These notes will help you get the most out of your I’m a Scientist experience. For any questions or issues not covered, please email support@imascientist.org.uk.
Iâm a Scientist connects school students with people working in science. These connections help break down stereotypes of what a scientist is âsupposedâ to be, supporting students to see STEM as something âfor themâ.
Itâs all online and text-based, no audio or video. All you need is an internet connection – you can even join in on your phone.
There are three ways you will connect with students:
Creating a profile for students to explore, to learn about you and your work
Engaging them in conversations during live Chats
Answering studentsâ follow-up questions
After their Chats, students can vote for their favourite scientists. We count votes once each half-term and award the winner ÂŁ500 to be spent on further public engagement.
You will also have the opportunity to join the Academy – our online CPD course which runs during school term time. In the Academy, you will learn more about the theory behind public engagement practices and reflect on your Iâm a Scientist experience as it happens.
đ¤ Profile
Your profile helps students get to know you before your Chat. Theyâll often come up with questions for you based on whatâs in your profile. It includes pictures, information about you and your work, some interview-style questions, and a brief work history.
Itâs important to fill out your profile as soon as possible so students can get an idea of who you are. Start by adding a profile photo so that we can begin inviting you to Chats. Make sure to keep your profile up to date, too.
To add to or edit your profile, click âEdit Your Profileâ at the top of your Dashboard (more about this below). When editing, remember to save regularly by clicking âUpdate Profileâ at the bottom of the page.
Please do not add links to personal social media accounts (e.g. usernames, X @handles, Instagram). This helps keep the school studentsâ interactions with you during the activity in a fully-moderated space, i.e. this website.
Profile tips:
Complete all sections: all of the information you give helps students relate to you
Add photos: pictures are a great way to give students an idea of who you are and what you do – but make sure you have permission to share them
Keep it short and simple: students visiting your profile will be between 9 and 18 years of age, so avoid jargon and keep your sentences short and easy to read
Everything you share on your profile will be immediately publicly available. You can choose not to answer any questions youâre not comfortable with, and adjust who can view your profile if youâd like to.
Here, youâll find your upcoming Chats, unanswered Chat invites and the follow-up questions youâve received from students.
You are in control of your participation. Log in and visit your Dashboard regularly to check for new follow-up questions and Chat invites.
Accepting Chat invites
Once youâve added a profile photo, youâll begin to receive Chat invites. Teachers will choose a theme for their studentsâ activity and youâll be invited to join a Chat if the theme for a classâs activity matches one of the themes listed on your profile.
You selected your themes when you signed up, and we may have assigned you some additional themes for related topics or special events. If you would like to update your themes, please email support@imascientist.org.uk.
Check your Dashboard regularly to see and manage your Chat invites:
Select the â to Accept an invite and let the students and teacher know that youâll be attending their Chat
Select the â to Reject an invite to any Chats you canât attend – this informs the students and teacher that you canât make it, and lets us invite other scientists instead
You can always change your mind if your availability changes!
There is a limit to the number of invites you can Accept at any one time. After some of your Chats take place, this leaves space for you to Accept more upcoming Chats again.
You can add accepted Chats to your calendar by clicking on the calendar icon.
Unfortunately, sometimes a teacher has to cancel a Chat. If this happens, the Chat will disappear from your âAccepted Chat Bookingsâ view. If you added this Chat to your personal calendar, it will not be removed automatically, so please remember to remove it manually.
We recommend that you only Accept one Chat per time slot.
Adjusting your availability
Youâre in control of when and how often you take part. Youâll only be sent invites for Chats happening on dates that you have told us you are available.
Use the Unavailability Calendar to let us know which days you are unavailable to attend Chats. This allows us to send you more invites on days when you are available.
Use Chat Control to adjust the number of Chat invites you are receiving. Click â to increase the number of Chats you can accept per week by one, or click â to reduce your availability.
Chats are fast-paced and text-based, typically last 30 minutes, and are the most popular part of the activity. They are very often enjoyable, lively, and energetic. They provide an immediate connection between you and the students.
Teachers tell us that due to the text-based nature of the Chats, quieter students are more active than they would be in a face-to-face interaction, providing an interesting change to class dynamics.
This is an example of what youâll see in a live Chat:
Taking part in Chats
When itâs time for your Chat, log into imascientist.org.uk and click on the âChatâ icon.
Remember you have access to our other Iâm a⌠projects too, so not all of your Chats will be in the same place. If youâre attending an Iâm an Engineer, Iâm a Mathematician, or Iâm a Computer Scientist Chat, youâll need to log in to join your Chat on the relevant site.
Each Chat will open 5 minutes before it is due to start. There will always be a member of our moderation team present to ensure Chats run smoothly. If you have any issues accessing a Chat, email us or call us as soon as you can on 01225 667922.
