News

March, June or November?

When teachers ask me what aged students they should bring on I’m a Scientist, my answer is often something along the lines of “well, it’s developed for Year 9 students but all ages get something different out of taking part, so take your pick”. The good news is that our data supports this. When students register we ask them what year group they’re in. There are Year 5s. There are also Year 13s. Around two thirds of the 30,000+ students registered so far are KS3 (Years 7, 8 & 9). The bad news? It’s not really bad news as such, but it looks like I should also be advising teachers on the time of year they should take part with different year groups. March and June are great for pre-GCSE students. Teachers tell us they’re looking for something fun to do with students at the end of the year. They’re less good … Continue reading →

Posted on March 14, 2014 by modjosh in Evaluation, News | Comments Off

Widening Participation – Where we started (Feb 2014)

Using data from the Department for Education we have looked to see how the state schools signed up for I’m a Scientist have compared to all state schools across England (data is not as easily available for Wales, Scotland and NI). We have used 4 measures. Polar, IDACI, GCSE 5+, and FSM. More information here. We have 552 english state secondaries with correct postcodes signed up on our list. That is our sample for this data. Anecdotally you hear that schools in the most deprived areas struggle to take part in enrichment and outreach activities like I’m a Scientist. The data we’ve analysed suggests that those schools are less likely to sign up but it is not as extreme as we expected. That’s the good news. Schools from across the spectrum are interested in taking part in I’m a Scientist, but those that actually turn up are much … Continue reading →

Posted on February 20, 2014 by in News, Widening Participation | Comments Off

I’m a Scientist so far in numbers

How many zones have we run? How many students engaging with how many scientists? Asking how many questions? What year group are they? Where in the UK are they? These are some of the questions we get asked a lot, and until now haven’t had all the answers in one place to roll off the tip of our tongues. We’re pulling together some slides summarising I’m a Scientist to date and once they’re done we’ll post them up here. In the mean time, I’ll be posting snippets that show just how far we’ve come since our first big Wellcome Trust grant in 2010. To start us off (and to set the scene for the graphs and maps to come in future posts) here are some of the numbers so far, up to February 2014: Zones: 118 51 general science zones, 67 themed zones Spread across 10 events, in March, June … Continue reading →

Posted on February 14, 2014 by in Evaluation, News | Comments Off

March 2014 Moderator Job Vacancies

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is an award-winning online event allowing students (from 9 – 18) to interact with real live scientists. We’re looking for 3 moderators to work on the next event which will run from the 10th March to the 21st March 2014. 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: checking and approving questions adding appropriate keywords and tags logging and keeping track of questions, comments and dialogue checking the site for errors and inappropriate content and usernames moderating live chats 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, am I right?! What we’d like from you.. You should be bright, thoughtful, … Continue reading →

Posted on February 6, 2014 by modemily in Event News, IAS Event, Science Engagement | Comments Off

I’m a Scientist acts as a public engagement booster for scientists

Anecdotally, we’ve heard of how I’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 I’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 I’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 I’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

Big Data Season

Science used to be so simple. Physics involved dropping lead weights, and swinging pendulums. Chemistry meant mixing two liquids and measuring the heat rise or change in colour. Biology was about identifying leaves and insects. But that has all changed. Physicists now use the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to generate vast quantities of data to model how the universe is constructed. Chemists study molecular structures through crystallography through complex computer transformations. But perhaps the biggest change has come in biology. Geneticists are working out the details of the building blocks of life through sequencing genes. Epidemiologists are working out how disease spreads using computer models of millions of people. Neuroscientists are embarking on projects to recreate the brain using computer networks. Computers and the Big Data they generate are radically changing science. The I’m a Scientist Big Data season in 2014 will explore how computers are used in real … Continue reading →

Posted on January 8, 2014 by ModShane in News, Project News | Comments Off

How does I’m a Scientist change students’ perceptions of science?

