News

We’ve had 10 years of highly effective science engagement. Over 22,000 students have connected with nearly 450 brilliant scientists, engineers and mathematicians. I’m a Scientist Ireland has supported school students’ science capital and helped initiate brilliant science communication projects like REEL:Life Science and The Wild Postcard Project.  However, our latest application for Discover Programme funding was rejected. Unless alternative funding comes forward, I’m a Scientist in Ireland will cease to run. Why fund I’m a Scientist? Because it works. We encourage all students to consider science as something ‘for them’. We want to break down barriers to STEM-related careers and discoveries. The concept of science capital explains those barriers. I’m a Scientist has been thoroughly evaluated to show that it supports students’ science capital. We reach schools from across Ireland. Last November, 66% of students were from priority schools in underserved areas and/or at DEIS schools. We also engage most … Continue reading →

Vincent Monchal is the winner of the Aluminium Zone, after receiving the most votes from students! He wins €500 to spend on more science engagement activities. Here’s what he had to say about his victory: First of all, I would like to thank all the scientists, students and their teachers, as well as the I’m a Scientist team who participated and make the Aluminium Zone possible! I’m very proud to be the winner among such amazing group of scientists and will do all I can to return the favor. I had a great time participating to this initiative and would recommend everybody to participate either as a student or as a scientist. I love doing those kind of events, I even organize some myself but I’m always surprised by the amount and the diversity of great questions you could be asked. It can be just about my life in general to specific … Continue reading →

The Sustainability Zone and the Magnesium Zone ran throughout November 2021. Students in the Zones voted for their favourite scientist to win €500 to spend on more science engagement activities. Here are your winners… Min Yap, Sustainability Zone winner Gaël Lymer, Magnesium Zone winner Gaël says “I would like to say a massive “MERCI!”, thank you, to all the students and their teachers who participated to the I’m a Scientist Magnesium Zone! I am really grateful for them having elected me the Zone Winner! Our chats made me re-think my research and how I got doing my job. In turn, I learnt a lot about myself and chatting with you all reminded me how much I love Geology and being a scientist. Thank you all for being so open-minded, curious, and dynamic. Read Gaël’s full statement ❯ Thank you to all the students, scientists, and teachers who took part! 🥳

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! is back this November. From 8 November to 3 December, students across Ireland can connect with scientists in the Sustainability Zone and the Magnesium Zone. For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Here are just some of the scientists taking part and how they’d describe themselves:   Sustainability Zone ♻ Susan Rea Determined, Open Mined, Innovative 💻 Saranya Rameshkumar Eco-friendly Materials Engineer ♻ Valeria Nico H2O-loving physicist ♒ Alan McGibney Creative, curious and resourceful 👨‍💻 Dominika Krol Helping agriculture become more sustainable 🌽 Belinda Huerta Cat-loving environmental researcher 😸 Aoife Hill Enthusiastic dog-mom and mathematician 🐶   Magnesium Zone 🔬 Kathryn Yeow Studies the chemistry of molecules and enzymes 🧫🧪 Paul Wynne Makes medical devices better 🩺 Sam Seymour Music-loving research assistant … Continue reading →

Chat bookings are LIVE for I’m a Scientist, Stay at home for the coming weeks! Book your live chat here: iasie.ddev.site/live-chat I’m a Scientist, Stay at home is designed to give you and your students a chance to reconnect safely with each other and science as a whole. You can watch an example live chat here to see what it’s like. Through a series of live chats and submitting questions to ‘ASK’. Students can decide which scientist gets their vote to be crowned ‘Scientist of the Week’.  Live chats have been busy with tonnes of questions for our scientists. Students have been discovering everything from how a scientist started in their job to qualifications they’ve taken and what they had for breakfast. Students may even discover a future job they didn’t know existed! From scientists’ favourite animal to robots and fish we have over 50 scientists in the Green zone … Continue reading →

During the activity in November we asked the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 activity, for posting brilliant questions and comments, the student winners below will each receive a certificate and a gift voucher. Drug Discovery Zone Winner: jump42can, Skerries Community College Dublin Energy Zone Winners: draw43egg, St Patricks GNS Dublin Food Zone Winner: race44bat, John Paul II NS Sodium Zone Winner: jessica109, St Colmans Clara NS Water Zone Winner: deer46can, Community School, Kilkenny

