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Students! Did you do your profile survey? Check your email for a chance to win a £20 voucher and tell us what you think now! What a wonderful surprise! I am absolutely delighted to have won the competition and would like to say a huge thank you to all those who were involved. It is clear from the smooth running and welcoming feel of the chats that the organisers, moderators and teachers put a lot of time and effort into the event. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I am so pleased to have been given the chance to spread the word about air pollution toxicity. Students, what can I say? You have been fantastic! I am so impressed with the way you approach science, wondering how things work, why we do things in certain ways and most importantly, how we use our results. You have made me … Continue reading →

Liza Selley! The students have spoken. The winner of the MRC Festival Zone is research scientist, Londoner, self-proclaimed ‘huge nerd’ and travel enthusiast — Liza! Liza works at the MRC Toxicology Unit investigating the ways that air pollution affects our lungs. Her ‘typical day’  is spent in the lab, sprinkling pollution onto pieces of lung and watching what happens next. Huge congratulations to Liza for winning the prize of £500. Every one of the 25 MRC scientists and support staff in the Zone have done a fantastic job answering your brilliant questions about all things medical research. Together, they’ve answered over 700 ASK questions and participated in 84 live chats. It really has been an amazing month and we’d like to send a massive THANK YOU to everyone, students, teachers, scientists and support staff, who took part!

tiggy, congratulations! Each week the scientists and support staff taking part in the MRC Festival Zone have nominated their top student – one who’s made the most of the event, shown enthusiasm and asked some really great questions. tiggy, a student at Darrick Wood Junior School, was nominated in the final week by the scientists for asking great, thought provoking questions in ASK. They asked “To what extent, do you consider there to be biological factors which enhance the likelihood of criminal activities within members of society?” which was answered by many of the MRC scientists and dubbed a ‘really excellent question’ by Lauren. Last week tiggy also asked a great question about nature VS nurture, and posed the brilliant “if dragons were real, how would you explain their ability to breath fire?” question that was featured in our 9 great moments post. As the student winner, tiggy will bag … Continue reading →

Log in between 7 and 8pm for another chance to talk to the scientists and support staff in the MRC Festival Zone! Continue asking your brilliant questions in this special after-school live chat. Just log in and head to the CHAT page from 7pm! Why not show your friends and family you’re talking with real scientists? Introduce them to the scientists and support staff, and invite them to pose their own question about ‘phantom’ sounds, dementia, gene editing and more… How to join the evening chat Log in to the MRC Festival Zone as normal Click the CHAT icon Start asking your questions! See you tonight! ModAmy and the MRC Festival Zone team

… and in no particular order :P….   Helen! David! Hannah! Jason! Claire! Leo! Laurent! Liza! Lauren! Alex! Laura! Camille! Who will win the MRC Festival Zone £500 prize on Friday? It’s up to YOU to VOTE What do you think of these front runners? Is your favourite missing? Or maybe you’ve changed your mind? Then VOTE before 3pm this Friday, 29th June and have your say!     PS: Join the evening chat tonight for an extra chance to talk to the scientists and support staff — just log in and head to the CHAT page from 7pm! PPS: And want an extra vote?? Check out the Bonus Zone Challenge, where each Like from you on a scientist’s answer will turn into a bonus VOTE for them!

We can’t believe the third week of the MRC Festival Zone is over — that means there’s only one week left to ASKquestions and VOTE for your favourite scientists! Once again, this week we’ve been scanning live chats, questions, comments and answers for more great moments from you and the scientists. In no particular order, here they are below and you can leave a comment yourself about your favourite bit of taking part in the MRC Festival Zone! 1. The fire-breathing dragon and the Californium Zone scientist Claire says “clearly they would grind their teeth together to create a spark and then spew a flammable chemical from special stores in their throat. The chemical would be ignited from the spark and come out its mouth as fire.” This question was so great, a scientist from the Californium Zone decided to visit! Ella, who is taking part in I’m a Scientist, left … Continue reading →

nscott123, congratulations! Each week the scientists taking part in the MRC Festival Zone will nominate their top student – one who’s made the most of the event, shown enthusiasm and asked some really great questions. nscott123, a student at Walker Technology College, was nominated by the scientists for asking great questions in their live chat related to the scientists’ research. In the chat, they asked Lauren a thoughtful question about why she thinks it’s important to properly diagnose people with mental health problems and how she prevents people from being wrongly diagnosed. nscott123 also asked Millie about her research into bones and muscles, and whether eating fast food can hinder the development of children’s muscles. As the student winner, nscott123 will bag a £20 voucher and certificate! Want to be in with a chance of winning? Keep ASKing the scientists about their work and join in the next evening chat, 7-8pm, Wednesday 27th … Continue reading →

Today the scientists and support staff have been challenged to say what they do, this time using just one sentence… We need you to decide who has done it best! Read their attempts and LIKE 💙 the ones you think have done well at the Challenge Page below. The more likes, the more extra votes each scientist gets! Judge the One Sentence Challenge here→ With just a week to go until the MRC Festival Zone Winner is announced, the scientists need all the help they can get. But only you have the power to decide who has described their work in a clear, interesting way. So get judging- and look out for next week’s challenge!   PS: There’s also still time to ASK one of your own great questions and be nominated as this week’s Student Winner (who gets a £20 voucher)

Log in between 7 and 8pm for another chance to talk to the scientists and support staff in the MRC Festival Zone!   Continue asking your brilliant questions in this special after-school live chat. Just log in and head to the CHAT page from 7pm! Why not show your friends and family you’re talking with real scientists? Introduce them to the scientists and support staff, and invite them to pose their own question about air pollution, glowing fungi, 3D imaging and more… How to join the evening chat Log in to the MRC Festival Zone as normal Click the CHAT icon Start asking your questions!   See you tonight! ModAmy and the MRC Festival Zone team