Cath Heinemeyer and Ellie Steel report back on the ‘Collab in the Lab’ when Biomedical Sciences students invited those from other departments to find out more about their research on the intersections between ecological justice and health. It’s just one of several recent opportunities for students in different subjects to visit each other’s spaces and learn from each other.
It’s become an annual Living Lab tradition. Every spring the Biomedical Sciences department throws open its lab doors for an hour so that students from other disciplines can see what they get up to. It’s a chance for students in arts, social sciences, humanities or other subjects to think about what implications scientific research into health and environmental issues might have for their own work.
Biomedical Sciences students explained their research data and findings
For the group of Fine Art students, Living Lab interns and other curious individuals who attended, an environment full of lab coats and high-tech equipment is highly unfamiliar. Yet Biomedical Sciences made them feel welcome in their own ‘home territory’, explaining the significance of their diverse, valuable research projects with ownership and eloquence.
For example, third year student Megan had been investigating the impact of water quality on immunocompromised people.
Fellow student researchers Rose and Isabel have been studying aspects of cancer diagnosis, and shared their thoughts on how ecological conditions affect this:
“The environmental factors really impact cancer diagnosis, so yeah. There’s been some studies on the effect of air quality increasing rates of lung cancer and leukaemia and stuff like that, which are more prevalent in countries like India. As the air gets more polluted it’s going to become more prevalent. And there are a lot of conditions that air quality affects, not just cancer.”
Third year student Catherine explained her research into possible non-animal based testing approaches in breast cancer research. Living Lab intern Ellie Steel was struck by the potential of this not only to provide more accurate findings by more ethical means, but to save waste and the environmental costs of sustaining populations of laboratory animals.
Living Lab interns Ellie and Malcom experienced a wide range of Biomed projects
Third year student Kat summed up some of the links between environment, social justice and human health:
“It’s definitely always been understood that your environment has a great impact on your health. It’s more recent that it’s been more discussed and researched into a bit more, in specific ways: by changing your environment you could completely change your health. If you live in a mouldy house, your health is going to be a lot worse than someone who lives in a very clean house that’s got a lot of fresh air. Mould is a massive issue.”
Course lead Dr Adam Odell said: “Our biomed students had a great time explaining what they get up to behind the locked lab doors. Thank you to all the wonderful visitors for giving up their time to chat and for being so attentive!”
At the Drama and Acting students’ Community Forum, the ‘Stone Soup’ group shared their performance activist project on campus food culture
These kinds of opportunities to reach across disciplinary lines and share the outcomes of diverse research approaches are part of what the Living Lab is all about. Just a few weeks ago, Performance and Fine Art students had the opportunity to share a workshop with sound artist Rob Mackay about his ecological work with Chrysalis Arts.
And on 2nd April, Acting and Theatre students invited those from other disciplines to a ‘Community Forum’ to engage with their works-in-progress: arts activist projects tackling important issues, including Living Lab-related themes such as campus food culture and how austerity is affecting students. The invitation was taken up by students and staff from disciplines including Music, Law, Geography and Fine Art.
A performance activist project on the impact of austerity on students
