“I have never seen so much engagement and desire to want to know and see more before in my entire teaching career. Sam has an amazing personality and passion.”
“One of the most entertaining science shows I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them! It was brilliantly funny and interactive the whole way through, with plenty to enjoy for both a general audience and science enthusiasts.”
“I believe Sam has the ability to take particle physics make sense to even a ten year old, as good were his analogies and explanations. Projects like this a few and far between and I hope he continues for many years (forming a working partnership with us in the process).”
DR Sam Gregson
Sam's scientific journey really took off as a particle physicist, science communicator and all round resident anarchist at the University of Cambridge and the Large Hadron Collider Beauty (LHCb) experiment at CERN, Switzerland (thesis analysis).
Now he looks to bring the joys of science to everyone: young and old, rich and poor, scientific veteran or beginner...
Dr Sam Gregson takes a look at the current state of scientific literacy amongst the general public and at some reasons as to why it might be too low.
Science comedian
During his PhD, Sam began performing scientific stand-up comedy for vehicles such as Science Show Off, Bright Club and Science Slam.
Explaining science through comedy is a great way to engage audiences that don't attend traditional scientific outreach events and challenge stereotypes.
Sam enjoyed it so much that he founded and project managed LHComedy, CERN's 1st ever comedy show. The show was covered by many international news outlets including the Guardian, Der Spiegel and even the Afghanistan Sun!
...and he hasn't looked back since!...
Science educator
Sam knows from experience, that if you can make someone laugh while teaching them, they will remember what they have learned!
In this spirit, Sam founded the Ministry of Sense project to produce exciting and interactive science comedy shows that introduce school, adult and family audiences to high level science topics and the fascinating worlds of the scientific method, critical thinking and evolutionary psychology in an engaging, high-octane and fun manner.
The first Ministry of Sense show "Hunting the Higgs" is currently performed by Sam and pioneer of geek pop Jonny Berliner and includes voice-overs by the legendary Stephen Fry. It has visited high profile venues such as the Royal Institution, The Green Man Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival and engaged more than 5,000 people already.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
Sam has made several media appearances explaining and championing science. These include:
Genius by Stephen Hawking (Discovery Channel/PBS)
Some Boffins with Jokes (BBC)
The Naked Scientists (BBC)
Sam has also spoken at Cambridge University, CERN and TEDX and is always happy to speak at conferences, stand-up nights and other events.