IGH Summer School class of 2016

In July 2016 we hosted the second edition of the IGH Summer School, after a very successful first installment last year.

The event took place between the 11th and 15th of July and 12 local students participated, ages ranging from 16 to 19. This project was supported by the Wellcome Trust's Institutional Strategic Support Fund. Once more, our aim was to provide STEM students with a week-long work experience placement. Through talks, meetings and even practical experiments, all participants were able to take part in ongoing studies which, for some of them, was their first contact with structured scientific research.

Below,  Hugh Takemoto from Barrow Hall college tells us about his experience:

"The whole week was thoroughly enjoyable. The staff from the Institute were all brilliant, I met a great group of students and had a lot of fun."

“For me, the most enjoyable and useful session was the lab session where we prepared serial dilutions of Streptococcus pneumoniae and examined the effects of the bacteria on horse blood. This was the first time I had conducted an experiment in aseptic conditions and I learned techniques to ensure reliable experiment results such as using a Bunsen burner to kill any bacteria in the immediate vicinity. I was also able to practice pipetting techniques, which was a useful skill.

I really enjoyed our visit to the Leahurst Animal Disease Investigation Unit too. The tour of the unit was very interesting and I was surprised to learn that pigs like to listen to Capital radio! During the visit, we helped filter vet reports on diseases in animals brought to the UK from the other European countries and entered the data in spreadsheets.  This showed me another side of biological research and the importance of maths and ICT in biology.”


We hope the week has been inspiring and motivating for all participants and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!