Public Engagement

Each year, during British Science Week, we visit local primary schools to run our free ‘Love Your Cells!’ science sessions.

The aim is to help year 5 and 6 (age 10-12) children understand the concept of cells, how they can be damaged by hazards encountered in our daily lives, and how eating fruits and vegetables can boost the ability of our cells to defend against these hazards and protect against disease.

The sessions have been developed with support from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Public Engagement team. Get in touch if you’re keen to run the session in your school, or want to learn more.

During the session, the children complete a series of hands-on activities:

• Microscope detectives - using microscopes to look at different slide-mounted tissue sections such as liver, brain, and skin and work out which parts of the body they come from, based on descriptions of the key features
• Cell quest board game - playing a custom designed board game that reinforces the message that our cells are exposed to hazards that can be protected against by eating fruit and vegetables
• Make a cell - using craft materials to make real or imaginary cells and then place them onto body posters to show where in the body they can be found. The posters can be used as class displays after the session, to showcase the children’s learning.

After the children have completed the hands-on activities, we speak to them about what it’s like to be a scientist, with a view to inspiring the next generation of scientists and increase the diversity of young people considering careers in the field.