Inspiring young minds at Big Bang Fair – south west

STP trainees in the south west spent 29 June 2016 at Exeter University participating in the regional Big Bang Fair, with activities to engage and inspire 11-17 years old to take STEM subjects and look to careers within the NHS.

Trainees from hospitals in Exeter, Bristol and Bath representing several specialisms (genetics, clinical bioinformatics, vascular sciences and reconstructive sciences) enjoyed the day talking to young people and demonstrating the sort of jobs healthcare scientists do. They got the youngsters involved and encouraged them to ask questions. Activities included modelling prosthetics, assembling a genome, examining blood vessels with an ultrasound scanner, extracting DNA from peas and karyotyping socks.

Clinical Bioinformatics Genomics Trainee, Verity Fryer said: “It was a great opportunity to spend some time with the general public in a non-clinical setting. We found out what scientific subjects young people are enjoying at school currently and the healthcare professional careers that would interest them in future.

“It was an enjoyable way to meet STP trainees from other disciplines across our region whilst giving us the chance to demonstrate our professional practice skills. We had a fantastic day with lots of students, teachers and home-educating parents from across the south west region visiting the stand. We helped inspire a few healthcare professionals of tomorrow!”