King's U6^th Form Biologists have had a busy week involving attending a workshop at Bristol University and also a lecture delivered by the world famous Professor Robert Winston, writes Kate Flavell, Head of Biology.

On Wednesday, our U6^th Form Biologists took part in a Molecular Biology Workshop at Bristol University. The Workshop was run by Dr Rose Murray and Dr Emily Bell, and was carried out in the University’s brand new Life Sciences building using the state of art equipment there. The pupils had a fascinating day where they got to experience university life whilst working in a proper laboratory.  The day started with the pupils carrying out a taste test to determine what phenotype they had for the chemical PTC - some could taste nothing, but others, like Rebecca Bracey, experienced a strong bitter taste. After making an educated guess about their phenotype, the U6^th biologists then carried out a process to extract their own DNA from which they could determine their genotype for the PTC gene. The pupils were fortunate enough to carry out processes like PCR, DNA digestion and gel electrophoresis; all of which they have learnt about on their A Level Biology course. The workshop was brilliant fun, whilst being very educational, and all the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day. We were all very thankful to Dr Murray and Dr Bell for giving up their time to run such a fantastic workshop.

On Thursday, the same U6^th Biologists attended a lecture by Professor Robert Winston entitled ‘Misusing Life’.  Professor Winston captivated the audience throughout and explored the world of genetics by discussing the history of eugenics and challenging society’s opinions on science. At the end of the talk, Professor Winston took the time to chat to our U6^th Biologists finding out what subjects they were taking for A Level along with giving them advice on their exams and further education. We were blown away by his lecture and by the personal chat afterwards - to quote one pupil ‘It was the best pep talk they had ever had!’.

Kate Flavell - Head of Biology