Over the last week, scientists and students across Ireland have been engaging online in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here. Together they’ve talked about which pharmacological drugs they would destroy, why they love rocks so much, how many trees we really need on the planet, the time spent in labs (or in fields), how climate change affects science research, bringing wolves to Ireland, and even if scientists ever doubt themselves. There are five zones taking place at once this November, starting in Science Week and finishing on Friday 22 November: Drug Discovery Zone, funded by Wellcome. Energy Zone, Food Zone, Water Zone and Sodium Zone (general science), funded by SFI. See all the scientists and schools taking part. In total, the seven days has seen: 1,540 school students logging in to the 12 zones 1,450 ASK questions sent in by students sent to the 30 scientists 798 votes cast by students for their favourites (almost) uncountable levels of conversation in the 45 live chats that have taken … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! is back this November. Between Monday 11th and Friday 22nd, students at over 50 schools will be putting their questions to 30 scientists across 5 different zones. For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Drug Discovery Zone The Drug Discovery Zone is a themed zone supported by Wellcome. Sudhin Thampi | Postdoctoral Researcher, NUI Galway I am a researcher involved in designing new implant materials and newer structures/shapes to suit patient condition. Sergio Saldana | Postdoctoral Researcher, NUI Galway I am trying to develop a new device that could be use in future treatments for Multiple Sclerosis. Katie Fala | PhD Student, University College Cork I study how bacteria talk to one another using special chemical signals, and how we might be … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here returns in November, for two weeks from Monday 11th-Friday 22nd

We’re running four themed zones, and one general science zone.

Read on to find out all about them, or head straight to the application form to take part:

• Teachers apply by 23rd September: iasie.ddev.site/teachers
• Scientists find out more and apply: iasie.ddev.site/scientists

Continue reading →

During every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 certificate and a gift voucher. Continue reading →

Over the last week, students and scientists have been engaging online in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here Ireland. Together they’ve talked about everything from developing telepathy through technology,  to arthritis can be passed down through genes, to the pressures of being a scientist, and whether anything has ever held their science dreams back. There are 4 themed zones in the event this November: Environmental Care Zone, New Materials Zone and Smart Data Zone supported by Science Foundation Ireland and Genes Zone, supported by Wellcome, plus Neon Zone, a general science zone supported by Wellcome and featuring a wide range of scientists. See all the scientists and schools taking part in the event here. In total, in the first week there’s been: 1,483 school students logging in to the 5 zones 1,350 questions asked by students sent to the 27  scientists 624 votes cast by students for their favourites (almost) uncountable levels of conversation in the 40 live chats that have … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! returns this November for two weeks from the 5th to the 16th. Scientists and school students across the country will be taking part in five different zones: Environmental Care, Genes, New Materials, Smart Data, and a general science zone. For the latest news and announcements about the event find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Environmental Care Zone The Environmental Care Zone is a primary school zone supported by Science Foundation Ireland.  The Scientists William McCarthy | PhD Student, Teagasc Food Research Centre I study how the chemicals in cleaning products can break up and join together in different ways (kind of like Lego blocks), how these new chemicals can get into milk, and how to stop this from happening! Roberto Ferrari | Postdoctoral, National University of Ireland Galway – Zoology Department … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks from Monday 5th to Friday 16th November 2018.

This November we’re running four themed zones, as well as a general zone suitable for anyone working in science. Read about them all below, or jump straight to the application form:

• Teachers apply by 24th September: iasie.ddev.site/teachers
• Scientists apply now: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply

Continue reading →

After every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 certificate and a gift voucher. Diagnosis Zone Winner: JL, St. Kilian’s Community School Energy Zone Winner: Roptyparty, Marist College Food Zone Winner: EAMON, S N Naomh Colmain Fluorine Zone Winner: MKiselova04, Coláiste Bríde After taking part in I’m a Scientist, we ask the students to answer a few questions to help us gauge their attitudes towards science. We randomly choose one student who filled in the questions … Continue reading →

