Outreach Activities 2026

Residential session - Emmanuel College Outreach, July 2026

2 photos of the group of participating students

Department of Genetics Supports Emmanuel College Summer Residential

The Department of Genetics recently hosted an academic session as part of the Emmanuel College Summer Residential programme for Year 12 students. The students, who are interested in applying to Cambridge courses including Medicine, Biological Natural Sciences, and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, participated in a range of hands-on laboratory activities designed to provide insight into developmental biology, genetics, and biomedical research.

Fly Laboratory

Students explored the use of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a model organism in genetic research through activities that included:

Sorting and categorising adult and pupal fruit flies of different genotypes based on observable phenotypic markers.
Staining fruit fly embryos with DAPI to visualise nuclei.
Imaging pre-labelled HCR probes using a Leica SP8 confocal microscope to investigate patterns of gene expression during development.

3 photos of students being introduced to the lab

Regulative Embryo Laboratory

Students also gained practical experience with a variety of vertebrate developmental biology techniques, including:

Creating a window in a chicken eggshell using tape and scissors to observe embryonic development.
Injecting dye into developing chick embryos using needles and syringes to examine developmental processes.
Using forceps to remove the chorion from zebrafish embryos.
Observing zebrafish embryos and fixed gastruloids using a fluorescence microscope.

These activities provided students with valuable exposure to experimental techniques used in modern genetics and developmental biology research, while offering an opportunity to experience laboratory work similar to that undertaken by researchers at Cambridge.

Volunteering scientists at the residential session

Many thanks to postdocs research scientists who volunteered to lead in these activities : Alice C. Yuen, Matthew French, Tom Pettini, Maciej Żurowski, Margherita Battistara

Magdalene College Easter Residential Sessions, 2026

We were delighted to host Year 12 students from schools in Liverpool and Wales in our labs for a hands-on science experience. For several of the students, this was their first visit to Cambridge, which made the experience all the more special.

During the sessions, students worked in a Drosophila research lab and gained practical experience in fly phenotyping, staining and imaging techniques, as well as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial counterstaining. It was inspiring to see such enthusiasm and curiosity, and the sessions were a wonderful example of how hands-on research experiences can support and motivate the next generation of scientists.

The feedback we received included: “Students really loved the session in the Department and found it incredibly informative and insightful.”

More information on Magdalene College Easter Residentials 2026

Volunteers who supported the sessions: PhD student Maciej Zurowski, Dr James Earwaker Hammond, Dr Margherita Battistara, Dr Matt French, Dr Malaka De Silva, Dr Tom Pettini and Dr Juliette Nourry.

collage of photos taken at the Resident Sessions 2026

Cambridge Festival, March 2026

A big thank you to everyone who volunteered, helped out and visited the Dept of Genetics stand at the Cambridge Festival Family Day on Saturday 28 March. The dept had a fantastic presence, offering lots of interactive activities for children.

Feedback from the young participants included “I now know how DNA works", "It was fun and enjoyable especially liked the strawberry DNA it was interesting", and “so cool and fun definitely coming back again”.

collage of photos taken at the Cambridge Festival 2026

Trumpington Meadows Primary SchoolSTEM event, March 2026

On 10 March, four members of the Department visited Trumpington Meadows Primary Schoolto support their STEM event.

four pictures of people demonstrating genetics in a school

The activities prepared and delivered on the day included:

DNA extraction from saliva – a hands-on experiment that allowed children to learn about DNA and visualise their own DNA in Eppendorf tubes.
Handwashing activity – demonstrating the importance of good hygiene using “before and after” Petri dishes.
Pipetting “Liquid Rainbow” – a fun and engaging pipetting activity introducing basic lab skills.
Microscopy station – observing fixed slides through a portable microscope.