LMB scientists showcased their work with two fun hands-on activities and two fascinating talks as part of the 2017 Cambridge Science Festival.
See Your Cells
The first weekend of the Festival saw Mathias Pasche and his team of volunteers present ‘See Your Cells’ at the Guildhall, where hundreds of children and adults got the opportunity to see their own cheek cells under the microscope and play the stereomicroscope detective game.
Science Talks
This was followed during the week by two talks at the University Technical College (UTC) Cambridge, delivered by Brad Amos and Rebecca Taylor. Brad’s talk ‘Life through a Lens’ showed spectacular new 3D images, made possible due to his development of the Mesolens. His talk, a mix of physics, optics and biology showcased the development and application of microscopes, through a number of mini-demos, involving fluorescence, lens and lights. Rebecca’s talk ‘Finding the fountain of youth: why we age and what we can do about it’ explored the theories behind why we age and showed how her group’s research using nematode worms is helping us understand how the nervous system co-ordinates the aging process and the regulator molecules behind this. Both speakers captured the audience’s interest:
“Great talk – clear examples and visual analogies. Excellent!!!”
“That’s pretty cool!”
Worms are cleverer than you think
On the final weekend of the Festival, Denise Walker and Kristin Webster took their newly developed hands-on activity, ‘Worms are cleverer than you think’, to UTC Cambridge. Visitors got the opportunity to see real nematode worms (C. elegans) under the microscope, and could identify different mutants. There was also a giant board game where visitors could dress up as a worm and use their senses or randomly search to find food (sweets!). The activity was hugely popular and visitors commented:
“Great fun! Even had something to take away! Loved looking at the worms under the microscope. Thanks to everyone”
“Everything was AMAZINGLY interesting!”
“It was a very well planned and thoughtful activity. Especially all the staff were brilliant, helpful and good-humoured. Learnt a lot!”
Further references
Hundreds of children and adults enjoy the LMB’s ‘See your cells’ activity at the Cambridge Science Festival
Cambridge Science Festival
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