Over the last week, students and scientists have been engaging online in this year’s I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here. Together they’ve talked about everything from how science can be changed for the better, creating super-plants to generate energy, the health merits of various types of chocolate, doing sustainable science,  and most important of all, introducing scientists to Zoella. There are four zones in the event this November: Diagnosis Zone and Food Zone supported by Wellcome Trust, and Energy Zone and Fluorine Zone (a general science zone), both supported by Science Foundation Ireland. See all the scientists and schools taking part in the event here. In total, after the first seven days, there’s been: 1,029 school students logging in to the four zones 641 questions asked by students sent to the 21 scientists (almost) uncountable levels of conversation in the 30 live chats that have taken place already. There’s still much more to come during Science Week. … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is back! Between the 6th and 17th November, students from over 50 schools will be putting their questions to scientists across 4 different zones. For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Diagnosis Zone Supported by Wellcome The Scientists Shannon Fullbrook | PhD Student, Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Research Laboratory, NUIG My work involves looking for new ways to find what is causing you to get sick. Matthew Flood | PhD Student, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, UCD / Insight Centre For Data Analytics (SFI) I use special mathematics called ‘chaos theory’ with cool body sensors to defeat Parkinson’s disease. Katie Benson | Postdoctoral researcher, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland I’m a DNA detective, I figure out if people’s genes (not the ones they wear!) are making them … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks from Monday 6th to Friday 17th November during Science Week 2017. This November we’re looking for 20 scientists to take part in three themed zones and a general science zone suitable for any kind of person working in science. Read about the zones below, or jump straight to the application form: Teachers apply: iasie.ddev.site/teachers Scientists apply: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply   Diagnosis Zone As the old joke doesn’t go ‘Doctor Doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains!’ ‘That sounds serious, I hope a scientist has developed a test so we can work out what’s wrong!’ Scientists play a big part in how we work out when there’s something medically wrong with us and keeping us healthy. Modern hospitals are filled with cutting-edge technology developed by scientists and used for testing and diagnosis. In this zone there could be researchers looking at people’s brains … Continue reading →

If this isn’t your first visit you may have noticed that the site looks a little different today. For the past few months we have been working in the background to develop a new look for our site to make it a bit more modern, a lot better on mobile devices and and much easier for us to update. We’re still testing before going live on a site with a current event so if you spot anything that looks rubbish or even worse doesn’t work, please email and let us know there’s a problem. Send an email to emily@mangorol.la with a URL, screenshot and what you think isn’t right. It would be much appreciated.

After every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 certificate and a gift voucher. Light Zone Winner: SectumSarzzies, St Molaga Senior NS Mutation Zone Winner: 528mutg28, St Michael’s Holy Faith Secondary School New Materials Zone Winner: 388newg35, Dunanri College Smart Data Zone Winner: UniCorr, S N Naomh Colmain Oxygen Zone Winner: 925xygg26, Inver College After taking part in I’m a Scientist, we ask the students to answer a few questions to help us gauge their attitudes towards science. We randomly choose one … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is back! In November students at over 50 schools all over Ireland will be interacting with 25 scientists across 5 different zones. Between 7th – 18th November school students will put the scientists through their paces in fast-paced live chats and probing questions on everything from light, to mutations, to the creation of new materials. For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Light Zone This zone is funded by Science Foundation Ireland. The Scientists Steven Davitt | PhD Student, NCPST DCU I fire lasers at things and look at the light from the explosions Saoirse McCrann | PhD Student, Dublin Institute of Technology I want to combat shortsightedness in children and teenagers! I aim to prevent shortsightedness and stop it getting worse so you will not have to wear glasses to see distance tasks like … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks from Monday 7th to Friday 18th November 2016 during Science Week. This November, your favourite online science engagement activity returns with 5 different zones. Read about them below, or if you want to jump straight to the application, teachers apply here: iasie.ddev.site/teachers and scientists here: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply. Light Zone (for Primary Schools) As well as being needed to see the world around us, light is very useful in scientific research and industry. We can harness light from the sun to generate electricity using solar cells, helping to fight climate change. Lasers are used in everything from medicine to entertainment. In this zone, you might meet scientists who are finding ways of making solar panels cheaper to make or studying the light from stars thousands of light years away. The Light Zone is a primary schools zone and is funded by Science Foundation Ireland Mutation Zone … Continue reading →

Claire and Uday joined the Science Foundation Ireland partnership meeting last Thursday to talk about their experience of participating in I’m a Scientist and to receive their €500 prize from Margie McCarthy from Science Foundation Ireland. Claire spoke about how the event helped her better understand what young people thought of scientists and appreciated the opportunity to demonstrate that persistent stereotypes do not hold true. Uday spoke about the challenging questions from students. He explained that answering simple questions like How do lasers work? in terms that an 8 year old will understand are challenging but in a good way. Both told the audience that they hoped this science outreach event for schools in Ireland would continue.

