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Dr. Omur Tastan from the Liu Lab is taking part in a free online event where school students meet and interact with scientists.

The X Factor-style competition between scientists lets students ask them any questions they like, over fast-paced, online text-based live chats. Students can also post questions on the website for the scientists to answer and depending on which answers they like, students vote and a winner is chosen at the end of the two weeks. With a prize of £500 to communicate their work with the public at stake, competition has been fierce.

Should she win, Dr. Tastan plans to donate some of the prize money to her daughter's primary school for their STEM clubs and use the rest for her Science Communication Instagram page (sciency_mama). 

Some of the varied questions the scientists have been answering from students include:

  • What is the difference between cancer and a tumour?
  • What animal produces the stongest chromosomes ?
  • Why do children sometimes talk to themselves in their sleep?
  • Have you helped anyone get rid of cancer? If so how?
  • Are our brains different colours?
  • Whats at the bottom of a black hole?

For more information or to get involved with I'm a Scientist... please visit their website. To see what Dr Omur Tastan has been doing specifically, please visit her profile page.