News

June 2014 Zones

The next I’m a Scientist event: 16th to 27th June 2014 I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks from Monday 16th to Friday 27th June 2014. This June, we’re running 17 zones; 12 themed zones and 5 general science zones (including two more primary school zones). Keep reading for details of the themed zones, or if you want to jump straight to the application, teachers apply here: imascientist.org.uk/teacher-registration, and scientists here: imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply. Animal Behaviour Zone What do animals do and why do they do it? We’ll find answers to these questions and more. For example, animals’ mating rituals involve everything from dances to dung, but why the variation? What makes one animal’s behavior special? Agriculture Zone One of the key stages in the development of modern civilization. Today, agriculture provides everything from food to bio-fuels, and any number of other products necessary to sustain human life. … Continue reading

Posted on April 15, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on June 2014 Zones

March 2014 Student Winners

After every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out to them; the students they thought asked the best questions, or engaged most in the live chats. Well done to all of the student winners, and everyone who took part. There were so many interesting questions, and comments, but there could only be one winner in each zone. So, for fantastic engagement during the event, for posting brilliant questions and comments, the student winners below will each receive a £20 WH Smith’s gift card. Cancer Zone: cupcake94, Abbotsmede Primary School Colour Zone: amygreenee, St Joseph’s College ComputationalBio Zone: shania000000, Ark Academy Extreme Size Zone: g30rg1na, St Theresa’s School Light Zone: lumiereclair, Spalding High School Nuclear Zone: sturdyboy, Churston Ferrers Grammar School Organs Zone: werewolvesrock2002, Howell’s School Plants Zone: wookie, Betheny School Xenon Zone: lowennat, Friends Junior School Caesium Zone: emanresu, Landscove Primary School Lanthanum … Continue reading

Posted on April 4, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on March 2014 Student Winners

June 2014 Biomedical Themed Zones

I’m a Scientist Towers is buzzing with excitement as the Wellcome Trust funded Biomedical themed zones have been chosen. They will be: Animal Behaviour Zone Agriculture Zone Drug Development Zone Infectious Diseases Zone Protein Zone Vision Zone The June event will run 16th–27th June 2014. Update: 8 April 2014The planned Brain Zone has been swapped for the Protein Zone to coincide with the latest issue of the Wellcome Trust’s Big Picture. Brain scientists, please still apply; we need scientists from all research areas for the General Zones, and we’re sure to run a Brain Zone in a future event! Apply now to take part! Scientists, does your research fit with one of these themes? Do you know the ideal researcher for one of these zones? Scientists apply here: imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply The application deadline is Friday 9th May 2014. Check out our advice on applying over on the About Blog. Teachers, how … Continue reading

Posted on March 28, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on June 2014 Biomedical Themed Zones

March 2014 Finalists

Over the past two weeks 60 scientists have done more than 180 live chats and answered nearly 3,000 questions. We’ve been evicting scientists since Tuesday, and this afternoon we said Goodbye to 12 more. Now just two scientists remain in each zone, ready to battle it out for the £500 prize money, and the title of I’m a Scientist Champion! The winners will be announced at 3pm on Friday, but for now, let’s take a look at your March 2014 finalists… Cancer Zone Matthew Lam vs. Amar Joshi Colour Zone Roy Adkin vs. Rowena Fletcher-Wood ComputationalBio Zone Iain Moal vs. Anna Middleton Extreme Size Zone Nick Wright vs. Alan Fitzsimmons Light Zone Mike Lee vs. Matthew Malek Nuclear Zone Thomas Cocolios vs. Clara Nellist Organs Zone John Foster vs. Adelle Thrower Plants Zone Michael Graham vs. Isabel Webb Xenon Zone Zach Dixon vs. Claire Vinten Caesium Zone Rosie Coates vs. … Continue reading

Posted on March 20, 2014 by modjosh in News | 1 Comment

Day Five: From plants on Mars to travelling light

We’ve reached the end of the first week of I’m a Scientist with another full day of live chats and questions. The scientists will get the weekend to rest up, and next week the evictions start! Who stays? You decide! Make sure to vote for the scientist you want to win because the one scientist will be evicted from each zone on Tuesday afternoon! As usual, we’ve picked out a few of our favourite CHAT and ASK questions from today. In the Plants Zone, the students wanted to know if plants could survive on Mars: Student: How will the gravity of mars affect the plants? Isabel Webb: Mars has different gravity to us – I dont know how much by without google though! Our plants have evolved to live under trhe gravity we have on earth, so if they were to evolve under different gravity they could handle it. if … Continue reading

