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Andrew Maynard and 99 other scientists answer kids' questions by the thousands in U.K. online teach-in.June 21, 2010, University of Michigan School of Public Health release; updates on June 22, 23, 24, 25. June 25 BREAKING NEWS: Contest RESULTS at right.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.— "I'm a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here" is a British educational program that gets young people talking to real scientists online. The largest event in the series kicked off June 14, 2010. For two weeks, up to 8,000 kids from 400 participating classrooms ask questions to 100 scientists from various backgrounds. In a "Survivor"-style format, scientists compete for student votes to stay in the competition.
"Being able to grasp what science is about, and making informed decisions on its use, is as important as learning to read and write," Maynard believes. "Scientists often find it hard to connect with people when discussing their work. The genius of "I'm a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here" [IAS for short] is that it empowers teenagers to engage with working scientists on their own terms, while teaching the scientists how to relate to everyday people. It's the most effective and intensive bootcamp for science communication I have ever seen!" Eyes on a prizeJune 22 is the first day of scientist "evictions," which basically mean "being voted off the island." Evictions continue for four subsequent days (with announcements at about 10:30 a.m. EST). On June 25, the top vote-getting scientists each win 500 British pounds (about $740) to use for communicating about their research. Major funding for IAS comes from the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom. Maynard decided to join the competition after admiring earlier iterations of IAS. "What really excites me about the whole thing is 8,000 teenagers discovering that scientists are ordinary people, and that the only thing that makes them 'special' is that they are doing something they love and that they think has value," he says. View his IAS profile. The kids' questions and the experts' answers to date have been provocative. Consider the query from student "babybel" on June 21: "Do you think any form of science is wrong for any reason?" Maynard answered, "I think that there are boundaries that scientists shouldn’t cross, where they infringe on basic human rights. For instance, experimenting on people without their consent is wrong, and sometimes can be wrong even if the people agree." (More questions are below.) Sophia Collins, producer of IAS for Gallmanor Communications Ltd., sees value in less weighty exchanges, too: "I can't resist telling you I think the question which inspired the most conversation was possibly about [Maynard's] love of beans on toast! I know it sounds silly, but it's great to see students relating to scientists as people." Collins says Germany and Australia have been in touch, expressing interest in running similar national forums. British invasion?IAS is also being followed on this side of the pond. Lawrence Bock, executive director of the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, to hosted by Lockheed Martin this fall in Washington, D.C., calls IAS "one of those brilliant British ideas that needs to come to the U.S. Like the X-Factor, The Office, and, yes, the Beatles, we need a British invasion of 'I'm a Scientist,'" Bock says. Maynard is all for it. He sees a link between IAS and his work at the UM Risk Science Center, which he describes as "dedicated to providing a sound science base for dealing with risk and uncertainty when making decisions on human health, and on helping people make the best possible decisions for themselves and their organizations." He calls his role with IAS "perfect for a scientist with a taste for policy, communication, and informed decision-making." Selected IAS questions answered by Andrew Maynard (and other scientists):
More information:
Contact: Mary Beth Lewis or Terri Mellow, UM SPH Office of Communications
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