Thanks from your winner, Matthew

matthewmalek-wWow! What an exciting fortnight! Is it really over? Doesn’t quite feel like it — I keep expecting the next e-mail to pop up, telling me about all the new questions that have come in. Likewise, I keep waiting for the next live chat to begin.

Seriously, I had an absolute blast taking part in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here, and I would totally do it again. It was intense, much more so than I had expected, but it was completely worth it.

I want to thank all of you — the students — for coming up with so many interesting and unusual questions. It’s great to talk to inquisitive young minds and see what makes you wonder about the world. It’s also fantastic to hear your thoughts and ideas. Hopefully, in another decade or so, I’ll be counting some of you as colleagues!

Another great part of I’m a Scientist was interacting with four other excellent scientists, from very different parts of the field. I particularly enjoyed a long conversation with Paul Coxon during the ‘mega-chat’ on the final afternoon, as well as meeting Sabina Hatch for lunch at the end of the first week. The Light Zone had a truly impressive group of scientists, so I’m really quite honoured to have been chosen as the zone winner.

Speaking of winning — there’s that matter of the prize money and what to do with it. My original idea was to make an online interactive history of the universe video. Adding to the original concept, I’ve reached out to other scientists from the zone, inviting them to join me. The Light Zone felt more like a group effort than a competition, and I’d love to work together putting the prize money to good use.

Finally, I’d like to thank the people who made it all happen. That’s the mods and the organisers, the unsung heroes who did all the truly hard work. And, of course, there’s the Wellcome Trust for their ongoing support of I’m a Scientist, plus the Institute of Physics for their special support of the Light Zone.

I would like to do it again at some point. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the event as much as I did!

Posted on April 2, 2014 by modjosh in News. Leave a comment

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