Match enrichment to your curriculum. When booking an activity, choose a theme that matches your teaching. This invites 40 scientists whose work relates to that theme.
These themes will be available throughout the whole year, so you can take part whenever suits you best.
Please let us know if there are other themes you would like to see us offer. Email: support@imascientist.org.uk
Book your ActivityGeneral Science (including Primary curriculum topics)
- General Science
- Animals and Zoology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Climate Change
- Computer Science
- Earth
- Ecosystems, Ecology, and Habitats
- Electricity
- Energy
- Environment
- Ethics
- Evolution
- Food Production
- Forensics
- Health and Safety
- Health
- Humans
- Light
- Marine and Oceans
- Materials
- Motion and Forces
- Physics
- Sound
- Space
- Sports and Exercise
- States of Matter
- STEM Careers
- Working Scientifically
Biology
- Immunology
- Inheritance, Chromosomes, and DNA
- Microbiology
- Nervous System
- Neuroscience
- Nutrition and Digestion
- Photosynthesis
- Plants and Botany
- Reproduction
- Respiration and Gas Exchange
- Skeletal and Muscular Systems
- Sports and Exercise
Health
- Health
- Biomedicine
- Cancer
- Cells
- Drug Therapies
- Epidemiology
- Forensics
- Genetics
- Hormones and Endocrinology
- Imaging
- Immunology
- Infection
- Nervous System
- Neuroscience
- Nutrition and Digestion
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Public Health
- Reproduction
- Respiration and Gas Exchange
- Skeletal and Muscular Systems
- Sports and Exercise
- Vaccines
Chemistry
- Chemistry
- Atomic Structure
- Batteries
- Chemical Reactions
- Collision Theory and Rates of Reaction
- Detection and Measurement
- Earth
- Electricity
- Elements, Compounds, and The Periodic Table
- Energy
- Energy Changes
- Environment
- Food Production
- Forensics
- Imaging
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Manufacturing
- Materials
- Meteorology, Atmosphere, Climate, and Weather
- Nanotechnology
- Nuclear
- Organic Chemistry
- Particles and Matter
- Physical Chemistry
- Plastics and Polymers
- Renewable Energy
- Spectrometry and Spectroscopy
- States of Matter
- Structure and Bonding
Physics
Psychology
- Psychology
Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Climate Change
- Earth
- Environment
- Food Production
- Geoscience
- Marine and Oceans
- Meteorology, Atmosphere, Climate, and Weather
- Recycling
- Rivers
- Sustainability
- Waste
Technology
- Technology
- Aerospace
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Batteries
- Communications
- Imaging
- Manufacturing
- Robotics
Computer Science
- Computer Science
- Computing
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Communications
- Data Science
- Software
Theme resources
Marine and Oceans
71% of our Earth’s surface is water – we interact with it in so many ways, most of which are unfamiliar to students. Marine sciences are all around us. They help us understand marine resources, habitats, and pollution, developing ways to use and protect our oceans.
In Marine and Oceans Chats, students connect with scientists working on anything from aquaculture and food production to conservation, marine engineering, and renewable energy. They’ll find out how science works, outside of the classroom, in their local environments and beyond.
Questions other students have asked:
- How does a dolphin adapt to the ocean?
- What does it mean to build a farm in the sea?
- What inspired you to research fish health?
Resources to help prepare:
Marine and Oceans themed Chats are funded by Lantra and Salmon Scotland.
Places are fully funded for state-maintained schools.
Cancer
Cancer is a leading health issue worldwide, with 1 in 2 people developing it in their lifetime. This makes it a major area of scientific research, as well as a subject very familiar to young people.
In Cancer themed Chats, students connect with the people working to address this real-world challenge. They see their studies of health, non-communicable disease, genetics, and medicines reflected in world-leading, cutting-edge biomedical research.
Students discover how research impacts human health. They’ll learn how cancer sciences bridge processes from diagnosis, through drug development and clinical trials, all the way to translating data into the clinic to make a difference in people’s lives.
Questions other students have asked:
- Do you think there will ever be a cure for cancer?
- Has your work made any impact on the research of cancer and if so, how?
- How do mutations occur and what do they change to cause cancer?
Resources to help prepare:
Cancer themed activities are funded by the Institute of Cancer Research and the University of Manchester’s Division of Cancer Sciences.
Places are fully funded for state-maintained schools.
Health and Safety
Students who are preparing to enter the workplace will be familiar with the importance of adhering to the quality standards; maintaining health and safety.
In ‘Health and Safety’ themed Chats, students connect with lab technicians, apprentices, and other people working in STEM to explore how they ensure responsibility for health and safety welfare at work.
Genetics
In Genetics Chats, students see classroom topics like inheritance, genetic disorders, and adaptation applied to real-world scenarios and careers. They connect with scientists whose work is applying and advancing our knowledge of genetics across fields like health, forensics, biodiversity, and food production.
Chatting with geneticists can make a complex subject seem less intimidating. Students build on their learning to explore how genetics is improving their world, while finding common ground with the people who are making it happen.
Questions students have asked:
- Could we edit some genes of animals to help them adapt to climate change?
- Why do I have grey eyes when my family has blue or brown eyes?
- What’s your opinion on using genetics to stop or reverse ageing?
Resources to help prepare:
- STEM Learning – Inheritance, DNA and variation
- NHS Genomics Education Programme
- Jeans for Genes – Educational resources
- BBC Bitesize – Inheritance and genetics
Genetics-themed activities are funded by the Institute of Cancer Research, GenSoc, and the NMGN.
Places are fully funded for state-maintained schools.