After every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 certificate and a gift voucher. Drug Synthesis Zone Winner: Aaron, Colaiste Bhaile Chlair Food Science Zone Winner: Nicole, Donaghpatrick National School Nanoscience Zone Winner: Adalina, Colaiste Bhaile Chlair Nitrogen Zone Winner: Meena, Sullivan Upper Preparatory After taking part in I’m a Scientist, we ask the students to answer a few questions to help us gauge their attitudes towards science. We randomly choose one student who filled in the questions to win a voucher. That student is … Continue reading →

The scientists and students of this year’s I’m a Scientist Ireland have had a busy first week. They’ve covered topics like the future of food in Food Science Zone, the stereotypes of a mad scientist in Nitrogen Zone, and the lowest ever marks scientists got in exams in Nanoscience Zone (see, they are human!) The stats across the four zones from the last eight days back up the sterling efforts from everyone taking part: 1,476 students logging in 664 questions sent through to the 20 scientists 946 votes cast by students 59 live chats completed 1 question about milk stumping a food scientist who researches milk: Want to be involved next year? Then you must first play our custom built registration game below. The rules are simple: click the button that would be most helpful to you. 3, 2, 1….GO! Yes, you won! Great work. Back to this year’s event, there’s plenty more action to come as we get stuck into Eviction … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is back for this year’s Science Week! From the 9th to 20th of November, 20 scientists will be competing for school students’ votes in two weeks of fast-paced live chats and questions on everything from making drugs, to blood cells, to nanoparticles, to what’s in your pizza. For the latest news and announcements, find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Drug Synthesis Zone This zone is funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Scientists Sinead Balgobin | PhD Student at The University of Manchester I make molecules of lots of different types- colourful, medical, materials… All using special compounds called “catalysts”, which make my job really easy! Anne Moore | Lecturer at University College Cork We figure out how we can make better vaccines that teach the body’s immune system to seek and destroy invading bugs. … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks during Science Week from Monday 9th to Friday 20th November 2015. With 4 different zones, we’re looking for 20 scientists and have space for more than 1,000 students. Keep reading for details of the zones, or if you want to jump straight to the application, teachers apply here: iasie.ddev.site/teachers, and scientists here: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply. Drug Synthesis Zone Have you ever wondered how medicines are produced? Medicines need to be manufactured in an efficient and reproducible way, so that the aspirin we took to help us with cold last winter is exactly the same as the winter we might need this one. We’ll talk to chemists about how they synthetise drugs to diagnose and treat disease. This zone is funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry. To be eligible to take part, scientists should be a member of the Royal Society of … Continue reading →

Students and scientists in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! talk about laughing babies, the fate of worms during hurling and good starts to Monday mornings.  The last event was enjoyed by teachers, students and scientists alike: ‘We were amazed at how they (students) engaged and really got into the spirit of the event!’ – Teacher, November 2014 ‘At times it felt like a mini science conference, only better hours and less mucking about with travel expenses’  – Ciarán O’Brien (scientist), November 2014 If this sounds like something you want to be part of, then…  The next I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! event will run from 9th to 20th November 2015!! Teachers register by 20th September at: iasie.ddev.site/teacher-registration Scientists apply by 27th September at: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply Teachers will get an email in early September asking them to choose their classes’ zones. The event is supported again by Science Foundation Ireland  and runs during Science Week. There … Continue reading →

Farmleigh House is a spectacular location for a prize giving ceremony. Yesterday in the snow that fell on Phoenix Park it was more magical than normal. At the end of a enjoyable and interesting SFI Discover public engagement workshop day we were joined by three of our six winners from I’m a Scientist and I’m an Engineer. Shikha, Chloe and Ciaran received their €500 prize and mug before Ciaran spoke about his experience of the event. He told the group about the energy of the event, how the openess and frankness of the kids re-energised him and helped he get over some tricky parts of his research.

