Two Sixth Form students, Rakesh Patel and Matthew Stafford, have been awarded the prestigious British Association for the Advancement of Science CREST Gold Awards. The awards were made in recognition of their work, which they recently presented at a regional event held at the University of Manchester.
Both pupils spent 4-6 weeks of their summer vacation carrying out individual research projects within the Biological Science laboratories at Manchester University. During this time they were exposed to novel concepts whilst performing exciting experiments using state of the art equipment.
Their work was supported through a Nuffield Foundation bursary; Matthew worked in the laboratory of Professor Tony Freemont and investigated intervertebral disc decay associated with lower back pain. Rakesh investigated the mechanism that underlies Alzheimer's disease whilst working in the labs of Dr Jose Rodriguez-Arellano.
The awards are nationally recognised and aim to encourage students to develop their scientific curiosity, problem-solving and communication skills.
The Biology Department has a long history of encouraging boys in the Upper School to develop their understanding of scientific principles through independent research projects. All pupils are encouraged to look at the variety of research carried out by our own Sixth Form pupils which is displayed in school. Current Year 12 Sixth Form students are also invited to apply for a Nuffield Foundation Bursary that will enable them to become involved in exciting, innovative and original research within a leading biomedical research laboratory.