We are thrilled to announce that Tyndall PhD student Marcello Valente has won the Red Zone in “I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out of Here!
'I’m a Scientist' is an online, student-led STEM enrichment activity. It connects school students with scientists through energetic real-time text based instant chats.
The activity is divided into ‘zones’ with a set of 50+ scientists and 60+ school classes in each. A Zone can be a General Science Zone, or themed, for example, a Medical Research Zone. Each zone is live for 4 weeks. Scientists choose their preferred zones and dates when applying. Marcello participated in the Red Zone which ran from the 2nd to 27th November 2020 as part of I’m a Scientist: On Demand. This Zone was funded by Science Foundation Ireland.
Marcello reflects on this fun and interactive experience and shares with us how he intends to use his prize winnings.
Before starting my PhD in April, I worked as a Maths and Science teacher for different middle schools in Italy, teaching students aged 12 to 14 years of age. I really enjoyed the engagement with students, so much so that it inspired me to volunteer for the I’m a Scientist STEM initiative when I joined Tyndall and saw it advertised internally by Public Engagement and Outreach Officer Alida Zauers.
The 2020 I’m a Scientist online event was really well organised and designed to be convenient for teachers wishing to enrol their students during a typical school day. Teachers could book a 45-minute slot and during this time, students challenged scientists like myself with fast-paced STEM-related questions either through instant chat or via the website.
Each day there was an average of 4 or 5 sessions, some overlapping, in which scientists could volunteer to address the instant chat questions as well as the questions submitted through the website.
At the end of each week, the scientist with the most votes was declared winner and the overall Zone winner had the most votes at the end of the month.
I’m thankful I embraced the opportunity to take part in this fantastic Initiative. It was really fun, engaging and challenging as the competition was friendly yet fierce with my fellow scientists. The students also seemed to enjoy participating and even though the interaction was online through a chat, they were still very enthusiastic. They were concerned about current and global STEM topics, notably the COVID situation this year. This was a change from last year when many students were worried about climate change and environmental problems in general.
I would recommend this volunteer experience to other scientists and researchers who are passionate about science and who wish to share their infectious enthusiasm for their work with a younger, curious audience.
The €500 prize money I received will be dedicated to repairing and improving the different STEM toys we have at present as well as purchasing new toys which can add value to our many STEM initiatives here at Tyndall. It’s a good feeling, a nostalgic one - as I feel like I’m making a wish list for Santa!