We’ve just run I’m a Scientist in Ireland and are curious to know how our event actually affects students’ attitudes towards science. In order to do this, we included a short and compulsory pre-event survey in the form students used to register. We then asked students to fill in the exact same survey on their profile page after the event. When we matched the data from the two surveys, 92 students (7% of 1,247 students that participated in I’m a Scientist) had filled in both surveys. Importantly, data from the total number of students that filled in the pre-event survey very closely correlates with the pre-event data of this 92 student sample. We were very happy to find out that students’ interest in science and science related careers is clearly increased after taking part in I’m a Scientist. This is what we have learnt: The amount of students that say they love science doubled after taking part in … Continue reading →

Posted on December 19, 2013 by modangela in Evaluation, Event News, IAS Event, News, Science Education, Science Engagement, Teachers | Comments Off

Food and behaviour change scientists wanted

Do you know any scientists or healthcare professionals working around nutrition, behavioural change, food security, food and lifestyle related diseases? In early 2014 we’re doing something a bit different. We’re running a Hungry Zone alongside an educational play called ‘Hungry‘, a Theatre of Debate touring performance about food and behaviour change. The Hungry Zone gives students a voice to ask questions that they might have kept to themselves after the performance, to a group of experts. The experts see what concerns the students have around this topic, and practice their communication skills. We’re looking for experts to answer questions and have live chats (up to an hour a day) for a week or two between January and April 2014. There’s lots more info at hungry.imascientist.org.uk/experts-take-part including how to apply.

Posted on December 13, 2013 by modjosh in News | Comments Off

Ask questions about the Life Fantastic in the CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone

Over the years I’ve often heard people complain that Science on TV isn’t real engagement, it’s only one-way and engagement needs to be two way. On Saturday 28th December we’re going to help the Ri have their cake and eat it. At 8pm the first of this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES on the Life Fantastic by Alison Woollard will be broadcast on BBC4. Anyone watching will be able log in at xmaslectures.imascientist.org.uk and ask the questions that the lectures provoke and leave unanswered. The zone is open to everyone: the studio audience who watched the filming; the audience watching at home (yes, you too); and also to schools who watch during lessons in the New Year. Alison, her lab team and nearly 20 other developmental biologists will take turns until the end of January answering questions and taking part in live chats with school students. This project is especially exciting for us. … Continue reading →

Posted on December 13, 2013 by modjosh in News | Comments Off

What criteria do students judge scientists on?

We’re always evaluating the online STEM enrichment activity, I’m a Scientist, to explore its impact and how it can be improved. Check out latest evaluation posts. When students take part in I’m a Scientist they get to vote for their favourite scientist to win £500 to spend on communicating more science. It gives them ownership of the project and they decide who gets, in effect, a small grant for public engagement. But what are students’ votes based on? This is how 855 students (or groups of students) have ranked certain criteria from most to least important when considering how to vote for scientists, between January 2012 and November 2013. The results come from a Drag & Drop ranking activity in the first lesson plan “You’re the Judges” that teachers run to introduce their students to I’m a Scientist. The top ranked criteria are all linked to health or the scientific method. This is reflected in the number of … Continue reading →

Posted on November 8, 2013 by admin in Evaluation, IAS Event, News, Teachers | Comments Off

Using teacher feedback to plan future themed zones

A question I sometimes get asked when I tell people about I’m a Scientist, is how do we choose which zones to run? In short: we ask teachers what they’d like. In July we emailed all the teachers signed up for I’m a Scientist to ask them what zones they’d like to see in our next three events: November 2013, March 2014 and June 2014. Just over 40 teachers filled in each survey by ticking as many of the 40 zone choices as they’d like (some are zones we’ve run before, others are new). Which zones came out top? The graph shows the top 20 zones, by the number of teacher requests across the 3 surveys for November, March and June. Forensic Science and Genes zones came out top, closely followed by Stem Cells, Health, Organs and Sport Science. Most of the top requested zones are biomedical; this might be because there … Continue reading →

Posted on October 30, 2013 by in Evaluation, IAS Event, News | Comments Off

Utarid, Zuhrah & Bumi – Science Engagement Malaysian Style

Our next I’m a Scientist Zone is going to be called the Utarid Zone. After Utarid will come Zuhrah and then Bumi. These three zones are particularly exciting for me because they are a big endorsement of the appeal of our little science outreach event. To date we’ve run over a 100 zones in the UK, we’ve run the event in Ireland, our friends at bridge8 have run it five times in Australia, but Utarid, Zuhrah and Bumi are special because they are taking place in Malaysia, a country that doesn’t have an Anglo culture. We’re teaming up with the Academy of Science Malaysia to provide them with the site and knowhow to run the event. It all kicks off on October 21st and there is still time for any Malaysian scientists working anywhere around the globe to apply to take part. If you might be interested just email ias@sciencebuzz.my … Continue reading →

