Fantastic, I hope you keep doing it! - Head of Science, Cheney School
Earlier this month twenty four students from local schools took part in a morning of activities designed to introduce them to the work of the Kennedy and the advanced microscopy techniques that play a key role in its success.
Lenses and lasers
The morning started with Professor Mike Dustin giving a brief overview of the work of the Kennedy Institute and also explained some of the science behind the microscopes that they would be seeing later including a demonstration of the science behind fluorescence using tennis balls.
I liked the combination of physics and biology.
- A-Level student
After the talk they split into groups to take part in a range of activities including a tour of the laboratories and a histology practical.
Students taking part in the Histology Practical
Everyone in the labs was fabulous.
- A-Level student
Saw amazing lab equipment for the first time.
- A-Level student
But, of course, the day would not be complete without a demonstration of the microscopes themselves. Students were particularly entranced by the demonstration T-Cells moving in real time under the TIRF Microscope.
It was so amazing to see real cells move.
- A-Level Student
They were also able to compare tissue from a variety of different organs using the confocal microscope.
The day finished off with a Q&A session where students could find out the answers to any questions they hadn't had a chance to ask.
A big thanks to Mike, Volodymyr, Alan, James, Ewoud, Jessica, Junyu, Rosella, Luciana and Unni for running the activities and escorting the groups; Tiph and Adrian who helped the day run so smoothly and Anjali for organising the day.
Seeing the application of the theory was amazing. Thank you!
- A-Level student
