In the project Help a Scientist, the Nobel Prize Museum brings together teachers, 14–15 year old students and scientists. In Help a Scientist the teachers and middle class students get to participate in a real scientific project, the scientists get help in their work, and universities and colleges are given the opportunity to collaborate with schools and young people. Together we create both new findings and an interest and understanding of science. The project is led by the Nobel Prize Museum and funded by the Foundation for Strategic Research.
If you would appreciate help in data collection, and/or help with processing and analyzing data, or if you feel that it would be interesting with new creative angles on your research from the eyes of middle school students, do not hesitate to make an application to become our scientist in next year’s Help a Scientist!
The project spans over a year with a first start-up meeting at the end of January 2020 and a final evaluation of the project in January 2021. In addition to costs around the experiments themselves, Help a Scientist finances approximately a half-time post-doc position for one year. Work tops occur during March–May and September–November.
Up to 1,000 students from about 30 schools usually attend each year, and students should be able to do all the work in their classroom and neighborhood.
In Help a Scientist the work for the scientist includes:
- develop and participate in a relevant research task in accordance with the target group and the resources of the schools;
- develop an information compendium together with the project group at the Nobel Prize Museum on the research task addressed to the schools, with background, clear instructions, protocols – everything that may be needed to complete the task. An example of a previous compendium can be found at http://bit.ly/dnajakten- compendium;
- be available via e-mail, Skype and social media to answer questions from the schools, as well as share stories about and explain the research to the target group, for example, through short films on recurring occasions during the project.
You can find more information about Help a Scientist here.
Contact information
Do you have questions? Do not hesitate to contact us!
Anna Johanna Lindqvist Forsberg; project manager; forskarhjalpen@nobelprize.org
Johan Gómez de la Torre; scientist involved in Help a Scientist 2012 – the Gold Hunt; johan.gomezdelatorre@gmail.com
Pernilla Wittung Stafshede, professor of chemical biology, Chalmers; scientific adviser; pernilla.wittung@chalmers.se
Apply by clicking the link above.
See attached pdf of an article by the researchers in Help a Scientist 2014 – the DNA Hunt where they thank the students in Help a Scientist in Acknowledgments!