Jess Willans, Alexis Alexander and Josh Stannard stand in front of Otago Boys‘ High School.
Communicating science is an essential skill that all students looking at a career in science must practise.
Over the past month, 300-level (third-year) biochemistry students have been visiting schools around Dunedin sharpening their “sci-comm” skills with high school students, telling them about some of the research going on in the Biochemistry Department, and their personal stories of how they came to be studying biochemistry.
This annual opportunity not only allows our students to extend their communication skills with a live audience, but also helps high school students find out where their science studies could lead them in the future.
In groups of three, our students visited year 12 and 13 biology and chemistry classes at Kaikorai Valley College, Otago Boys‘ High School, St Hilda‘s Collegiate, and King‘s High School.
After introducing the high school classes to the world of biochemistry, each student chose an example of research from the Department to talk about, including ryegrass development (Brownfield Lab), structural biology (Mace Lab), milk protein analyses (Carne Lab) and cancer therapies (Diermeier Lab).
Each group's presentation lasts about 30 minutes, supported by PowerPoint slides and the occasional quiz, and is formally assessed by an accompanying Department of Biochemistry lecturer.
The high schoolers and their teachers appreciate the opportunity to talk directly with university students, especially about what to expect from university life and how to prepare for it.
Mathew Anscombe, Dominic Fernandez and Elia Chrinside present in front of a class at Otago Boy's High School.
Camryn Raper, Zoe Robinson and Jack Carter present in front of a class at Kaikorai Valley College (photo from Kaikorai Valley High School Facebook page).