Hello everyone! Rhien here! I am so excited to fill you all in on my second day at the 2022 London International Youth in Science Forum!
My second day in London was most definitely a full one. Annabelle and I woke up bright and early to head off to our first specialist visits of the forum. Annabelle attended a tour of the National Physical Laboratory, while I spent my day at London’s biggest Heath Services Laboratory. The lab was huge, with 10 floors and over 200 different tests, all done on samples from local hospitals and clinics, with results going directly to patients and their doctors.
Our journey to the Lab was just over 45 minutes by foot and tube (my first time!). When we arrived at the lab, we were met by their outreach leader Jill, who took us on a tour of their 5 primary floors. Each floor was specialized to certain tests and procedures, with them all being unique from one another. We began on floor five, the virology floor. It is here that the scientists and technicians perform various tests to identify and quantify a huge variety of viruses. We then headed to the fourth floor, which was the Manual Microbiology floor. This floor was the only floor, where tests are still done by the traditional manual methods as opposed to their many automated technologies. On this floor, scientists plate, streak, stain and identify bacteria and fungi. Similarly, the third floor was the automated microbiology floor, where all of the same procedures are done, but by fully automated belts, machines and robots. The second floor of the lab was the chemistry floor, where chemical and biochemical tests are performed. This floor was by far the largest, with traditional CE and MS machines to machines specifically built for the detection of myeloma. Lastly, the first floor, and my personal favourite was the immunology floor. On this floor we learned about various serology tests, as well as some of the cultural background of sickle cell anemia and malaria resistance.
After we returned from the lab, I had a short break before I headed to the Royal Geographic Society for our second Principal Lecture Demonstration by Professor Ijeoma Florence Uchegbu. Dr Uchegbu is a professor of Pharmaceutical Nano-science at the University College London, studying the use of nanotechnology to treat disease. Her and her team are working to produce a widely available method of treating brain diseases by delivering nanoparticles to the brain directly through the nasal cavity. She taught us all about what nanoparticles are and how they may very well be the key to treating devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
I then met back up with Annabelle and our newly made friends for dinner at the Copthorne hotel before heading our for our final activity of the evening, the great crossword treasure hunt. Our group of 14 people from 10 different countries and 3 different continents. We ran around Kensington to find answers and even took a group photo as London’s biggest attractions!
Day two of LIYSF 2022 was an absolute blast! From microbiology to the history of London, there was no shortage of learning at today’s forum! Stay tuned for Annabelles recounts of day three, coming soon!