However, this time it should be fun. Though I confess to being a little bit terrified.<\/p>\n
I am going to take part in the upcoming round of I’m a scientist, get me out of here!<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>Here’s the blurb:<\/p>\n I’m a Scientist is a science dialogue event where school students talk to real scientists online for two weeks. It’s in the form of an X Factor style competition between scientists, who compete for a prize of \u00a3500.<\/em><\/p>\n For two weeks students read about the scientists’ work, ask them questions, and engage in live text chats with them. The students vote for the scientist they want to get the money. The scientists with the fewest votes are evicted until only one is left to be crowned the winner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Strangely enough, one of my original motivations for getting into blogging was to be able to reach a wider audience, which I always hoped would include children. Although NN has yet to start a portal for school-kids \ufeff(or did I miss the memo?), in a very, very roundabout way my activities here—<\/span>and on Twitter–were instrumental in bringing me to this scary situation.<\/p>\n There is a competitive element to all this and<\/em> I am in possession of a Y chromosome, but I’m not really excited by the prospect of combat. At least, that’s what I’m tellng myself for now. In this round (which starts on June 14th) there is an impressive total of 100 scientists taking part – split into twenty groups of five. The members of each group–I am in Imaging<\/a>–will be competing with each other for the dosh (to be spent on a science communication activity). I have already ‘met’ two of the team-members through Twitter (@tom_hartley and @lisamarieke) and they both seem really nice–I’m sure we’ll all get along famously. What is more thrilling is the chance to interact directly<\/em> with the students.<\/p>\n However, I guess no-one will want to be the first to be sent packing, so who knows what will happen?<\/p>\n I judge that it’ll be interesting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ha, this’ll make you laugh. Having spent my last blogpost in wistful reflection on the endless judgements that I find myself subjected to as a working scientist, I have just signed up–quite voluntarily, of my own free will and with … Continue reading ![\"imascientist](\"http:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4061\/4616276311_66a658b056_o.png\")
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