How do you listen to the radio? Image by Sindre Skrede
We’re constantly trying out new things in I’m a Scientist. When Radio Cardiff asked if they could get involved by producing a radio programme during the event featuring one of the zones in March 2012 we thought it would be a great idea and good experience for the scientists. So we said ‘why not‘? Naturally it wasn’t quite as simple as that. There were other questions to consider too.
Which scientists would take part? 5 scientists from the Selenium Zone – Vicky, Ken, John, Jarvist & Indi.
Would it be live or pre-recorded? Both! Pre-recorded profiles of each scientist and a live broadcast for scientists to answer questions on the spot, in a Science Question Time style session.
When would it be broadcast? On Rhys’s (former IAS contestant and Radio Cardiff presenter) weekly science and technology Pythagoras’ Trousers during the 2 weeks of I’m a Scientist.
Would there be voting like in the online version? Yes, listeners vote on the site with the winner creating a short ~10min report on a science issue/topic of their choice for the programme.
How did it go?
The live show was hosted by Rhys Phillips and former IAS winner Tom Crick. The scientists were asked all manner of questions from listeners, including “What made you decide to go into research rather than a regular 9-5 job?“, “Does it bother you your science isn’t represented accurately in movies and TV?” & “Who do you look up to as inspiration?”
Answers to “What’s the most extreme experiment you’ve done?” ranged from taking a giant uterus to a music festival and racing giant sperm through the uterus, to trying to get a girls number wearing a tiny speedos, to working on synchrotron experiments with light up to 10 billion times brighter than the sun!
Scientists all agreed that the answer to “As a scientist would you rather have the Nobel Prize or save lives?” was easy – they’d rather save lives (well, ideally win a Nobel Prize through saving lives). And of course the answer to “What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?” is 42.
And the final result? Vicky made it a double win by triumphing in the radio show as well as winning the online event.
You can listen to a podcast of the programme here: http://ia600503.us.archive.org/0/items/PythagorasTrousers/120319-pythagorastrousers-episode71.mp3
What did the scientists think?
3 of the 5 scientists who took part told us what they thought of it. 2 were very positive, saying they enjoyed taking part, found it useful and would take part again and recommend it to a colleague.
“I really enjoyed doing the radio show- made you think quick on your feet… it enhanced the experience, having a different format to express your personality was good”
“mainly useful for the experience of doing a live radio ‘interview'”
One scientist didn’t find it as useful as the online event and wouldn’t want to do it again.
“It was okay. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the online version and felt that it took up alot of time for not much gain”
What have we learnt?
- The live question & answer session worked. The scientists gave interesting and amusing answers. The live part of the show seemed to be more useful than the pre-recorded profiles.
- We don’t know how many people listened in or downloaded the podcast after. To make future events worthwhile we would want to promote the event more. One of the scientists picked up on this, saying “Whether the show reached the target audience should be assessed- I think with more prominent advertising prior to, at the start and throughout the event would increase this”
- Some listeners did text and email questions in, although some were also taken from the I’m a Scientist site
- This format could work well in future events with more planning and promotion, to increase listener numbers and engagement.
Lastly, thank you to Vicky, Ken, John, Jarvist & Indi for taking part and making it a success. Thanks also to Rhys for making the radio show happen, and Tom for co-hosting.