Here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for, as I can officially announce the scientists taking part in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here! in March 2011.
Choosing the scientists was agonising. With over 230 applicants for originally just 25 spaces, competition was incredibly tough. The lovely Institute of Physics came forward and sponsored the Space Zone, creating 5 more spaces for scientists. Even so, there were so many wonderful scientists working on fascinating research that we had to turn down.
Scientists were chosen by combining ratings from students and teachers taking part in March, from us and from a representative from our funders, the Wellcome Trust. Students and teachers rated scientists solely on the one sentence description of their work they wrote when they applied. This description was really important. Scientists were rated much higher if they used language that 13 to 14 year olds, from across the ability range, would understand.
Scientists who have taken part before have thoroughly enjoyed the event, saying “It engaged the kids in a way I’ve never seen before” and “I didn’t realise just how much fun the live chats would be and what a great rapport we would build up over a computer!” And this March will be no exception! Excitement is really building up, and we hope the students, teachers and scientists are looking forward to the event as much as we are.
Be sure to check out the website on Monday 28th February, when it goes live and you can find out more about the fabulous scientists taking part.
So without further ado, congratulations to the following scientists!
Chlorine Zone
| Sarah Thomas | University of Edinburgh | Hi, I’m doing a project for Cancer Research UK and I am investigating these little antennas that stick out of your cells – cancer cells have them too – they pick up signals from your body that cause cancer cells to multiply and spread. |
| Murray Collins | Institute of Zoology, London School of Economics | I’m studying how to manage tropical forests to slow climate change and to protect the Sumatran tiger – I also often live in the jungle! |
| Diana Drennan | Unilever Research & Development | I use computer graphics to find substances to put in face cream that helps skin look and feel better – it’s very visual and fun. |
| Caspar Addyman | Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London | I study how baby’s brains learn to be children’s brains and how children’s brains learn to be grown-up brains. |
| Alan Winfield | Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England | I build intelligent robots, especially swarms of robots that behave like social insects (ants) – I use robots to do science and in my lab I’m using robots as working models to help us better understand animal intelligence, evolution and even human culture. |
Argon Zone
| Stephen Moss | Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London | Causes of and cures for blindness. |
| Julian Rayner | Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute | I try to understand how malaria parasites recognize and invade human red blood cells in order to develop new strategies to prevent malaria. |
| Jemma Ransom | University of Aberdeen | What links a polar bear to the humble carrot? My research explores this question and why this improbable link is so important for your brain. |
| Eoin Lettice | University College Cork | Winning the battle against plant pests, using soil bugs and wild plant relatives. |
| Charlie Ryan | Queen Mary University of London | Working on the development of colloid thrusters, a new type of spacecraft propulsion! |
Potassium Zone
| Probash Chowdhury | GlaxoSmithKline | Designing and testing the safety of potential new medicines before doctors can prescribe them. |
| Melanie Stefan | California Institute of Technology | I am looking at the molecules in the brain that are needed for learning and memory, using both computer simulations and biochemical experiments. |
| Mark Vesey | Sellafield Ltd | Working as project manager for Sellafield Ltd in the clean up & decommissioning of nuclear waste and reprocessing of nuclear fuel. |
| Luna Munoz | University of Central Lancashire | I study how some children may become cold, uncaring, and hurtful people. |
| David Pyle | University of Oxford | I want to understand how volcanoes work, so that we can be better placed to anticipate future volcanic eruptions, and reduce the risks of volcanic activity to society. |
Forensic Science Zone
| Niamh Nic Daeid | University of Strathclyde | My work is very varied, I teach forensic science and crime scene investigation, I lead a research team and we work on figuring out how fires start, how to test drugs and test explosives and how to see fingerprints at crime scenes. |
| Mark Hill | Forensic Collision Investigation & Reconstruction Unit | I am a police collision investigator, investigating fatal road collisions. Within my role I undertake full examination of vehicles, the consideration of medical evidence, and undertake forensic examinations. |
| Katherine Davies | University of Portsmouth | Research into how we use insects to determine time since death (Forensic Biology). |
| Jodie Dunnett | Staffordshire University | I am a lecturer, also working towards a PhD looking at the use of metal ions in heroin to determine geographical origin. |
| Jamie Pringle | Keele University | A geoscientist who helps find buried objects, ranging from mine shafts to dead people! |
Stem Cells Research Zone
| Sharon Sneddon | University of Manchester | I am trying to find ways of creating ethically acceptable human embryonic stem cells. |
| Kara Cerveny | Cell Press | I just finished a post-doc where I examined the stem cells in the eyes of zebrafish to understand how cells know when to stop dividing and turn into the cells that help us see. |
| Jayne Charnock | University of Manchester | Stem cell biology with a therapeutic slant, with interests ranging from problem pregnancies to wound healing! |
| James Chan | Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College London | Thousands of people break their bones everyday, from falls, sports, bombs or car accidents, and many of these heal either very slowly or never completely; so we are looking at ways of speeding up this healing process using stem cells to get people functioning. |
| Emma King | University of Edinburgh | I did a degree in Genetics but I don’t work in a lab anymore, instead I spend my time looking at other important areas of stem cell research – like how research is regulated and the ethical and legal issues around using human tissue in research. |
Space Zone (sponsored by the Institute of Physics)
| Suzie Sheehy | Accelerator Science and technology Centre | I love my job, I get to design the biggest and best machines in the world, which do everything from finding out about the Big Bang to solving the energy crisis and curing cancer. |
| Shelia Kanani | Mullard Space Science Laboratory | Looking at the Lord of the Rings, aka Saturn, its rings and its moons using a spacecraft the size of a bus (Cassini)! I work in a big old house that looks like Wayne Manor, complete with a secret Batcave under the swimming pool, honest! 😉 |
| Robert Simpson | University of Oxford | I am an astronomer and I run a citizen science website called The Milky Way Project. It is part of the Zooniverse (www.zooniverse.org). I’m asking the public to help measure and catalogue the contents of our galaxy, the Milky Way. |
| Geoff McBride | Science & Technology Facilities Council | Nanotechnology for Space and medical devices. |
| Adam Tuff | University of York | I study the reactions that happen in stars, to help understand what makes our stars shine, and why our universe is made of what it is! |