One of our Teaching Fellows Dr Hannah Davey went out on the road to spread the word about what goes on at LifeLab. Here she’s talks about how she engaged scores of pupils in getting to grips with their health through science at Winchester Cathedral Science Festival.

“Almost 100 Year 6 pupils aged between ten and 11 attended our workshops which we staged at Winchester Cathedral Science Festival. They were mesmerised by the process of extracting their own DNA from their cheek cells and worked as scientists to ensure they completed their practical work accurately and safely.

“All the children were enthusiastic and engaged, and we were very impressed by their thoughtful and insightful questions.

“The workshops were run in the very heart of the cathedral, just beneath the Mortuary Chests. These chests are over 600 hundred years old and are thought to contain the remains of some of the very first Royal Families and Bishops.

“Around 400 years ago, the chests were disturbed during the English civil war, and all the remains were mixed up. The children were able to apply what they had learned in the workshop to think about how scientists might use their knowledge of DNA to work out which remains belonged in which chest. Some children even thought we should ask the Queen for a DNA sample so that we could work out if she was a relative.

“It was a privilege to be able to teach in such a unique and beautiful setting which allowed children to apply their scientific understanding to a real historical problem!”