Book a chat session

What times are the chat sessions?

Currently we are offering the following times for chat sessions:

  • Mondays: 11:10-11:50
  • Tuesdays: 12:10-12:50
  • Wednesdays: 11:10-11:50
  • Thursdays: 10-11:50 & 2:10-2:50
  • Fridays: 10:10-10:50

If none of the above slots suit your class, email us at cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie and we will try to sort something out. We also have the capacity to do sessions in the evening, which may suit youth groups.

How can my class book a chat session with a Cell EXPLORERS scientist?

We are running chat discussions throughout November, in association with  Science Week (8-15 November)

To book a chat session, email us at cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie using the subject line ‘CE IAS chat booking’ and let us know which chat slot  suits your class/youth group.

Once you have booked a session with the Cell EXPLORERS team, you can register your class. 

Teacher FAQs

How do I log in?

First, book a chat session by emailing us at cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie.  We only send log in details to teachers who have booked a chat session for a particular date and time. You will be emailed your username and password. Click “Log In” at the top right of this page, and enter your log in details.

How do students log in?

Once you have your log in, go to your profile (you can find a link to it in the top right corner) and click the “Generate Student Registration Link” button to create a link you will need to send your students to set up their accounts. Once they have their set up their accounts, students can access the site any time.

I’ve forgotten my password, what do I do?

Don’t worry, there’s various things to try:

  1. We emailed a copy of your username and temporary password when we allocated you a place in the event. If you can, go back and check that email.
  2. If you can’t find that email or you’ve changed your password, click on the forgotten password link and we’ll email you instructions to re-set your password.
  3. If that doesn’t work then you can email us at cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie with the subject line ‘CE IAS forgot password’ telling us your name and username.

What can I do on the site?

Students can:

  • ‘Meet’ the Cell EXPLORERS scientists & read their profiles
  • ASK them questions
  • Let the scientists know their opinions
  • CHAT live with Cell EXPLORERS scientists and ask them questions

Teachers can:

  • Generate student registration links
  • Develop students’ oracy and Working Scientifically skills
  • Make lessons fun!

We hope everyone will find the Cell EXPLORERS zone useful, engaging, and enjoyable. Explore the site, check out the scientists’ profiles, the live chats and all the questions that have been asked before, and… have fun!

What do my students need to participate?

First and foremost: you need a stable internet connection to participate in the online chat discussion.

Ideally, each student would have their own computer/tablet so that they can individually participate.

What if my students do not have individual access to a computer/tablet?

When booking, let us know your technology situation for your classroom. If each student does not have individual access to a computer/tablet, an alternative is for students to submit their questions to the teacher, who then submits them to the chat.

How does participation contribute towards’ students learning outcomes?

Participation in the Cell EXPLORERS I’m a Scientist platform, and interacting directly with a real scientist, touches upon several student learning outcomes.

For Primary Pupils:

5th & 6th class (SESE)

  • Science & the Environment: By discussing with scientists how their course/research is relevant to everyday life, pupils will:
    • appreciate the application of science and technology in familiar contexts by discussing with scientists how their research/course is relevant to everyday life
    • examine some ways that science and technology have contributed positively to the use of Earths’ resources
    • recognise the contribution of scientists to society
  • As most of the Cell EXPLORERS scientists come from a molecular and cellular biology background, depending on the questions posed by pupils, other Science curriculum strand units that may be touched upon include Human Life, Plant and Animal Life and Caring for the Environment.

For Secondary Students:

Junior Cycle

Participation in the online chat discussion with CE scientists will allow students to practice the following ‘Key Skills’ from the Junior Cycle Framework:

  • Managing information & thinking: Using digital technology to access, manage and share content
  • Working with others: Co-operating, Respecting difference, Learning with others, Working with others through digital technology
  • Communicating: Using language, Listening and expressing myself, Discussing and debating, Using digital technology to communicate

Participation also links to statement of learning number 17: “The student values the role and contribution of science and technology to society, and their personal, social and global importance”.

As most Cell EXPLORERS scientists are from a molecular and cellular background, discussion in the online chat may also touch upon topics from the ‘Biological world’ strand and ‘Nature of Science’.

How can I book a live chat?

To book a chat session, teachers can choose a time slot from a series of options through our onlinebooking system (coming soon!)

What sort of questions should students be asking?

We are not prescriptive in questions students should ask. It’s good that students feel empowered to ask the questions they really want to! We’ll take out gratuitously rude ones or offensive ones…

It might be helpful to mind-map some questions as a group or ask students to write 5 questions down ahead of the live chat. They should find inspiration on researchers’ profiles.

We will also scheduled moments where the discussion will become a two-way interaction, to invite students to contribute their own opinions and science experiences.

Are there any IT checks we should do before the event?

The chat system uses Javascript. You need to have Javascript enabled and this is normal.

We have had reports from a couple of schools having difficulty accessing the live chats on the sites. In these cases, it is likely that the school network is blocking the site.

To minimise the chance of having IT problems, ask your IT technician to whitelist these URLs before your live chat:

MATOMO_URL
*.googleapis.com
*.gserviceaccount.com
gstatic.com
firebaseapp.com
firebaseio.com
*.firebaseio.com

I’m having problems with the website. What should I do?

Lots of problems can be caused by cookies not working on your machine. Make sure cookies are turned on.

You may occasionally not be able to see the latest pages or answers. Usually clicking refresh will sort it out. If not, try clearing the cache (Tools>options>clear cache or clear/delete private data, in most browsers).

If you’re still having problems please email cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie 

Why are the experts in the Gallery in that order?

The participants appear in the Gallery in reverse alphabetical order (we mean, people called Z first and people called A last). This is because research has shown that people whose names begin with letters near the start of the alphabet tend to be more successful in life (http://www.richardwiseman.com/quirkology/new/USA/Experiment_surname.shtml). Maybe because they are always first in lists!

Here at I’m a Scientist we think life should be more fair, and we try to do our bit to make it fairer. So we are putting the people from the end of the alphabet first for once.

How do I give feedback?

All feedback is greatly appreciated. We take everything you tell us on board and this helps us to make the event even better each time. Positive comments are also very welcome and make us feel good about all the work that goes in. We’ll send teachers a feedback survey after the event – please spare 2 minutes to share your thoughts in this survey.

If you have any comments in the meantime, please email us at cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie. We look forward to hearing from you!