Inspiring the next generation of researchers: the NIHR Birmingham BRC joins SciMED

On Monday 10 July, the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) took part in SciMED, a showcase event aimed at inspiring the next generation of STEM students with all things ‘medical’ – from the traditional roles such as doctor, vet and dentist, through to wider STEM-related sectors such as physiology, health, wellbeing and pharmaceuticals.

The event took place at Millennium Point, a venue in Birmingham City Centre owned by Millennium Point Charitable Trust, a leading charity in the promotion of education and careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. SciMED saw more than 600 pupils attending, from a wide range of schools from Birmingham and the wider area.

One of the aims of the Birmingham BRC is to inspire and empower the next generation of researchers – taking part in SciMED was an invaluable opportunity to meet and interact with young pupils from the region and showcase, in a format accessible to children, the exciting work of our researchers. Through our interactive stand, we wanted to enable pupils from all backgrounds to get inspired by biomedical science and consider STEM careers they might not be familiar with.

“I found it fascinating to see examples of the Birmingham BRC’s work, as did the pupils attending. It was fantastic for them to hear about careers related with medicine.”

– Vanessa Currie, Head of People, Learning and Development at Millennium Point

At the Birmingham BRC stand, pupils engaged with a variety of hands-on activities: from exploring what a research career is like by playing our BRC version of Snakes and Ladders, to helping an unlucky ‘patient’ by recognising their organs and their functions and correctly positioning them in their body; they could also goggle up and experiment with separating plasma from blood, and dive deeper into immunology by recognising the difference between healthy and cancer cells. The BRC core team was joined by Dr Kriti Verma, a post-doctoral fellow working with Professor Paul Moss, co-lead of the BRC Cancer Inflammation research theme, and by research technician Tom Roberts.

Commenting on the day, Dr Kriti Verma said: “Engaging with young minds at the SciMED event was an unforgettable experience. Witnessing the curiosity and enthusiasm in the eyes of kids as they learned about how our bodies combat cancer was truly inspiring. Through our ‘Spot the Difference and Target the Cancer Cells’ game, we were able to bridge the gap between science and play, making complex concepts accessible and enjoyable. It was an honour to be a part of this event, and I am grateful for the opportunity to sow the seeds of curiosity and hope in these young minds.”

Vanessa Currie, Head of People, Learning and Development at Millennium Point, said:

“The Birmingham BRC stand was a very popular one. Whenever I looked over, there were always so many pupils there. It was informative, engaging and interactive. I found it fascinating to see examples of the BRC’s work, as did the pupils attending. It was fantastic for them to hear about careers related with medicine.”