Outreach

Staff and students in the School of Biological Sciences engage in a range of outreach activities, including University Open Days, public lectures, science fairs, presentations at local cafes, hands-on workshops and mentoring in local schools.

We release scientific information to society through the publication of research articles and presentations at conferences.

I participate in a lot of science outreach and public engagement activities where I perform live demonstrations and people can try my brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for themselves. I particularly enjoyed working on the BCI that was featured in The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and our live demos in the Science Museum and The Royal Institution.

Maitreyee Wairagkar,

PhD student

Read Maitreyee's story

Outreach activities for schools

At the University, we provide field trips and practical sessions. We can visit your school for talks and career day visits.

We require a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice to reserve space and plan activities.

Lab practical sessions

We provide in-house practical lab sessions with some critical analysis for A level students.

These half or full day workshops include hands-on experimentation showcasing polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme assays, gel electrophoresis and some experimental techniques (microscopy) used in research laboratories.

At your school or the University

Talks and some interactive demos for primary and secondary schools on how brains work, wearable sensors and more.
Career Day visits on what it means to be an engineer or educator and what you can do with an engineering degree.

Mentoring for school students

We connect with budding young engineers through our hands on workshops and mentoring for younger students.

Science talks

Come to one of our public lectures, science fairs or presentations at local cafes. Visit our Twitter site @ReadingBioSci for details of upcoming events.

Contact us

For more information on our outreach programmes and events within the community, please get in touch with our School's Director of Outreach, Dr Dyan Sellayah.