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GM foods have been hitting the headlines again recently. Debate has become argument and positions have become entrenched leaving it hard sometimes to work out the facts, and what’s relevant. I’m a Scientist, GM Food allows you to put your questions to a range of people with knowledge about the issues and hear  all the angles on something that may be central to the future of how we feed ourselves. The Zone will open on Monday 18th June for members of the public to pose their questions. Today we are asking you to help us choose the experts by nominating who you think should be participating. We’re looking for a range of people: plant geneticists, ecologists, food security policy experts, development specialists. We want people who support GM Food. We want people who oppose it. We want people who lie in between. Please use the form below to suggest who … Continue reading →

The I’m a Scientist Amsterdam event kicks off in 2 weeks time, on June 11th! The scientists are raring to go and students and teachers are now registering on the site and exploring their zones. Students, once you’ve registered using the access code card your teacher gives you, you can read all about the scientists in your zone as they’ve been busy updating their profiles for you. If you’ve got a question for the scientists already you can ask it now, although they won’t get a chance to answer it until June 11th. Teachers, we’ve already had over 30 live chat requests so you can book one for your class now, using the booking form at https://imascientist.org.uk/live-chat. The earlier you book, the more likely you are to get the slot you want! Scientists, now you’ve filled in your profile you can sit back, relax and wait until June 11th to … Continue reading →

It’s only a matter of days before I’m a Scientist starts in June, so it’s time to announce the scientists and schools taking part. The Amsterdam event will be running from 11th-22nd June, and we’ll update you nearer the time about the Los Angeles event (taking place 25th June – 6th July). Over 50 schools will be taking part and as usual there’s a big variety in schools involved, from Omagh to Orkney, and even Singapore. We’re hoping that, as in previous events, energy levels will be high and classes at these schools will have a great experience. One teacher in March 2012 said “my boys were inspired by the answers – still buzzing now!”. Scientists As ever competition for scientists was tough, and choosing the final scientists to take part was hard. We had to turn down lots of scientists doing fascinating research. Scientists have thoroughly enjoyed previous events. … Continue reading →

Here are the resources for scientists taking part in the ‘Los Angeles’ event from June 25h – July 6th 2012. The scientist briefing notes are designed to help you get the most out of taking part, and to guide you through the site. The key dates sheet gives you an idea of what happens when, and there is also sign to hang on your door if things get busy! Scientist Briefing Notes Key dates sheet – June 2012 LA scientists ‘Do not disturb, intense brain activity!’ sign We believe that information should be free, so this part of the site is accessible to everyone. All scientists are free to use anything we’ve created on the site. This material has been created by Gallomanor (unless otherwise stated) and we have NOT copyrighted it. All material is licensed under a (CC) Creative Commons attribution license.

Here are the resources for scientists taking part in the ‘Amsterdam’ event from June 11th – 22nd 2012. The scientist briefing notes are designed to help you get the most out of taking part, and to guide you through the site. The key dates sheet gives you an idea of what happens when, and there is also sign to hang on your door if things get busy! Scientist Briefing Notes Key dates sheet – June 2012 Amsterdam scientists ‘Do not disturb, intense brain activity!’ sign We believe that information should be free, so this part of the site is accessible to everyone. All scientists are free to use anything we’ve created on the site. This material has been created by Gallomanor (unless otherwise stated) and we have NOT copyrighted it. All material is licensed under a (CC) Creative Commons attribution license.

The two June events are fast approaching. This morning I realised that there are just 19 working days left until the start of I’m a Scientist on June 11th. Let’s blame all these sneaky bank holidays. On the plus side we’re well on the way planning for the events. Teachers We’ve selected teachers to take part in the two events. We’ve let them know how many classes they’ve got in which zones . Both the ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Los Angeles’ events are full and we’ve got teachers on the waiting list for classes. The artwork for the teacher packs is designed and is being printed. We’ve updated the teacher notes by removing the Information Sheets and Project Analysis lesson plans, as they weren’t used by many teachers. We’ve replaced the debate kit with the new ‘Drugs in Sport’ version, giving teachers a new debate to run with students. Scientists We’ve had … Continue reading →

We’ve now chosen the 15 zones running in our two I’m a Scientist events this June, and we’re looking for scientists and teachers to take part. Teachers, apply here by Monday 30th April: imascientist.org.uk/teacher-registration Scientists, apply here by Tuesday 8th May: imascientist.org.uk/scientist-apply We’re running two events in June, ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Los Angeles’ because, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and different term dates in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there’s no fortnight that fits all schools. The zones in each event will be: 11th – 22nd June: ‘Amsterdam’: 4 general zones: Bromine, Krypton, Rubidium & Strontium Animal Behaviour Zone Genes Zone Materials Zone 25th June – 6th July: ‘Los Angeles’ 4 general zones: Yttrium, Zirconium, Niobium & Molybdenum Earth Zone (sponsored by the Institute of Physics) Laser Zone (sponsored by the Institute of Physics) Nanotechnology Zone Organs Zone We’re looking for all types of scientists – industry scientists, academic scientists, UK scientists, scientists working abroad, whoever. We want to be able to show students the breadth … Continue reading →

We would like to congratulate the following students who have been named as the student winners in their zones for the March 2012 event. The moderators thought there were lots of great questions and excellent engagement with the event overall. Zone Student winner School Electromagnetic jabbathepizzahut St Benedicts Energy amthystxgen4 Kingsmead School Gallium ogoldfinch09 Dover Grammar School for Boys Germanium stellastar Chichester High School Quantum 11sofdel Backwell School Selenium jammiedodger Pates Grammar School Space purplebug123 Howell’s School Sports indianchicken Henlow Middle School Well done to all the students above! They will soon be receiving their student winners certificates and WH Smith vouchers. We would also like to thank all the other students who participated. Everyone contributed to the brilliant chats and thought provoking questions which often challenged the scientists. As one scientist said “I hugely enjoyed it. There are clearly some smart kids out there”. And we agree.

After barely catching our breath after the March I’m a Scientist and I’m an Engineer events we’re straight into planning the next events in June. We’re running 2 I’m a Scientist events back to back in June 2012 because, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and different term dates in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there’s no fortnight that fits everyone. The June dates are: ‘Amsterdam’ event: 11th – 22nd June ‘Los Angeles’ event: 25th June – 6th July For anyone wondering what the names ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Los Angeles’ are about, rather than simply naming them events 1 and 2, or A and B, we’ve had a bit more fun. The 2 events in June will be the 9th and 10th I’m a Scientist events we’ve run since the first in 2008. Seeing as 2012 is the year of the London Olympics and Paralympics the events are named after the 9th (Amsterdam) and 10th … Continue reading →

It’s been a very intense two weeks of animated live chats and thought-provoking questions, with lots of topical issues up for debate. Students and scientists have had over 120 live chats and scientists have answered over 3,350 student questions. The eight winning scientists have made it through four nail biting rounds of evictions. Each student vote counted and in some zones the evictions came down to just a few votes. It’s time to reveal the winner in each zone. Congratulations to:  Zone  Winner  Where they work  Electromagnetic Zone  Sam Vinko  University of Oxford  Energy Zone  Jack Snape  University of York  Gallium Zone  Sean Murphy  Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine  Germanium Zone  Katherine Haxton  Keele University  Quantum Zone  Martin Austwick  University College London  Selenium Zone  Vicky Young  Edinburgh University  Space Zone  Adam Stevens  The Open University  Sports Zone  Fiona Hatch  University of Hull The winning scientists all receive £500 to spend on science … Continue reading →