The EGU has entered into collaboration with Gallomanor, a UK company that runs the events I’m a Scientist (Get me out of here) and I’m an Engineer (Get me out of here). The EGU are funding a European-wide sister project named ‘I’m a Geoscientist (Get me out of here) where school students are provided with the opportunity to meet and interact with real scientists!
School students will have the ability to vote, this will be based on the scientist’s ability to communicate their research well. This is the basis of the European Geosciences Union’s (EGU) new educational (for both students and scientists!) initiative to launch in June 2014.
The event takes the form of an online chat forum that uses an innovative online platform designed especially for the purpose of this event. School students log on and post questions to the scientists taking part, ranging from questions about their research to their favourite music. The scientists then log on and answer those questions. Based on their answers, student
s get to vote out scientists until there is one left – the best scientific communicator – who wins €500 for a new public-engagement project of their choice.
For scientists, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved with some public engagement from the comfort of your own home and lab computer, during your own time. You can develop your skills in talking about research to a varied audience, tick the box for public engagement in your proposal bids, gain an understanding of how the public relate to your research and finally, it helps to inspire the next generation about geosciences!
To apply to take part, please go to http://imageoscientist.eu and fill in the simple online form for scientists.
Applications are open to all EGU members (if you are not a member you can register on the EGU website) from across Europe and close on the 17th March 2014. Once applications close, the registered school classes will be asked to judge the scientist applications and chose the final 5 scientists who will get to take part in the final event. Successful scientists will be notified by the 7th April and the event will take place over two weeks from the 16th to 27th June.
To take part you must be able to devote around an hour a day for those two weeks to answer the questions posed by the students. The entire event will be conducted in English, so you will also need to be able to confidently understand and communicate in English.
If you have any other questions about the event email Jane Robb at robb@egu.eu.
Good Luck!
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