I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is back! Between the 5th and 16th March, students from nearly 100 schools will be putting their questions to scientists across 8 different zones; from Climate and Space Data, to Genes and Immune System.

For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASUK.

Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part…

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Climate Zone

The Climate Zone is supported by Wellcome and is open to students in Year 6 (age 10-11) and Year 7 (age 11-12). In this zone we will be working with a University researcher to analyse the language of questions by students. 

The Scientists

Stephen Twomlow | International Fund for Agricultural Development

I help governments design climate smart and environmentally sustainable rural development projects in East and Southern Africa.

Stephanie Mann | ORE

I research new wind technologies, like harnessing the wind using kites!

Rehemat Bhatia | PhD Student, UCL

I study fossil plankton, and use the chemistry of their shells to understand climate in the past.

Christopher Nankervis | Weather Technologist Ltd

Scientist that uses space-borne observations of clouds (from satellites) to help us predict climate and to improve weather forecasting

Caroline Hickman | PhD Student, University of Bath

I am talking with children and young people about how they feel about climate change, because if we are going to find sustainable long term practical solutions to dealing with climate change, I believe we also need to know how we feel about it.

Aileen Baird | PhD Student, University of Birmingham

I work in a high-tech forest where we add extra greenhouse gases into the air, I look at the fungi to see whether they like these greenhouse gases or not!

The Schools

• Alexandra Park, Holywood
• All Saints Catholic Voluntary Academy, Nottinghamshire
• Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College, Cheshire
• Consett Academy, County Durham
• Darrick Wood Junior School, Kent
• Lewis Girls’ Comprehensive School, Hengoed
• Netherfield Cofe Primary School, East Sussex
• Pitteuchar East Primary School, Glenrothes
• Reepham High School And College, Norfolk
• St Bartholomew’s School, Berkshire
• St John’s C Of E Primary School, Surrey
• Westbury Church Of England Junior School, Wiltshire
• Wilmington Academy, Kent

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Genes Zone

The Genes Zone is supported by Wellcome

The Scientists

Yinka Abejide | PhD Student

I’m studying the DNA of one million cows from farms in Africa to improve the amount of milk they can produce.

Matt Bawn | Postdoctoral Researcher, Earlham Institute

I make pictures to describe complex results more easily.

Juhi Gupta | PhD Student, University of Liverpool

I am looking for ways to personalise medicine for expectant mothers to help reduce numbers of preterm births.

Gemma Chandratillake | East of England Genomic Medicine Centre

I train and educate NHS staff (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, scientists) about genetics and how it can help them provide better care for patients.

David Howard | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh

Jump jockey turned scientist who looks for genes that cause depression (in humans!)

The Schools

• Bay House School, Hampshire
• Berkshire College Of Agriculture, Berkshire
• Bloomfield Collegiate, Belfast
• Dundee And Angus College, Dundee
• Kilkeel High School, Newry
• Perth Academy, Perth
• Redborne Upper School And Community College, Bedfordshire
• Sandymoor, Cheshire
• Sir Roger Manwood’s School, Kent
• St Margaret’s Academy, Livingston
• St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School, London
• The John Henry Newman Catholic School, Hertfordshire
• The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College, Wiltshire
• Wigan And Leigh College, Lancashire

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Immune System Zone

The Immune System Zone is supported by Wellcome

The Scientists

Sian Richardson | Ipsen Biopharm

I am a research scientist developing new medicines for the future through microbial fermentation for a pharmaceutical company.

Max Jamilly | PhD Student, University of Oxford

I’m programming your body to fight one of the deadliest kinds of cancer!

Francis Man | Postdoctoral Researcher, St Thomas’ Hospital, London

I grow special white blood cells that kill cancer cells, and then I make them radioactive so that I can see where they go inside the body using a scanner instead of having to do surgery.

Lizzie Wright | InVentiv Health

I work with pharma and biotech companies to help them communicate data and disease information to doctors, patients and the media.

Ben Mulhearn | PhD Student, MCCIR, University of Manchester

I find cool ways of making people feel better who have long term diseases such as arthritis.

