As part of their Leavers Programme our Year 8 pupils were able to visit the internationally renowned John Innes Centre.
The pupils started their day in the Insectary, where honey bees and hissing cockroaches, tarantulas and giant African land snails were on view.
They then moved on for a tour of a selection of the glasshouses and the pupils were given an insight into the way in which plant research is conducted.
Next stop was the seed store where thousands of different cereal seeds are stored in optimum conditions.
The Genome Analysis Centre provided a fascinating glimpse into what a knowledge and understanding of DNA can offer.
Everyone enjoyed testing their taste buds in the taste and flavour perception investigation; it is amazing how easily our taste buds and/or minds are fooled by the strategic addition of food colourings!
Finally the pupils were fortunate enough to work in one of the labs at the Centre and practise their micro-pipetting skills to produce some colourful results.
Our thanks go to Dr Tristan Bunn, Educational Outreach Officer from the Norwich BioScience Institutes (NBI) School Engagement who organised this fascinating day.
NBI consists of The John Innes Centre, The Institute for Food Research, The Sainsbury Laboratory and The Genome Analysis Centre. The Outreach Department’s aim is to inspire young people and raise awareness of career opportunities within the field of Science.