After every event we ask the scientists and moderators to select the students who stood out for 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 certificate and a gift voucher. Evolution Zone Winner: Jodie, Claregalway College Sustainability Zone Winner: KarenM, Santa Sabina Beryllium Zone Winner: aileenjcat, Inver College Boron Zone Winner: 534brna27, Scoil Mhuire, Brierhill After taking part in I’m a Scientist, we ask the students to answer a few questions to help us gauge their attitudes towards science. We randomly choose one student who filled in the questions to win … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here is back this November! During Science Week, from the 10th to 21st November, 20 scientists will be competing for school students’ votes in two weeks of fast-paced live chats and questions on everything from cells, to robots, to space, to pizza. For the latest news and announcements, find us on Twitter, @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASIE. Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part… Evolution Zone This zone is funded by the European Society of Evolutionary Biology. The Scientists Seán Kelly | PhD Student at Trinity College Dublin I study the behaviour, ecology and genetics of birds on tropical Indonesian islands to understand how new species form and how we can identify these new species. Michel Dugon | Lecturer at National University of Ireland, Galway I have the most exciting job in the world: I study how venomous animals such as snakes, scorpions, spiders or centipedes have … Continue reading →

The I’m a Scientist project is part-funded by Science Foundation Ireland. That means we still need to find the other part of the funding. The Wellcome Trust, Royal Society of Chemistry and European Society of Evolutionary Biology have contributed, but this year we are asking Irish industry and scientists to contribute as well. Starting on Monday 15th September at 11am and lasting for two weeks we’ll be asking for funding contributions towards a Food Zone and a Pharmaceutical Zone. If we can get to €3,000 then we’ll run that zone. it is easy to contribute and every donor gets some reward (and what a reward a thank you on this site is worth…) – click on the images to go straight to its FUNDIT page. We don’t know if this approach is going to work, but we do need to find a way of spreading the cost of running the … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here will run for two weeks during Science Week from Monday 10th to Friday 21st November 2014. With new funding from SFI’s Discover Programme, I’m a Scientist Ireland just keeps getting bigger and better, and this year we’re running 5 zones (including at least 1 just for primary schools) with room for 25 scientists and more than 1,500 students from all across Ireland. Keep reading for details of the zones, or if you want to jump straight to the application, teachers apply here: iasie.ddev.site/teachers, and scientists here: iasie.ddev.site/scientist-apply. Evolution Zone How do we go from a single-celled organism to walking, talking, thinking, dreaming human beings? How do species adapt to live in the most hostile environments on the planet; from the bottoms of oceans to the peaks of mountains? In this zone we’ll be looking at everything evolution, and we’re after five scientists to help … Continue reading →

We’re back! This November 10th to 21st 2014, coinciding with Science Week. And we’re getting bigger, better and younger. Science Foundation Ireland have backed us to expand what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years during Science Week. This time there will be: 5 I’m a Scientist zones including 2 just for primary schools Debate Kits – one on Big Data and another TBA I’m an Engineer, Get me out of here – 2 zones Mugs, prizes (€3,500 in fresh notes) and puns galore But we need your help, now: Demand scientist colleagues apply – so you can steal their mugs Encourage teacher colleagues to sign up for places. There is plenty of room. Reach out to local primary schools and introduce them to the best science outreach event in the world. Start an argument with an educationalist about why they are not getting our very simple to use … Continue reading →

With just the slightest hint of whimsy — and of very little to do with Shane wanting to see the rugby — we changed tack a little, and instead of sending a cheque or a bank transfer decided that the Irish winners ought be presented with cash. So on the 7th February, Shane filled a suitcase with money, I’m a Scientist mugs, and probably only the one rugby jersey and set off for Dublin. As a little party, and to make the prize giving into a bit more of a presentation. A host of faces were invited to Science Gallery for the afternoon. Faces of scientists and of funders, including Stephanie O’Neill from SFI and ESERO. The €2,000 in prizes will go towards projects on improving visitors’ experiences in zoos, taking scientists into schools, and finding “novel ways of communicating the beauty and intrigue of space.” Thanks to Joe for … Continue reading →

