Resources & Support for Secondary Students
The Gurdon Institute is committed to helping support future researchers through a variety of programmes targeting school students and young people. Below are some useful links for students considering pursuing a career in biological sciences.
Aspiring Scientists Training Programme (ASTP)
The Gurdon Institute has a programme dedicated to A-level biology students that meet the University’s Widening Participation criteria. Please find all the information about the Aspiring Scientists Training Programme (ASTP) at the link below.
Widening Participation at Cambridge
The University and its Colleges are committed to widening participation to higher education. Hundreds of outreach initiatives and events are run each year both in Cambridge and in schools and colleges across the UK, so click the link to find out if any of these programmes might be of interest to you.
SCoPE
We have developed online resources for you to explore and stretch your knowledge in biology with the Scientists Collaborative Project with Educators (SCoPE):
- Cell Explorer, an interactive 3D model allowing students to investigate the structure of eukaryotic cells, their organelles and cellular processes, and interactive animations of mitosis and meiosis.
- Unlock CRISPR is an online game that explores the role of the CRISPR-Cas9 technique through puzzles and games linked to gene editing in labs.
- Explore Epigenetics helps teach students better to understand epigenetics, including sequencing and gene regulation while improving general scientific literacy.
Made the Same Way Podcast
Why not check out our original podcast series which brings together emerging female emcees and researchers studying human developmental biology to discuss life, music and how humans develop before birth.
There are eight episodes featuring artists from the Herchester Collective and researchers affiliated with the Human Developmental Biology Initiative.
All episodes are available now on all major podcast platforms.
Other Resources
Our colleagues at the Babraham Institute have created a whole suite of resources for students covering a whole host of topics from genomics to ethics to how to make a great scientific poster. Find all of these free resources by here.
The Royal Society of Biology has curated a list of resources and links related to careers in biology which can support students considering this option. Click here to go to the webpage.
The Institute for Cancer Research produced a range of resources for schools and young people, which highlight careers available at the ICR and help students develop their scientific skills and knowledge.