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Year 12 Biology Lab Day at Warwick University

On Monday 29th June, Year 12 biologists were given the opportunity to attend a practical lab experience day at the biomedical department, Warwick University.  Alex Jenkins and Sophie Wouters tell us more:

Led by Dr Leanne Williams, we began the day with a lecture on the lac operon, a section of DNA found in bacteria that enables them to synthesise enzymes so they can use lactose as a respiratory substrate.

Current biomedical students then showed us to the labs, where we were given an insight into how practicals are carried out at university, and we were even given the opportunity to carry one out ourselves, working from information that would be similar to that given to biomedical students. With only this information, we were left to our own devices to carry out the practical, using equipment we had only seen before on the news!

We first made a yellow precipate by mixing chemicals with E.coli, then placed the mixtures in a colorimeter to measure the absorption. We then plotted these results on a graph, with the best-looking graph winning a ‘prize’. 

It gave us such a fantastic and useful insight into what university is like, particularly working in the labs. The students we talked to were all very helpful and encouraging and were brilliant ambassadors for the university. Overall, this day was a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience and we are really grateful!