By Abigail Julian | Project Manager
Over the summer we have organised several events that give students the opportunity to see STEM in action.
Students in year 10 form across several London schools attended a workshop in which they took part in different activities that simulated a real Mars expedition. From finding ways to make a safe landing, to generating power to understanding how to match (fake!) blood types to give a life saving transfusion, students really are ready for life on Mars!
This summer we also enjoyed working with the University of Oxford, in particular the Department of Pharmacology, The Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Brasenose College to arrange insight days for some of our students in years 11 and 12.
Year 12 participants gained an insight into the research facilities and projects of students of Oxford’s Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. In particular the behaviour of fruit flies – which despite their small size can teach us a lot about the workings of the brain! They even got to help out with some of the experiments, learning about technical methods and equipment. As well as gaining an insight into the academic side of life at university, we also visited Brasenose College and got a behind the scenes tour, tried out the canteen food, visited the on site library and spoke to current undergraduates about their experiences.
A cohort of our younger students visited the Medical Research Council Brain Netwoekd Dynamics Unit and took part in a range of discussions, debates and demonstrations. They even had the opportunity to use electro magnetic charges to stimulate the motor cortex in the brain and looked at the differing reation times of a twitching finger - from direct sitimulation, through to conscious thought. It was a great learning opportunity and really showed students the importance of scientific research in medical advancement.
We have many more activities in the pipline for the new academic year, including coding and robotics workshops and a speed networking evening.
“Being able to see a dendrite and a synapse, in the flesh, was amazing- now all the theory makes sense!” – Kim, Year 11
“It was an incredible experience, it shows you an insight into the workings of a research lab. I’m definitely interested in a career in the medical field.” – Jack, Year 11
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