We asked 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, to the runners up, and everyone who took part. There were so many interesting questions, and comments this November, but there could only be one winner in each zone. The winners will receive a certificate and a €25 iTunes gift card. Nanotechnology Zone heisenberg, Pipers Hill College For their profile, and great questions in ASK. Runners up: jillpf, aobrien, chloeduffy, kylep, kelseydowling, cathalbrady. Space Zone sarah2013xxx, St. Farnan’s Post Primary For asking some good questions in ASK. Runners up: shasow15, xxartmanxx, justinbieber, chickennuggets, elliot25, jackoneill, daniella1588, theepicpotatoe, fabien2013larouche. Helium Zone leahdoyle123, Malahide Community School For asking some good questions in ASK. Runners up: ifonlyiwasahobbit5, bleddy. Lithium Zone zebraperson72, Scoil Naomh Lorcain For … Continue reading →

After two fantastic weeks of competition. Two weeks of questions, of live chats, and of sleepless question-answering nights for the scientists. We’ve had the penultimate vote, and you have your finalists. Let’s take a look at who’ll be going head to head in the final tomorrow: Nanotechnology Zone Adam Murphy vs. Sinead Cullen Space Zone Lauren McKeown vs. Joseph Roche Helium Zone Shane McGuinness vs. Karen McCarthy Lithium Zone Sive Finlay vs. Michael Nolan Congratulations to the November 2013 finalists! And to those who’ve been voted out, commiserations; but remember, you can still join in the live chats! We’d like to thank Science Foundation Ireland for providing funding for the event; as well as the Institute of Physics in Ireland for funding the Nanotechnology Zone, and ESERO Ireland for funding the Space Zone.

It’s the penultimate day of I’m a Scientist: November 2013. So far we’ve said “so long” to eight scientists, and this afternoon, another four will gracefully* bow out leaving just two finalists in each zone to battle it out for the title! In the meantime, we’ve decided to try out something new on our contestants: We’re opening the floodgates. Tomorrow afternoon (Friday 22nd) we’ll be opening up the live chats in all the zones to any students who want to chat with the scientists. We’ve never had students chatting with scientists outside of their teachers’ classrooms before; keen students will be able to log in in their own time to chat with the scientists, get in some last minute questions, and give the finalists a chance to pick up some eleventh-hour votes, before the winners are announced at 3 pm. The live chats will be open from 12 pm to … Continue reading →

You may have noticed that all our scientists are now in the final stages of some top notch soup strainers. Not one to shy away from a charitable lol, we thought this would be a nice way for us to get involved. Make a donation to Movember here, which supports men’s health programmes that combat prostate and testicular cancer, and if you’re taking part Tweet us a photo of your ACTUAL nose neighbors. Check out the scientists ‘tashes in; Nanotechnology Zone, Space Zone, Lithium Zone, Helium Zone.

The third day of I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! is just about done with, the scientists — we’re sure — will be answering questions late into the night, but for now, let’s take a look at what happened today. Flight was the main topic of conversation in the Helium Zone live chats today, where adamdaly was particularly interested in whether we will one day have flying cars, or flying shoes. [Cars] could yes, and some prototypes already can! … Don’t know about shoes, but jetpacks have existed for decades, though they’re WAY too expensive. Elsewhere in the Helium zone, leahdoyle123 wondered, “Where does time go?”: it’s all down to relativity. In the Space Zone students have been thinking about life, living in space. David246 wanted to know what an astronaut’s suit is made from, and why that material; danniella1588, meanwhile was wondering what dietary adjustments you might … Continue reading →

The sun is setting on another day of I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! and here we are again to look at the questions the students have been putting to the scientists. In the Helium Zone, caoimhecarnmore100 — perhaps inspired by the name of the zone — wondered whether it would be really be possible to create a flying car someday. And from flying to falling: what is it exactly that causes that falling feeling when we wake from a dream, asked leigha1234. Which planet has the most moons? In the Space Zone today, Jupiter took the record with an incredible 67 confirmed moons answering Luke’s question. In the Nanotechnology Zone, ktktod wanted to know what the scientists thought to be the biggest breakthrough in nanotechnology had been, while theo wondered how nanotechnologies might affect makeup; will they be able to prevent wrinkles or acne? We’ve a full … Continue reading →

