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This week I helped at a Masterclass run by the university to show some AS level students how research works.  It was a good experience, even better than the one I had when I went into a school to talk (I didn’t have to transport any snails in a taxi this time!)  It was a group of fourteen 17 year old lads, which at first glance didn’t fill me with confidence, what with 90% of them being taller than me!  But they were all amiable, and even though only half of them were studying biology, were easily engaged in my interactive lecture.  I taught them about human handedness and linked it to morphology and then finally the piece de resistance my lovely snails, which survived the much shorter journey from biology to the chemistry building in one piece.  It was good to show the students that a study (and its data) is only counted as valid by its statistical merit, I think that’s something that isn’t emphasised enough at A level.

I think its really important to engage young people and show them what scientific research is really like.  I know that I only learnt about what goes on in a lab because I had academic contacts who were willing to show me how things work.  The experiences I had, and the jobs that I got through it, really helped me decide that I wanted to do a research career and gave me a good indication of what actually doing science involves.  Unfortunately however hard we try its not all big bangs and eureka moments but being able to look at things from a big picture perspective keeps you going and makes each day a new challenge.

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