CDT and UCL PhD Students Volunteer in The 14th Annual Science Conference Science4u

The event took place at Westminster University and showcased different scientific fields in order to signify the diverse disciplines within the life and medical sciences. The students were 14-16 years old and are therefore at an important age where this type of conference could make a huge difference to their university and career choices. Also, the vast majority of students were from disadvantaged backgrounds where they typically have less exposure to the opportunities available to them within the realms of science.

UCL students promoted the use of 3D printing and hydrogels for different biomedical applications. This included a live 3D printer demonstration alongside ready-printed brain and heart models and other fun figures such as Albert Einstein and Batman! Additionally, the versatility of gels for biomedical applications was demonstrated using alginate with different food colouring (as model drugs) in order to help explain the underlying chemistry in an interesting way. The pupils also had a hands-on experience in making alginate gels for themselves in order to further improve their understanding.

Students, teachers and event organisers were all very engaged and interested in the ideas and concepts that were promoted on our stand with many students asking about how they, too, could get into such fields at university. The event was very successful in engaging the students and might just have inspired some to become future scientists!

Contacts

Christopher Barnett (christopher.barnett.14@ucl.ac.uk)
Saja Muwaffak (saja.muwaffak@ucl.ac.uk)
Melissa Rayner (melissa.rayner.14@ucl.ac.uk)
Rachel Evans (Rachel.evans.15@ucl.ac.uk)
Zaid Muwaffak (z.hassan.14@ucl.ac.uk)
Christina Picken (Christina.picken.14@ucl.ac.uk)
Richard Bartlett (richard.bartlett.11@ucl.ac.uk)
Moun Wong (moun.wong.11@ucl.ac.uk)
Lesley Onyekuru (lesley.onyekuru.11@ucl.ac.uk)