Navigating the Chat
Once youâre in the Chat, you can see who else is online on the left
At the top, youâll see the time left until the Chat closes
In the top-right hand corner is âShow messagesâ which you can click to see all messages youâve been tagged in
Students are encouraged to use the tagging system, but some of them may ask questions by typing out your name
These will only appear in the main Chat window and not in your âShow messagesâ
Click âReplyâ on a message to tag the student in your response and thread your conversations
The speech bubble next to a message will allow you to see the conversation thread
Look out for the number indicator next to studentsâ names to see how many replies each student has had
If you notice a student with a relatively low number compared to others in the class, try to answer their questions before you get to others
Sometimes, if the Chat is moving fast and there are a lot of unanswered questions, the moderator will momentarily pause the Chat. This will prevent the students from sending new messages to give you and the other scientists a chance to catch up.
Chat tips
The text-based nature of Chats encourages students to ask questions about anything thatâs important to them. Topics will range from the Chat theme, to your work and life as a scientist, to your personal life.
Itâs likely that youâll get some of the same questions being asked in different Chats. Remember that each Chat is with a different group of students who havenât asked that question before. Not all students will have read your profile either, so donât expect them to remember what youâve said previously.
If you get asked a question in a Chat that you donât know the answer to, then please say âI donât knowâ! Itâs useful for the students to see that scientists donât know everything and that you donât have to be âsuper smartâ to get a job in STEM.
In general, try to:
Keep it simple
Donât use advanced technical language, and donât worry about spelling mistakes – just enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Chat
Reply at the students’ level
You wonât know the age or ability of the students in the Chat, but youâll be able to tell how much they do (and donât) understand about your work by the way they ask questions and respond to your answers
Try to match their level of understanding in your messages
Go with the flow
Be aware that school studentsâ turn of phrase and use of language may be different to discussions youâre used to
Try to understand what theyâre asking and donât take offence at blunt questions
Some questions will be personal but answer them as best you can – this will allow students to connect with you
Keep an open mind
Questions like âDo you play video games?â may seem off-topic but they are important in showing students that scientists are ânormalâ people with similar interests
Chatting with students about shared interests enables a rapport to be built
You may be asked questions about money. The majority of students who you will be in contact with donât know scientists in their surrounding community. Therefore, questions like âHow much money do you make?â are common and can really matter to them. The responses provide valuable career insight, so try to answer if you feel comfortable. You can always give a ballpark figure or industry average.
đĄ Use emojis! Hereâs how:
On Windows, simultaneously press the Windows logo key and . (period)
On Mac, simultaneously press Command, Control, and Space, or go to your browser toolbar > Edit > Emoji & Symbols
Keep an eye out for more top tips in blog posts, updates, and emails from us. The below video from the Wellcome Trust gives some handy pointers on language:
Youâll receive more questions from students outside of Chats. These questions may be something that a student ran out of time to ask, or a follow-up on something that came up during a Chat. Equally, browsing your profile mightâve sparked a thought that just canât wait until the Chat. Some may come from students who werenât able to attend their Chat with you.
Itâs best to answer follow-up questions as soon as possible, while the students who asked them are still engaged in the activity. Answer questions by logging in and going to the âMy Unanswered Questionsâ sidebar on your Dashboard.
Some questions will be asked to all the scientists relevant to the theme, others may be specifically for you. Answering these follow-up questions is an important part of showing students that their questions matter and belong in a STEM context.
Once answered, studentsâ questions will be published on the Ask page. You, students, scientists, and other visitors to the site can browse these questions and answers, and may add comments.
Our moderation policy
Our moderators make sure all questions, whether in Chats or submitted via the Ask page, are in keeping with our House Rules. Any rude or offensive questions will be removed but challenging questions will be allowed.
All follow-up questions are moderated before theyâre sent to you. Some may seem similar, but the moderators do try to remove duplicates, aiming to balance making your lives easy as participants and giving all students a chance to ask their own questions.
If there are questions youâre not sure about answering, please let us know by emailing support@imascientist.org.uk.
Winners of Iâm a Scientist receive ÂŁ500 to put towards further public engagement. Students vote for the scientist they think should win the ÂŁ500.
For students, considering who to vote for is an important part of the activity. It gives them a reason to think critically about the work scientists do and deepens their involvement in the activity. Please keep this in mind if they ask questions like âWhy should we vote for you?â and when filling out your profile.
Thereâs no pressure for you to push for votes and no negative consequences for not winning, so you can take the Vote part of the activity as seriously as you like. We never publish the number of votes given to each scientist.
Spending the prize money
The prize money can be used for anything involving people outside of science. Some examples could be school visits, science fair exhibits, videos or podcasts, blogs, or arranging class visits to your lab or office.
The Academy is our short online CPD course. By taking part, youâll get the opportunity to evidence and reflect on your Iâm a Scientist experience. It is text-based, just like the Chats, and can be done at your own pace throughout the school year.
You can find out more here. If you are currently taking part in Iâm a Scientist and would like to participate in the Academy, please email support@imascientist.org.uk.
