I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here

@imascientist.org.uk

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The image is a graphic of a chat interface within this the student has asked how the scientist thinks they help the world with science. The scientist replies that they can by writing up work and making it publicly available. The student's reply is that the world can be a better place because one human has knowledge about science. The scientist replies again about the collaborative nature of science.

The image shows a highlight from a chat in an I'm a Scientist chat window. The student asks about forces: 'which do you prefer push or pull forces?' One scientist answers: 'can't have one without the other every action has an equal and opposite reaction'. Another replies they like pull forces because they enjoy a hug. This leads the student to ask 'How closely would you associate yourself with Olaf from frozen?' to which the scientist replies with they still haven't seen it.

A graphic of the I'm a Scientist Chat interface. Within this is a text conversation between a scientist and a student about space weather and how this work has an influence on public policy.

The I'm a Programme graphic shows a large text Thank you! and the logos of each I'm a... project.

Picture of Ben set in an I'm a Scientist graphic with May 2026 Term Winner

Students are asking about whether the scientists work in the field. Alison replies saying she works in the lab and the field.

A promotional spotlight graphic from the programme 'I'm a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here.' On a light blue background, the text reads 'Spotlight on… Jade Gray' in a cyan blue box with pink and purple decorative circles. To the right is a circular portrait photo of a young woman with long auburn hair, framed in dark purple. Below, the text reads: 'Curious space investigator' sharing how coding and data are used in space research.

I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here! promotional graphic. Text reads: Bite-sized online outreach: engage school students without travel or event planning. A clock icon shows 30:00. A sign up button and the URL imascientist.org.uk/signup/c/ are displayed. Background shows students working at computers.

Graphic titled “Spotlight on… Emiko Kemp” featuring a smiling woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a red cardigan over a white shirt, standing indoors in front of wall art. Text identifies her as a “Medicine-testing statistician showing students how maths is used outside of the classroom,” alongside a badge-style slogan that reads, “I’m a Mathematician — Get me out of here.” Background uses bright blue and yellow shapes.

Location: Online
Time period: 5-20 March
Pay £12.75/hr
Apply by: Friday 23 Jan

What's a mathematician's favourite Christmas snack? A mince pi.

What does a teary-eyed, joyful Santa say about chemistry? HOH, HOH, HOH

Student says they don't understand Konstantina's job. She explains that she selects materials to use, the method and how they test to make sure it works properly. The student follows up asking for more information about what a composite material is.

Student asks what inspired Rosie to become a microbiologist. Rosie wanted to do a job that helps people. She asks the student what they want to be. They want to be an engineer. There is a back and forth about why and a discussion about favourite cars

Iain's hobby outside science is visiting ex-capitals of England. Student asks why Gloucester was a capital city. Iain says it was a capital in Roman times.

Student asks about weird things developed. John says a smartie tag which looked like a smartie. Tom says a plastic dinosaur that they rigged up to make roaring noises when they deployed new software.

Student asks what the worst experiment has been. Benjamin replies when trying to alter the presence of a gene in cell experiments. Alice says spending 3 months growing cells in the lab and them being contaminated with mold

Student asks how you describe what science is. Andy says it is the process of collecting facts about something to learn more about it.

Student wants to know how the diet affects day-to-day mental health and emotions. Ellen says that there are a variety of mechanisms which could include changes to inflammatory pathways and interacting with the gut brain axis. A different student wants to know what the guy brain axis is. Ellen says it is a term to describe the communication between our brain and gut.

Student asks for jokes. Henry says how many software engineers does it take to change a lightbulb? None that is a hardware problem. Gareth says why do programmers prefer dark mode? Because light attracts bugs. Ranjini says there are 10 types of people in this work. Those who know binary and those who don't.

Student asks if there is anything creative that you can do in computer science. Caroline gets to do the operator screens for control systems and Paul makes user interfaces look good. The student says that sounds good and they would be happy to do that

Student wants to be in a job that drives the future forward. Shana and John reply that quantum computing would be good for that because there are lots of problem solving skills.

Student asks what's the coolest thing Luke has seen under a microscope. Luke says some 14th century book dust that revealed a new insect like creature never seen before.

Hannah would be a tsunami because she loves the ocean and can be moody. Louise would be a tornado, a bit mess and always in a spin but pretty cool.

Student asks if consuming fruits can strengthen the human system then can it expand lifespan with cancer. Emma replies how antioxidants can help fight cancer.

