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The Soil Zone was a themed zone funded by the Agronomic Science Foundation gateway fund. The zone featured scientists working on a range of soil related topics from nodulation in roots to generation of electricity. The zone had 315 participating students from 8 schools. Some teachers had multiple classes take part in the soil zone and class sizes ranged from 13 to over 30 students across grades 4 to 12. Most of the classes had two live chats with the scientists with more live chats taking place in the second week than the first. There were fewer questions submitted than other zones but 70% of those submitted were approved and over 80% of the students were actively engaged with the scientists. The live chats were well attended with Mark Ritchie even joining in from Africa. All the scientists were very engaged and quick to reply to the students’ questions with very … Continue reading →

Hi All, Wow, what a whirlwind! When I entered the “I’m A Scientist” competition, I was expecting to answer questions about what it’s like to be a scientist, and what we scientists do when we go to work every day. You did ask those kinds of questions, and I hope that Mark, Keegan, Clay, Ana and I gave you a good picture of what being a scientist is all about. From writing computer programs to teaching in classrooms, from roaming around the savannahs of Africa to running experiments in a laboratory, science is a new and exciting challenge every day. Scientists have to be creative and adaptable as we solve different kinds of problems to answer our research questions! What I wasn’t expecting was to get so many excellent questions about why scientists do what we do. You asked questions like “Are you trying to make the world a better … Continue reading →

The students have spoken. The votes have been double counted… Big congratulations to the Soil Zone winner: Alex Hard luck to Keegan but a huge thank you to everyone who took part. You were all brilliant. Students, don’t forget to tell us what you think about science now you’ve taken part. Log in to your profile, and fill in the new questions in the survey.

We’ve counted, checked and rechecked the votes and now reveal it’s game over for… Clay aka Dr Dirt This leaves just “Alex” and “Keegan” to fight it out for the $500 prize tomorrow. Who would you like to see win tomorrow’s final battle? VOTE

We’ve counted the votes and you’ve now eliminated… Mark The two scientists left standing after tomorrow’s elimination will battle it out in Friday’s final. Who do YOU want to see in the final? VOTE for your favorite! Students, has taking part changed your view of science and scientists? When you next log in and visit your profile, you’ll see a new box called “Second Questions”, please answer the questions to let us know what you think of the science!

The first scientist you’ve eliminated is… Ana One scientist will be eliminated every day this week, and you get a new vote each day. Make sure to VOTE to keep your favorite in the competition. A student in each zone will win a voucher for asking great questions! And remember, you can comment on questions the scientists answer. Do you think the scientist is right? Do you disagree with them? Tell them!