University scientists compete to impress school pupils
Posted on 14 June 2010
The “I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here” event involves 100 scientists and 8,000 school pupils from across the country discussing 20 diverse topics including the brain, cleanliness, chemicals and genes in an online debate.
Over the next two weeks students will have the chance to vote for their favourite scientists with those securing the fewest votes facing eviction until a winner is chosen on Friday 25 June.
This is a great opportunity to engage with students and I hope it will spur their interest in science
Dr Tom Hartley
The University of York scientists taking part in the event are Dr Tom Hartley (Psychology), Dr Louise Dash (Physics), Dr Mark Fogg (Chemistry) and Dr Joanna Buckley (Chemistry).
Dr Hartley, whose research focuses on memory, said: "The prospect of being judged on my performance and facing eviction is more than a little scary but this is a great opportunity to engage with students, and I hope it will spur their interest in science and encourage them to think about studying science at University."
The winning scientist will receive £500 to help them communicate their research to a wider audience.
Dr Dash, a researcher in theoretical physics, said: “Quantum mechanics is fundamental to physics but is a lot harder to understand when you have already formed ideas about the world. If I win I’d like to create a website introducing these ideas to primary school children in fun ways.”
Dr Fogg, whose research examines the replication of genetic material, added: “IAS2010 is a chance to demonstrate to the young people taking part that exciting science is about more than the Large Hadron Collider and the solar system and is often found much closer to home.”
The “I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here” event starts today and is funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The four scientists will be tweeting during the event as @DrMarkJFogg, @JoannaBuckley, @louisedash and @tom_hartley using the hashtag #IAS2010.
Dr Buckley, whose research interests focus on biomaterials, said: "Science is everywhere in the media at the moment and we're thoroughly enjoying riding this crest of the wave.
“Taking part in IAS2010 will give students a glimpse into our scientific lives. They can chat to us live and ask the questions they want answering. It aims to dispel all the myths and highlights that science is truly fascinating."
Notes to editors:
- More details of the event can be found at http://imascientist.org.uk/.
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