Taster Days & Work Placements

Every summer, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London welcome more than 20 promising students from schools around the capital into their Barbican campus. These aspiring young scientists, selected from schools with historically low university attendance,  spend a week in the BCI laboratories. Researchers guide the students through the world of cutting-edge cancer research, breaking down perceived barriers and igniting their aspirations to pursue careers in science. The STARS programme (Science Training for Aspiring Research Scientists programme)  recognises the importance of encouraging the next generation of students with a passion for science to pursue a career in the field, regardless of their background. Professor John Marshall, a researcher at Barts Cancer Institute and the driving force behind STARS, first established the programme a decade ago “I was educated in a state school similar to the ones these young people come from,” Professor Marshall explains. “I feel as scientists we have a responsibility to give back. That’s why I launched the STARS programme.”

In November 2022, Dr Nnenna Kanu and Miriam Mugabo, from the UCL Cancer Institute,  took part in a taster day organised by the Physiological Society. The taster day is part of their new innitiative “Aspiring Black Physiologists competition”. The competition is designed to raise awareness of opportunities in physiology, particularly amongst Black pupils. It saw Black pupils in school asked to consider the role of diversity in science and the impact that a lack of diversity may have on engagement in science and the progress of scientific discovery. Students were invited to write or record an essay on this topic.