six scientists:

• Sophie Morse is a PhD student researching how to deliver medicine to the brain using microbubbles
• Simon Cork studies how our brains cause us to feel hungry or full
• Obi Umegbolu is a data analyst skills development coach, helping learners progress in the industry and supporting data analysis projects
• Kelly Rushton, the zone winner, researches mental health and how doctors, nurses and even animals can help patients with mental health issues
• John Midgley works as a technical manager at the British Geological Survey aiming to understand how changing the underground changes the world around us
• Jessica Leung is a quality technician at Kerry Ingredients and tests the flavours that go in our food and drink

This zone had fewer schools than other November zones, but students still engaged well in live chats. The final live chat, open to all schools, was particularly busy, with students telling the scientists they had joined the chat from home to find out who won. Continue reading →

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The Sustainability Zone was a themed zone for primary schools, supported by Wellcome. There were six scientists participating:

• Matt Bower works at the Scottish Government to maintain safe drinking water
• Maia Elliott writes at Global Food Security about how our food system could be made healthier and more sustainable
• Lyndsay Christie is a PhD student researching the diseases that infect fish and how we can control these to improve the health of fish
• Liam Taylor, the zone winner, studies how climate change affects the icy regions of our world
• Dionne Turnbull studies plant diseases and how plants can defend themselves from these infections
• Brendan Marrinan is a geo-environmental consultant where he assesses the contamination of land before someone can start building on it

Students in this zone showed great awareness of the current issues surrounding sustainability and the environment, and there were lots of discussions in ASK and CHAT about climate change, pollution and health. There were also a large number of questions about the scientists’ lives outside of work, their hobbies and families.

Fetlar Primary School on the Shetland Islands took part in this zone with a class of four students, who were all very engaged throughout the activity. Two of these joined both the evening chat and the 3hr open live chat from home. Continue reading →

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The Epidemic Zone was a themed zone supported by Wellcome with six scientists participating:

• Verity Hill is a PhD student, using genetics to better understand the spread and evolution of the Ebola virus
• Trystan Leng uses maths to study the spread of sexually transmitted infections through populations and how to control that spread as part of his PhD research
• Raquel Medialdea Carrera is a field epidemiologist at the European Centre for Disease Control and identifies epidemics and how to control them
• Danny Ward, the winner of this zone, is a PhD student trying to understand how bacteria are able to infect living things and how we can stop them doing so
• Catherine Smith is an infectious disease data scientist working at UCL using coding to assess disease epidemiology
• Andy Guise conducts research and lectures on inequality, health and homelessness at King’s College London

Students were very interested in the zone theme, asking about each of the scientists’ areas of research in addition to general questions about epidemics and diseases. A third of the questions put to the scientists in ASK concerned careers and education, but students were also interested to know about the scientists’ spare time and hobbies. Continue reading →

Read the full report The Food Zone was supported by Wellcome and involved six scientists. Stephen models the environmental impact of livestock farming, and looks at the effect of food sharing on the sustainability of food systems in cities Simran is a PhD student using design and technology to tackle the problem of food production and consumption in future cities Paul is researching how to get the most from permanent grassland, including food production, supporting wildlife and reducing the risk of flooding Mark is looking at Salmonella Typhimurium: how it responds to different conditions, its physical characteristics and the genes within the bacteria Jenny is looking at the effects different types of fishing can have on the environment, helping make fish products more ‘eco-friendly’ Ali, the winner of the Food Zone, is a sports nutritionist who works with athletes to find out how foods can make you better at sports … Continue reading →

Read the full report The Heart Zone was a primary school zone supported by Wellcome. Samuel, the winner of the zone, works on new technologies for assessing the state of the heart and its arteries Pankaj is a doctor and scientist, who also lectures in cardiovascular medicine Lucy looks at the heart and blood vessels of unborn babies to see how they are affected by changes in their environment Kate is studying for her PhD and is focusing on the shape of the heart in patients with aortic stenosis Jordan processes blood samples, separating them into groups and filtering them before they are ready for testing Emma programs pacemakers, monitors patients during operations and performs ultrasound scans on the heart in her work at a hospital Students in this zone were very excited to talk with scientists which came across in the lively and fun chats. Students wanted to know … Continue reading →