Posted on March 14, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Day Five: From plants on Mars to travelling light

Day Four: Rainbows, ethics, and desert island science

Day Four of I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here has been our busiest yet, with 23 live chats happening across the event! In the Light Zone, one student wanted to know why clouds don’t form rainbows; they’re made of water after-all, aren’t they? Student: If rainbows are made by the sun shining into the water, why aren’t clouds rainbow coloured? Paul Coxon: Good question. It’s to do with the density of the water droplets. In a rainbow light is bent (refracted) by the droplets and dispersed into the separate colours. Similar happens in clouds, but there are so many water droplets making up the cloud that the light is scattered in all directions and the rainbow effect is lost. Mike Lee: You need to have the sun behind you to see a rainbow — most of the time the sun is behind the clouds! only when the sun … Continue reading

Posted on March 13, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Day Four: Rainbows, ethics, and desert island science

Day Three: Which organ would you be?

Day three of I’m a Scientist and a day of packed live chats has found students and scientists discussing why leaves change colour, the causes of cancer, and germs: which has more, finger-nails or toilet seats? One fantastic question asked how science has changed since the scientists were in school: Student: What is different about science when you where at school to now? Iain Moal: When I was at school the internet was a new thing and people didn’t really use it until later. Nowadays it has revolutionised science by making it so much easier for scientists around to world to communicate and share data. At the moment I am working with people in the USA, Holland and France. That would be almost impossible when I was at school. Scientists in the Nuclear and Plants Zones are overjoyed, and have finally been sent some questions! One brilliant question asked why … Continue reading

Posted on March 12, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Day Three: Which organ would you be?

Day Two: Time travel, nano-wires, and flowers

Day two of I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here has been filled with live chats on everything from zombie apocalypses to time travel. Student: How could we ever go back in time? Matthew Malek: I promised myself that if I ever got the ability to go back in time, I would come to that very moment and let myself know. Then I waited for five minutes. No future me turned up, so I knew that I would never time travel. In the Cancer Zone the scientists were looking at why cancer rates might seem to be increasing: Student: Why do you think cancer rates are increasing? Andrea Hanvey: I think cancer rates are increasing because of increased awareness, screening programs for early detection and better diagnostic testing its easier to pick up now Amar Joshi: Cancer rates are increase for many reasons. One thing is that we are … Continue reading

Posted on March 11, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Day Two: Time travel, nano-wires, and flowers

Day One: Cutting edge technology, explosions, and cryogenics.

With more than 680 questions being sent to the scientists from the weekend, I’m a Scientist March 2014 has got off to a flying start! Across the 12 zones, students have been chatting to scientists about everything from cutting-edge developments in solar technology, to travelling to the moon, and gender biases in some sciences. Student: Are you working on anything interesting at the moment, if so what are you working on? Sabina Hatch: Yes! At the moment there is new material called perovskite – it is actually quite unique and amazing- it could change the way we make solar cells as it is so cheap and yet still effective. I look forward to experimenting with it. In the posted ASK questions, scientists have been asked about their opinion on explosions, and if an asteroid is going to hit the earth any time soon. The scientists have explained what causes the … Continue reading

Posted on March 10, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Day One: Cutting edge technology, explosions, and cryogenics.

Who’s taking part in March 2014?

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! is back from 10th–21st March with 8 themed zones, four general zones (including 2 Primary School zones), 60 scientists, and nearly 140 different schools from Shetland to Cornwall taking part. Thanks to the Wellcome Trust for part funding I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! Also to the STFC for funding the Extreme Size and Nuclear Zones, the IOP for funding the Light Zone, and the RSC for funding the Colour Zone. For the latest updates on the event, follow @imascientist on Twitter. Our hashtag for 2014 is — you guessed it — #IAS2014. For updates from scientists taking part, and our funders, check out our Twitter List. Let’s take a look at the schools and scientists taking part this March! There are still a couple of names to be confirmed, and the lists will be updated as that happens. Cancer Zone The Scientists: Matthew Lam Breakthrough Breast Cancer I help … Continue reading

Posted on February 19, 2014 by modjosh in News | Comments Off on Who’s taking part in March 2014?