Pupils from Bath and Wiltshire will question the taste of shapes and the feel of colours in a day-long workshop about the human brain, at the University of Bath (Friday 27 March).
Neuroscience Day is organised by the University’s Department of Biology & Biochemistry to give local young people the chance to spend time in its labs, having a go at activities and using equipment they won’t have experienced at school.
They will get the chance to extract their own DNA from cheek cells and make it into a necklace to take home; use a brain model jigsaw to identify what different parts of the brain do; and use high-magnification microscopes to look at different neurons.
The 24 students from Oldfield School in Bath, St Joseph’s in Swindon and St Augustine’s in Trowbridge are all Year 10 pupils who are ‘gifted and talented’ in science. The day is designed to give them an extra opportunity for learning and encourage their enthusiasm.
Dr Momna Hejmadi, from the University’s Department of Biology & Biochemistry, who will lead the activities said: “It’ll be a chance for the young people to find out how fascinating neuroscience is. We’ll be looking at the extraordinary complexity of the human brain and how it controls the body. ‘Strange’ neurological cases will be discussed in relation to how it informs our knowledge of brain function.”
The pupils will be joined by science students at the University who will help them with their activities and answer questions about applying for university and student life.
The event is organised in conjunction with the University’s Outreach Team who work with schools across the South-West to widen participation in higher education.