We’re coming to the end of the first day of our November 2013 round of I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here!, and what a first day it has been. In the Helium Zone one student wondered why we have eyebrows, while another wanted to know what happened to the dinosaurs. In the Lithium Zone, the students were interested in whether cloning would ever become a standard medical procedure. In the Nanotechnology Zone, Eleanor explained how we might go about moving the earth, while in the Space Zone the scientists explained what would happen if the moon and the sun collided; in short, the “sun would win”. We’ve a full two weeks of I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! to go, with plenty more live chats booked, and many more answers to come. Check back for more updates. We’d like to thank Science Foundation Ireland for providing funding for … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! is off to a roaring start here in Ireland. All twenty scientists are confirmed and registered on the site, and the live chat bookings are flying in from schools across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. With a growing waiting list for teachers wanting to take part with their students, we can’t wait to get started with the event. We’re delighted to see such enthusiasm from both the teachers and scientists; this is only the second time we’ve run I’m a Scientist: Ireland and the response has been fantastic. It’s nice to see returning teachers, as well as in influx of new schools. With scientists too, we weren’t quite ready for the number of brilliant researchers we’ve had to turn down this year! Talking of the scientists, they’ve been busy filling in their profiles, and helping to ramp up the excitement … Continue reading →

I’m a Scientist: Get me out of here! is back from 11th–22nd November with 4 new zones, 20 scientists, and 100 classes. With nearly three applicants for every scientist’s place, there was fierce competition. After weeks of sifting applications and single sentence summaries, we’re ready to announce our scientists, and the schools who will be not so silently judging them. We’d like to thank Science Foundation Ireland for providing funding for the event; as well as the Institute of Physics in Ireland for funding the Nanotechnology Zone, and ESERO Ireland for funding the Space Zone. Nanotechnology Zone The Scientists: Sinead Cullen Trinity College Dublin I work with really tiny devices to try and destroy one of the worlds largest killers; Heart Disease. Jessamyn Fairfield Trinity College Dublin I study how really small objects interact with light, electricity, and energy differently than large objects do, and try to use what I … Continue reading →

Thanks to Science Foundation Ireland I’m a Scientist is back this November during Science Week, with four zones bringing together students and scientists from all over the country. We’re looking for scientists to take part in the following zones: Nanotechnology Zone (funded by IOP) – Very very very small stuff! Manipulating molecules and atoms for all sorts of molecular scale science and engineering, nanotechnology is used in computing, sensors, materials and it even has biomedical applications Space Zone (with funding from ESERO Ireland) – From stars and planets to black holes and cosmic radiation, this zone covers it all. Exploring the existence of dark matter, the effects of gravity, atronaut psychology and volcanoes on Mars, there’s something for everyone! 2 general zones, including a mix of 5 scientists from all areas of science: Helium Zone Lithium Zone Apply now to take part! Scientists apply here: iasie.ddev.site/scientists/scientist-apply Application deadline is Monday 30th September 2013 Teachers sign up … Continue reading →

We announced a few weeks ago that I’m a Scientist is returning to Ireland in November, from Monday 11th – Friday 22nd November, as part of Science Week Ireland. It will run with 4 zones – that’s 20 scientists talking with over 1,000 school students around Ireland. We’re looking for scientists to take part. It’s open to any practising research scientists (academia and industry) who were educated in Ireland (North and Republic) or are working there currently. Apply at iasie.ddev.site/scientists/scientist-apply To get a feel for how it works and what it’s all about, have a listen to last November’s Space Zone winner, Paul Higgins, talking on sciencecalling.com – Paul explains perfectly the purpose and point of I’m a Scientist; the importance of outreach, that it’s not just beneficial for students, but for scientists too. What does it involve? Students ASK scientists questions about science and beyond, have live CHATs with … Continue reading →

We’re coming back… We’ve just heard that Science Foundation Ireland have agreed to part fund 4 zones as part of the Discover Science & Engineering Programme for Science Week 2013 in November. It’s is brilliant news because we so enjoyed the 3 zones we ran last November and we have a whole load of teachers wanting to take part that we couldn’t fit in. We’ll be contacting them soon. You can still apply on our Teacher resources page if you haven’t already. We’ll also be needing some more scientists. Get your name down on our scientist application page. Our first task however is to secure the funding for the additional funding we need. The Institute of Physics have already asked to fund one zone. Which leaves us with another opportunity for a funder to influence a zone theme. For more information please email or call me: shane@gallomanor.com or +44 1225 … Continue reading →