21st March 2014 – STEM careers day at Thomas Hepburn School, Gateshead

On 21st March the Public Engagement Committee contributed to the STEM careers day at Thomas Hepburn School, Gateshead. The event was aimed at students from year 7 (124 students) and year 10 (122 students) and presented in a series of 45 minute workshops which included a hands-on activity as well as an informal chat with the researcher. Jon Ingledew and Emily McIlwane represented the IGM and showcased zebrafish as an animal model in study of musculoskeletal disorders. The activity was centred around 10 microscopes with 12-15 pupils per session. The students looked at  zebrafish embryos, GFP-tagged zebrafish lines and live zebrafish using a microscope, they were also encouraged to draw the fish and the tissues they could identify. The activity prompted a lively discussion with the students and showed that research work can be really creative and interesting.