The IGM Public Engagement Committee, together with the Centre for Life and the NHS Fertility Clinic are hosting free site tours, offering a unique glimpse behind the scenes of the Centre for Life research labs and facilities as part of the British Science Festival 2013, on 7th and 8th of September 2013. The tours will include a chance to meet some of the people working at Life on the ground-breaking research.
The 
participants will have a chance to see behind the scenes of the famous Centre for Life, admire the view from the bridge link, take a peek inside one of our labs, see short presentations about the research done here at the IGM, visit the Newcastle Fertility Centre, and most importantly, meet the scientists!
Dr Carla Mellough from the stem cell group will talk about the exciting developments in heart and eye stem cell therapies, Dr Juliane Mueller will explain how zebrafish and mouse models can help in the research of muscular dystrophy, Harsh Sheth will talk about the exciting diagnostic technologies being developed by the Quantum Dx, Dr Simon Tual-Chalot and Esha Singh will talk about myocardial infarction and the novel therapies that are currently being developed at the IGM, Dr Steven Lisgo will display images generated by the MRC Wellcome Trust Human Developmental Biology Resource project (HDBR) and Dr Kasia Pirog will give an overview of the skeletal genetics research in the Institute. Jon Ingledew and Morten Ritso (Muscle Team) are coordinating the day and organising the display in the foyer.
On 5th December 2012 we are hosting an open day for A-level students from the schools around the North East. We invited 80 A-level students from 8 schools to have a look around the labs, learn a few techniques, hear exciting talks about the current research at the IGM and participate in the ethical debate about animal use in science. We are also running a workshop on University applications and an informal session with undergraduate representatives, to give the students a bit of a flavour of what life at Newcastle university may be like and what it has to offer.