Hi everyone!

I’ve had such a great couple of weeks taking part in I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here!

When I found out that I had been chosen to take part in the Ytterbium Zone, I was really excited to chat to students about my research, answering questions, and sharing my enthusiasm for science. I had no idea just how fun and fast-paced it would be!

Initially, all my hopes were focussed on surviving the first election, but as the event progressed, I found myself not wanting the live chats to end! It was great to see just how inquisitive the students were about science and how keen they were to hear about our research. I was absolutely thrilled to make it to the final and ultimately to gain enough votes to win the zone – thank you so much for voting for me!

I was continually impressed with the questions posed by the students in both the live chats and also via ASK. My very first question to answer was about black holes (a topic waaaay out of my comfort zone!), so I’ve been learning myself from day one! Questions like ‘why do our fingers go wrinkly in water?’ and ‘why do our knuckles crack?’ were thought-provoking and encouraged me to go and look up the answers. I have learnt so many diverse facts from this event, including how chameleons are able to change colour and learning that plants may, in fact, have feelings!

I’d like to thank the other scientists in the Ytterbium zone – Sascha, Rebecca, Anna…. and not forgetting my fellow finalist, Iain. I think Iain would agree that our final live chat was extremely intense and fast-paced and there’s no surprise that it was a close call for a winner!

I’m sure all of the Ytterbium scientists would agree that I hope all the students have gained an insight into the life of a scientist, learnt something new, and most importantly, had fun chatting to us! Hopefully the diverse research interests of the Ytterbium scientists allowed you to delve deep into our knowledge and experiences. Thanks for your enthusiasm and great questions and I wish you all the very best of luck for the future!

Also, thanks to the teachers for signing up to the event and the moderators for enabling the event to run smoothly. I had a fantastic time taking part in I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here, it’s an incredibly engaging and worthwhile event and I hope it continues to connect scientists and students in the future!

Hayley