Ashlea Rowley | PhD Student, Leeds University

I build models of cells (a bit like building Lego but using molecules not bricks!) and use these to work out how our immune system works and can go wrong!

The Schools

• Colchester County High School For Girls, Essex
• Fulford School, North Yorkshire
• Furness Academy, Cumbria
• Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon
• Mackie Academy, Kincardineshire
• Ormiston Park Academy, Essex
• Overton Grange School, Surrey
• Roding Primary School, Essex
• Sherborne Abbey Church Of England Primary School, Dorset
• St Bede’s Catholic Comprehensive School And Sixth Form College, Lanchester, Durham
• St Nicholas Primary School, Oxfordshire
• St Pauls School, Barcelona
• St Ursula’s Convent School, London
• Wigan And Leigh College, Lancashire

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Molecule Zone

The Molecule Zone is supported by ScotCHEM

The Scientists

Shuo Zhang | PhD student, University of Edinburgh

I use chemistry and biology technology to creat artificial human tissue and cell lego.

Neil Keddie | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of St Andrews

I make one of the most polar molecules in the world – it might help to make the screens on your phones and tablets faster one day and could help to make new drugs too!

Martin McCoustra | Professor, Heriot-Watt University

I want to know how chemistry controls the cosmos.

Leonie Bole | PhD Student, University of Strathclyde

My research involves the use of cheap, abundant metals to carry out important reactions and processes that normally require very expensive transition metals.

Lauren Webster | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Dundee

I create new medicines to cure the world of diseases for less than a bar of chocolate.

Ciorsdaidh Watts | Lecturer, University of Glasgow

I work on the chemistry behind human cancer and teach university students about the most recent discoveries in this area.

Alan McCue | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Aberdeen

Most people think chemicals are dangerous and bad for the planet but I make special ones which are safe and really really good for the planet – I’m a chemical superhero!

The Schools

• Alford Academy, Alford
• Auchinleck Academy, Auchinleck
• Baltasound Junior High School, Unst
• Carrick Academy, Maybole
• Farr High School, By Thurso
• Kirkcudbright Academy, Kirkcudbright
• Levenmouth Academy, Buckhaven
• Mackie Academy, Kincardineshire
• Mallaig High School, Mallaig
• Perth Academy, Perth
• St Joseph’s College, Dumfries
• Wyvern Academy, County Durham

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Space Data Zone

The Space Data Zone is funded by the UK Space Agency

The Scientists

Tim Duckenfield | PhD Student, University of Warwick

I watch how the Sun wibbles and wobbles, and use this to work out why it is hotter on the outside than in the middle!

Stephen Wilkins | Lecturer, University of Sussex

I use space telescopes to find the most distant objects.

Sammie Buzzard | Postdoctoral Researcher, UCL

I use satellites in space to find out how much sea ice there is in the Arctic, and how it’s changing as things get warmer…

Rachel Dewhurst | Stantec

I use information from maps, satellites and from rivers and boreholes to find water for you to drink, making sure that there is enough water for us all to use, and for plants, fish and animals to live in.

Mark Mirmelstein | PhD Student, University of Sussex

I study the most ancient light in our universe that we can see with great telescopes.

Lisa Baddeley | Professor, University Centre in Svalbard

I’m an Associate Professor in the Space Physics Research Group. I use radars, cameras and rockets to see how the magnetic field of the Sun interacts with that of the Earths (which creates the aurora borealis).

The Schools

• Barry Primary School, Northamptonshire
• Bearsden Academy, Glasgow
• Grewelthorpe Church Of England Primary School, North Yorkshire
• Hammersmith Academy, London
• Hylands School, Essex
• Kingsmead Academy, Somerset
• Ravenswood Community Primary School, Suffolk
• Reepham High School And College, Norfolk
• Simon Balle All-Through School, Hertfordshire
• Sir John Thursby Community College, Lancashire
• Smithdon High School, Norfolk
• St Peter And Paul Catholic Primary School, Surrey
• Upton Junior School, Dorset

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Enquiry Zone

In the Enquiry Zone, six scientists will propose an idea for a Citizen Science research project they can carry out with the help of Year 6 students after the event. The Enquiry Zone is supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

Sakshi Sharda | PhD Student

I want to work with students look at PET pollution in our oceans and animal or human stress and it’s correlation with the immune system.

