Brooke Weston Year 13 Applied Scientists recently visited the University of Leicester to look at specialist science equipment in preparation for their forthcoming January exams. Students also had the opportunity to speak to the PhD students and staff in the laboratory at the university, to consolidate that what they are learning in the classroom at Brooke Weston, is being used in laboratories in universities and industry on a daily basis.

Sarah Kemp, teacher of Science at Brooke Weston, said, ‘Students study different lab techniques including the use of scientific equipment, some of which we don’t have in school. This visit gave them the opportunity to see the equipment and how it is used in a research environment. They saw the HPLC equipment and Mass Spectroscopy equipment and how it was used. They also saw samples being frozen with liquid nitrogen and the sample storage facility. Seeing how samples are processed and stored and why it is so important to ensure samples are labelled and kept in their specific location was really beneficial to the students. Also, it was important for them to understand that the -80 freezers used for storage need a back-up as if one breaks down the samples must be transferred immediately or they will be useless. The visit was a fantastic opportunity to see how their course applies in the workplace’