Bioinformatics Zone

With over 800 questions asked and 4,659 lines of live chat, which Sergey generated 47% of alone, the Bioinformatics Zone was above average in most measures of activity such as the number of students, number of live chats, number of votes, lines of live chats and the percentage of students that actively participated.

The students seemed to understand the scientists’ research better than in previous Big Data themed zones, asking about programming and how genes work in the brain genetic mutations. There were three persistent themes throughout: brains – how they work and how to control and enhance brain function, cures for and scientific understanding of cancer, and the ethical implications and necessity of animal testing.

Genomics Zone
The Genomics Zone had the highest percentage of active students, 93% of the students registered asked or commented on a question, chatted with the scientists or voted for their favourite. TGAC scientists generated 43 % of the answers and 54 % of the live chats, out of the five scientists.

Live chats in the Genomics Zone followed topics such as DNA and gene analysis as well as the scientists’ work and research. The questions were generally of a scientific nature, focusing on DNA and gene analysis and how they relate to diseases and viruses. There were also questions on some science topics such as space, dinosaurs and animal testing, which were common to most zones.

 

Getting to know you

While the majority of questions tried to find an answer to questions, students were also keen to engage with the scientists on a personal level, asking their opinion about scientific topics, as well as about other more personal themes, such as their hobbies and interests.

About 58% of the questions the students’ in the Bioinformatics Zone asked were about different concepts and facts related to bioinformatics, they also asked scientists about their careers and works (around 29% of the questions) or about their personal interests and day to day lives (14% of questions).

In the Genomics Zone the percentage of on-topic questions went up till 78%, whereas 18% of questions were about the scientists’ work and only 4% about their personal hobbies and lives.

Through the event, students gained an increased awareness of what our scientists actually do and their personalities. The students engaged in debates with scientists during the live chats, and asked them about their personal opinions and experiences. Many students left positive comments during or after live chats in the zones that TGAC featured:

“The more questions are asked and answered, the more I think about joining you guys as a scientist” – whatisinmypocket, student in the Genomics Zone

“Bye thank you so much I have learnt a lot” – hardyl, student in the Bioinformatics Zone

“Thank you for the great answer, I now know when an RNA scan is used” – krazykid456, student in the Bioinformatics Zone

 

What the teachers thought

Five schools from around the UK took part in the Bioinformatics Zone and three in the Genomics Zone.

One teacher said: “The genomics zone attracted us as it was a chance to expose kids to seeing biology as a difficult subject (which normally they don't) and also speak to people in the research side of the subject. We felt it would link to a lot of topics in our current themes like microbes and reproduction.”

Another teacher, Mrs R Barber @LamzinS on Twitter, posted: "Thanks for excellent chat yesterday, my boys loved it and thought you were a great sport with all the questions in German!"

 

What were the outcomes?

TGAC broke the stereotypes the students had of typical scientists by having four of our bioinformaticians on IMAS.The activity made the students realise that there are different sides to science, where analysis is not always carried out just in labs.

Our scientists learnt about students’ interests and how to communicate with them in a more efficient way. Key words and questions from the event will be picked up by the Education and Publication Engagement team and be used as basis for creating future activities, using a similar technological platform.

 

What our Scientists thought

Our scientists involved said that the event improved their communication skills, enjoyed talking to other scientists, learned about the students’ interests and often fell reinvigorated to do more science outreach.

Sergey Lamzin (Bioinformatics Zone), said:

“This has been a great experience for me and I would totally do it again! It made me remember that the most complicated things can be explained in a simple and fun way.”

Ben White, Project Support Officer at TGAC, added:

"IMAS has been a great opportunity to engage with school students of all ages to discuss what genomics means to them, and also to answer their related questions about our research at TGAC. If there is one thing I would like to take away from this event, it is that there is a very strong interest in our schools to know more about science, the impact it has on our society, and how to pursue science as a career (or hobby)."

Ricardo Ramirez, PhD student at TGAC (Bioinformatics Zone), said:

“I was pleasantly surprised by some questions regarding GMO and ethics. This was a good opportunity for me to engage in that debate.”

Our scientists' IMAS profiles

Sergey Lamzin I program. I program computers, plants, microbes, animals, and people. You name it!

Sergey’s plan for the prize money is “rent a public space to talk about to his research and answer questions for the wider public”. Read Sergey’s thank you message here.

Vicky Schneider, Head of Scientific Training, Education and Learning at TGAC
Passionate about building communities, working and engaging with others and bridging the gap between  biologists and computational scientists.

Dave Baker, Platforms and Pipelines Leader at TGAC
The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) I work with really expensive machines that read the DNA of all living things.

Ben White, Project Suppor Officer at TGAC
The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) I help scientists from around the world understand the genes in  everything from tomatoes to naked mole rats.

See what students asked our scientists in the IMAS Bioinformatics and Genomics Zones!