Posted on September 6, 2013 by in International, News, Project News | Comments Off

I’m a Scientist Live: Case Study

I’m a Neuroscientist Live at the Barbican In March and April 2013 we organised the heats and final of I’m a NeuroScientist Live at the Barbican as part of Wonder season: Art and science on the brain. In the first heat on Saturday 30th March the five scientists taking part were: Thomas Butts and Irene Jacobson from Kings College London, Martin Coath from the University of Plymouth, Sarah Jarvis from Imperial College London and Esha Massand from Birbeck, University of London. While on Sunday 31st the next five scientists competing were Amy Birch from Imperial College London, Jonathan Webb from the University of Oxford, Eva Feredoes from the University of Reading, Mark Horowitz from Kings College London and Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster. We found all 10 of these participants and gave them a full briefing before the event. Neural network modeller Sarah Jarvis from the first … Continue reading →

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

I’m a Scientist Live: The Package

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! Live puts five scientists on stage to compete for audience votes by answering the public’s burning science questions. Whichever topics you’d like to be talked about, we can work with you to find enthusiastic experts in their field who are keen to engage the public with their work. The event is based on the successful online format, where school students take part in live online chats with scientists and vote for their favourite. The live format takes advantage of the public’s curiosity, allowing them not only to engage with the scientists but to decide for themselves the best science communicator. Click here to find full details of our most recent I’m a Scientist Live event, which was held at the Barbican and included two heats in March and a final in April. Update: The most recent I’m a Scientist Live event was … Continue reading →

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

We’ve published all our zone reports from June

We’ve published all our individual zone reports from the June 2013 event. If you delve further back into the archives, you’ll find them for the zones we ran in March 2013 & November 2012 too. All the reports are tagged (funnily enough) under “Evaluation Reports“. Each report sums up the activity in that zone. They provide some information for the scientists and teachers in that zone about how much the students and scientists interacted. How many questions were asked and answered? What were the popular topics asked by students? What examples of great engagement stood out? What did students, scientists & teachers say about taking part? How does the winner plan to spend their £500 on communicating more science? We email out each report to all the scientists and teachers in that zone. Scientists tell us the reports really help justify their participation to supervisors and colleagues. The detail tells them … Continue reading →

Posted on July 17, 2013 by in Evaluation, News | Comments Off

Class filmed taking part in I’m a Scientist

Laura Heintz, teacher at Weston School in Wisconsin, US, recently posted this great video of her students taking part in I’m a Scientist. Her class were in the Technetium Zone in March this year. Take a look… In the video, the students gather around laptops to discuss the scientists and their research, planning questions in advance. There’s a real buzz after the live chat, with the students excited that they’ve just talked to “real scientists”. One student comments: “It was really fun – they said that we were really good students too.” The class seemed to most enjoy the interaction with the scientists and chance to find out more about their work, with another student saying: “We were talking to Jon a lot, we were kind of bombarding him with questions… We watched some of his videos, the one where he threw a rock down on some lava was really … Continue reading →

Posted on July 17, 2013 by in IAS Event, News, School | Comments Off

Organising schools visits from IAS scientists – a teacher’s view

Something we’d like to encourage is more scientists visiting schools after taking part in I’m a Scientist. After every event we add the participating scientists and schools to this map – about.imascientist.org.uk/about/teacher-and-scientist-map – sharing the scientists’ contact details with teachers. One teacher who’s made the most of the scientists nearby is Tom Holloway, from Westfield Primary School in Surrey. 4 scientists have visited the school, and he tells us more about what they got up to… “Westfield Primary School has taken part in I’m A Scientist Get Me Out Of Here for two years running now. It has been an amazing learning experience for our pupils who have been motivated and engaged by the event. One of the best outcomes for our school has been the number of visits to us that it has generated. Impressed by our pupils enthusiasm for and love of science, lots of scientists who have taken part in IMAS have … Continue reading →

Posted on June 26, 2013 by in IAS Event, News, School, Science Education, Science Engagement | Comments Off

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

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

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.