I’m a Scientist – Plastic Zone Outreach Winner
Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) postdoctoral researcher, Dan Day, recently took part in the ‘I’m a Scientist’ Plastic Zone outreach event and was voted the winner.
The ‘I’m a Scientist’ programme connects school students with scientists through live online chats and provides them with the opportunity to find out what it’s like to pursue a career in science. Dan took part in a number of live chats, each lasting around 40 minutes. These fun, lively and energetic discussions, generate an immediate relationship between scientists and students.
As well as answering a range of questions about careers in science, the plastic zone lead to lots of questions from students around the environmental issues associated with plastics. This allowed Dan to communicate some of the recent results from the University of York coordinated CHAMPION research project into bio-based polymers. Over the course of the month, he was voted the favourite scientist by the students and was awarded £500 to spend on future outreach activities.
Dan said:
“I had such a brilliant time doing the ‘I’m a Scientist - Plastic Zone!’ I have always enjoyed being involved in outreach activities for young people, and doing it virtually means that you can reach so many more people without geographic restrictions.
It was a pleasure to work with all the moderators and fellow scientists, and I was so impressed by the enthusiasm of the students. I am really grateful to have been voted the favourite scientist by the students. The prize money gives me the opportunity to do more outreach on green plastics, and I am currently having discussions with STEM teachers to help me figure out how I can best provide resources to fit in to the curriculum. I massively recommend all scientists to participate in outreach if they get the opportunity – you can make a big difference to people’s lives just by communicating what you do!”
The 'I’m a Scientist' programme is funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It aims to make science more relatable, providing school students with ‘science capital’, it looks to challenge existing stereotypes and promote the varied routes into a STEM career. The online live chats provide an accessible method of outreach, as there are no geographical restrictions, and create an equitable opportunity for students to participate.
To find out more, or get involved follow @imascientist on Twitter or visit the website.