Spotlight on Sinead Eley. Problem solving physicist

Hannah asks what careers the students are interested in. They reply aerospace engineering and the IT industry.

A screenshot of a text chat discussing AI's difficulty in rendering hands, the complexity of image decoding, and the security concerns of increasingly realistic AI-generated media (deepfakes and cyber attacks).

Student asks Jan what it's like being a mathematician and a detective. Jan say she is very proud of it. The student wants to know how many cases she has solved as a detective. Jan replies quite a lot. At the moment she is investigating treatments for Epilepsy.

Student asks when initiatives work well in cities. Paul says guerilla gardening. Student asks what that is. It's where people look at an ugly looking place and make it nicer and greener and grow fruit without consent.

Student and scientist are discussing black holes, white holes, and theoretical physics. The conversation starts with 'more532dows3' asking if anything that goes into a black hole comes out anywhere else. 'sraimundo' confirms that nothing escapes a black hole. 'more532dows3' then asks about white holes, their properties, and how many have been found. 'sraimundo' explains that white holes are currently only a theory with no observational evidence. They discuss how the theory, if correct, would change the understanding of black holes and space, suggesting matter could be transported across the universe and black holes could shrink. The conversation ends with 'more532dows3' proposing a hypothetical scenario where a white hole and a black hole interact, and 'sraimundo' responding that it is an interesting scenario but they don't know the outcome, suggesting the other user should become a scientist to investigate it.

Student asked if Charles always works with machines or does written work as well. Charles says that there is written work needed to make sure the machines are safe to use.

Students and scientists are talking about F1. The student mentions Carlos double DNF. There is conversation about whether Ferarri are the best team or not.

Student asks what made the geographers want to be geographers. There are different replies like loving maps as a child, never really planning to be one, loving watching David Attenborough and the mix of interest. The student replies that geography now seems really interesting.

Students and Larissa discuss what Larissa is studying. That conversation moves on to the students wanting to be the first person to try and walk on the sun. Larissa says it's a nice goal but asks why. The student says because it will show our technological advancements.

dean asks favourite animals. Theirs is a fluffy Persian kitty. Brr replies saying tuxedo cats because they look like they're going to a business meeting. Charlotte doesn't like cats as she's been bitten by them but never any other animals. Niamh likes the answer to tuxedo cats. Brr says their tuxedo cat doesn't look very porfessional because she has little socks on. Niamh says that she wears funny socks to work and thinks she's still professional.

A graphic with a picture of Hannah Baird (portrait of a female scientist with red hair, smiling, wearing a graduation cap). Text reads 'Spotlight of Hannah Baird. Film-loving microscopist engaging students by sharing a closer look into how antibiotics work'.

Answers to what impact does your work have. Including conservation, forestry, keeping building warm in winter and cool in summer and creating solar panels.

Student wants to know what black holes are and if it is possible to live on Mars. Ieva explains that black holes are very compact regions in space, where light can't escape and they are what remains after a massive star explores. She asks whether the student thinks humans could live on Mars. The student says you you follow your dreams and work hard then you can. Ieva agrees, science is a team effort so a lot of people would need to work on it to speed up the process.

A graphic with a picture of Martina Conti (portrait of a female scientist with brown hair, smiling, books in the background). Text reads 'Spotlight of Martina Conti. Rock-loving chemist showing students how chemistry helps us understand climate change.'

Joanna says a Bramble Cay Melomys - a little rodent that recently went extinct. Caroline says a trilobite or a giant sloth

Emily Shackleton is a particle accelerator builder

Students want to know what the coolest thing Luke has ever seen under a microscope is. He says some 14th century book dust. He found a new insect like creature. The students want to know whether it was alive and if Luke got to name it. He said more work needed doing before he would be able to name it.

Sophie asked why AI can't get hands right in images. Aurelia says it is because it is hard for AI to decode because the method needed to decrypt the pixels. AI is better at understanding simple tasks with clear instructions. Annabel wants to know if it concerns Aurelia that image generators are getting more realistic and harder to tell apart reality from AI. Aurelia says it is a big concern. The main worry is impersonation of people to do cyber attacks.

A student wants to know how Sinead knows what particles were in the big bang. Sinead says that she relies on maths to tell us, and the LHC to replicate conditions close to this point. The student wonders if it is dangerous. Sinead says no, they take safety precautions. The energy is not a big amount when you compare it to a plane or rocket. Student clarifies so you can get close to recreating the big bang with less energy than a rocket. Sinead says yes.