Martin Lindley | Lecturer, Exercise Inflammation and Immunology Research Group

I want to collect air samples from the classrooms and children’s breath, while also looking at how students behave in the classroom.

Luke Williams | PhD Student

What do children think about using stem cells and regenerative biology in medicine to grow new body parts?

Jennifer Paxton | Lecturer in Anatomy and Tissue Engineering Scientist

Anatomy – do children know where their organs are?

Dan Gordon | Principal Lecturer, Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences

How do children learn to regulate effort during physical activity?

The Schools

• Bank View High School, Merseyside
• Dell Primary School, Suffolk
• Doonfoot Primary School, Ayr
• Fair Oak Junior School, Hampshire
• Fairfield Primary School, Cumbria
• Furzedown Primary School, London
• Independent Jewish Day School, London
• Irchester Community Primary School, Northamptonshire
• Lochgilphead High School, Lochgilphead
• Mallaig High School, Mallaig
• St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, Hampshire
• St Joseph’s R C Primary School, Kelty
• St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Morecambe, Lancashire
• St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, South Yorkshire
• Whitgreave Junior School, West Midlands

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Americium Zone

The Americium Zone is a general science zone supported by Wellcome

The Scientists

Walaa Elsayeh | PhD Student

I am working on developing honey bees diets and how B-vitamins affect them.

Sophie Williams | PhD Student, University of York

I take sediment from the underneath the ground and use the tiny fossils inside to look at how sea level has changed over time.

Sarah Naylor | Arcadis Consulting (UK) Limited

Measuring and predicting pollution in the air that we breathe.

Adam Ruben | Sanari Inc

I’m helping to make a new vaccine for malaria that could save millions of lives, and we grow it inside mosquitoes!

Breandan Murphy | RPS Energy

I use physics and computers to find out the shape of seabed and whats under it so that people can find things and build stuff without it falling over.

Gabriel Balaban | St. Thomas Hospital

I use a computer to guess how electricity moves in the hearts of people who are sick to find out if they need help from a doctor.

The Schools

• Ferndown Middle School, Dorset
• Rainham Mark Grammar School, Kent
• Sheringham High School And Sixth Form College, Norfolk
• Shimna Integrated College, Newcastle
• Somervale School Specialist Media Arts College, Somerset
• St Augustine’s Catholic College, Wiltshire
• St Mary’s Primary School, Draperstown, Magherafelt
• Swanmead Community School, Somerset
• Swindon Academy, Wiltshire
• Wakefield Girls’ High School, West Yorkshire

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Curium Zone

The Curium Zone is a general science zone supported by Wellcome

The Scientists

Matthew Beaney | Institute of Cancer Research

I look at the DNA in people’s blood to see if it is all normal DNA or if there is some cancer DNA.

Jacque Cilliers | BASF

I work out the best possible way to grow millions and millions of tiny worms that farmers use to keep insects from eating your lettuce.

Kezia Sasitharan | PhD Student, University of Sheffield

I make nano-sized sheets which are really really thin, thinner than even a single strand of hair and use them to make cheaper, smaller and better Solar Cells- to ensure that the world has electricity forever!

Hazel Gibson | Postdoctoral Researcher, Plymouth University

I use a combination of geology and psychology to find out how people think about the hidden geology beneath our feet and how it can be used for new technology, like geothermal power!

Fiona Macfarlane | PhD Student, University of St Andrews

I use maths to help our bodies fight off cancer.

Daniel Baird | Daniel Baird Soil Consultancy Ltd

I provide advice on sustainable use of soil for agriculture and our environment.

The Schools

• Bethany Church Of England Junior School, Dorset
• Gordano School, Bristol
• Hitchin Boys’ School, Hertfordshire
• Llanyrafon Primary School, Torfaen
• Newstead Wood School, Kent
• Parmiter’s School, Hertfordshire
• Prendergast School, London
• Stone Hill School, South Yorkshire
• Swindon Academy, Wiltshire
• The Gateway Academy, Essex
• West Oaks Sen Specialist School And College, West Yorkshire
• Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, Sir Ddinbych

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