CIR welcomes 40 secondary school pupils into the lab

Back in-person after two years online, high school work experience programme, Science Insights, returned to University of Edinburgh campuses in summer 2022. Hosted by research institutes at four of the University of Edinburgh’s five campuses, Science Insights provides students a real insight into the work and life of research scientists, preparing them for careers in science. The week-long programme focuses on different areas of biological, biomedical and animal sciences.

During the week, students were able to visit research labs, including those at CIR, for the first time since the pandemic. They spent one day at the Edinburgh BioQuarter, where they were able to visit Edinburgh Imaging at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh as well as the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facilties within the Queen's Medical Research Institute. Students got to see MRI machines, use hand-held ultrasound scanners, and explore cell sorting and lasers in the Flow Cytometry labs.

Several CIR staff and students took part in hosting the Science Insights programme at the BioQuarter. Five CIR researchers hosted small groups of high school students in their labs for 2-hour lab taster sessions. Two flow cytometry technicians based in CIR showed off their facilities by offering behind-the-scenes tours. And one CIR PhD student, Sofia Sintoris, took part in a "Meet the Students" session, chatting with the high schoolers about what it is like to study science at university. 

CIR Staff and Students involved in Science Insights 2022:

• Susanna Riley, PhD Student
• Vasso Makrantoni, Lecturer in Infection Medicine
• Naomi Gachanja, PhD Student
• Anu Fernando, PhD Student
• Jennifer Marshall, Research Assistant
• Shonna Johnston, Flow Cytometry Manager
• Will  Ramsay, Flow Cytometry Specialist
• Sofia Sintoris, PhD Student

A compilation video of the students' visit to the BioQuarter is shown below.

Find out more

Hear from past participants in Science Insights