British Science Week 2020 – Science and Pharmacy

Professor Catherine Tuleu and her team of sensory pharmaceutics researchers visited Henry Maynard Infants’ School and Nursery to collect taste perception data in children. During this week several PhD students volunteered to deliver medicine-related educational learning activities.

Francesca Gavins delivered a short lesson for four classes of Year 5s, nine and ten year olds, with Christine Madla helping, entitled ‘Drugs from Natural Sources’. The children were shown images of an interactive periodic table, the natural sources of penicillin, morphine, quinine, digoxin, menthol and caffeine, chemical structures and the process of photosynthesis. The most popular activity was the chromatography exercise showing that that felt tips are a mixture of inks which can separated out using a stationary phase (filter paper) and a mobile phase (water). Danielle Andrews also helped a Year 1 class to make slime and demonstrate non-Newtonian fluid.

The children asked such excellent questions such as ‘How many scientists does it take to make a medicines?’, ‘Do all medicines work?’, ‘What’s the difference between a drug and medicine?’ and ‘How do scientists make sure medicines are pure?’

We believe it was a success and hope to engage in further public engagement events encouraging children to consider working in science.