Three fantastic reports. Each captures the excitement of the day and that every aspect of the conference was enjoyed by the students.
Here are this year’s winners.
Don Henderson, Chairman, Organising Group
April 2010
| Reporter | School | Year | Rank |
| Linnet Rubaya | Ealing, Hammersmith and West London | 12 | First |
| Kani Mostafa and Sara Abou Sherif | The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls | 11 | Second |
| Antonia Hutchison | Ealing Hammersmith and West London College | 12 | Third |
Linnet Rubaya, Ealing, Hammersmith and West London, Year 12
On the 16th of March 2011, my classmates and I arrived at the Royal College of Pathologists. Hoards of seemingly intelligent young students stood waiting at the entrance- in their SUITS AND TIES! I was immediately intimidated – I was wearing jeans! JEANS! And I won‚t mention my rather interesting trainers that I would only describe as having character. Why didn’t anyone tell me that this event had a dress code? My internalised burst of panic was only soothed after registering and collecting a free bottle of H2O and a bag. I had to laugh; the budget cuts had hit the Royal College of Pathologists as much as the rest of us. Free water, really! I later on concluded that the scientists were making a point that the dehydrated teens need to drink the good old H2O in order to “Be Healthy” and “Stay Healthy”.
We entered the entered the Fleming room and sat for the welcome and introduction. It was given by Don Henderson and biochemistry student Michaela. Michaela engaged me the most, as she stated the role of the Royal College of Pathologists, which are: “To maintain standards – Encourage research – Increase public awareness.” Don Henderson said “The past is the spring board to the future.” and “Pathology is the heart of modern medicine”. Michaela explained that “Pathology is the science behind the cure”.
After the brief introduction, all the different schools broke up and moved on to their various activities. Being the blue group, we moved on to the Pasteur and Lister rooms, where I got myself involved in a little interactive science! I got to kiss a dummy, while learning to perform CPR. Then I got transported back to my GCSE history class, as a scientist described the history of immunology. He touched on everything from Pasteur associating micro bacterium with disease to the discovery of penicillin. The day was full of activities, freebees and lots and lots of sweets! I especially liked the talk with Professor Iain Hutchison, it inspired me so much. “A change of Focus” – A lecture from Professor Iain Hutchison! Why are bright young science students spending long lengths of their lives searching for the right path? When they only find themselves on that pointless degree that they don’t even know if they like! While searching for my career goal I found myself pondering upon this thought, “am I going to be stuck in this cycle?” With unemployment increasing drastically, I felt like that was the grueling destiny for many young teens like me, and there was nothing that anyone was doing to help. Clicking through careers websites hunting for my future, I became increasingly disheartened. I often thought of becoming a doctor. Studying Medicine at university a thought that thrilled me but the entry requirements seemed daunting. Without work experience I really did not have real insight into the job – was this something I could really pursue or just another dream set to be crushed? (Like the one of becoming a model!) These questions were soon answered.
Due to my quirky and far from abnormal love of food, I was 10 minutes late for Professor Hutchison’s lecture. Even after being late, I remember being drawn immediately into his talk and his incredible use of imagery to capture our imagination, personalize by his experience as he shared. Before even mentioning his work, he mentioned psychology, anatomy, physiology, mathematics, chemistry, and pathology. He described each of the subjects with such enthusiasm. His energy and love for science filled the room and his audience was captivated. The eyes of everyone in the room sparkled, in my heart was hope, in my mind a single thought “there is a future in science!” Professor Iain Hutchison went on to describe his role as a Maxillofacial Surgeon. He explained that many people have a distorted psychological perception of what they look like and therefore turn to cosmetic surgery to fix their problem. I was glad when he stated that he does not treat such people but instead people that suffer from facial diseases, injuries and disfigurements many of which are developmental. “Out of the serious injuries that the NHS deals with, 8000 are facial injuries. And many of the ones in people aged 15 to 25, are caused because they are drunk” – Professor Iain Hutchison, equipped with a PowerPoint presentation with some gruesome photographs of people he had treated, explained the procedures and the list of highly trained people he was involved with in order to “Save a face”. Gasps and horrified faces filled the room, while in my heart was joy. I finally knew what I wanted to pursue. Life as a doctor wasn’t a farfetched dream that had no real foundation. From my personality I have the traits that I feel would make me a good doctor. And so my journey has begun, on the road to becoming a doctor I am setting off. I found Professor Hutchison’s lecture so inspiring.
After the presentation, I even found that I had a little courage to ask him about work experience shadowing him. He assured me that if I sent my inquiry and CV to “Saving Faces”, he would be glad to take me on. I have not got a reply yet, but it’s all good. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizers for the free water, and the most amazing day. It was fun and it confirmed the path that I must take in order to become who I want to be. It also gave me knowledge on how many choices there actually are in science. Thank you.
Kani Mostafa and Sara Abou Sherif, The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls, Year 11
Pathology Report
“I’m not going in!” Kani screamed, overwhelmed by the sheer proximity of people queuing outside the conference. I guess we did not quite understand what to expect and hence why our anticipation soon increased. Little did we know that we would be coming home with irreplaceable smiles. We soon established we were part of the green group and so went straight into the “Science Trickery” talk. Kani’s nerves soon ceased as the founder Don Henderson directed the experiments with his assistants, with such enthusiasm and integrity: it really put us all at ease and eager to get involved.
We then headed off to the talk with Dr Kevin Fong, as we entered the lecture room, the profound feeling of another normal‚ talk was disrupted as Dr Kevin Fong started the lecture. We prefer not to use the word lecture (it seems too harsh), as it was probably one of the most overwhelming talks we have ever witnessed. We were not the only ones astounded by his amazing life story; we became absorbed into his humorous yet factual talk about careers in medicine. “Shall we go now?” Kani whispered eagerly. “Yes, before anyone else does” Sara replied impatiently. As our knees began to buckle uncontrollably the figure of an idol became more and more close. And then it started. “Hello my name is Kani and this is Sara. We are the reporters from our school, The Ellen Wilkinson School, do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” “Sure go ahead” Dr. Fong replied.
Q: You have done so much in your lifetime, if you had to some up your actual occupation what would it be?
A: I am both a Consultant Anaesthetist and Lecturer in Space Medicine.
Q: What best excites you about your job?
A: The fact that it allows me to combine something I’ve really enjoyed from youth which is Space travel into my medical career.
Q: We are both interested in medicine, what are things we should look forward to in this career?
A: Definitely the clinical side. Interaction with patients is the best thing as well as diagnosing diseases, providing treatments and really making your own decisions. Also the teamwork in hospitals is very enjoyable and overall it’s a challenging yet highly rewarding job.
At this moment our ambitions for a career in Medicine and Science where boosted but we had to stop daydreaming and carry on.
Q: Why did you choose to study medicine after your first degree? Why not any other course?
A: I definitely wanted to do science degree, but I found pharmacy rather dull and couldn’t imagine myself doing it. Biochemistry another interesting course but I was up for a more challenging, motivating course that would supply me with a broader knowledge and stable rewarding job after I graduated.
Q: How do you relax?
A: Work hard then play hard. This is the advantage of medicine as a career, but down to a more personal level, I like reading, going out with the family and 2 kids. I also enjoy travelling and like you’ve seen getting involved with space and projects.
Q: How do you keep up with advances in your profession?
A: Well it’s very difficult because medicine is an ever developing career with new advances. Very often, I read the BMJ (British Medical Journal), also from TV the internet. Also conferences I go on are very useful.
As we felt the pressure from the queue behind us Sara felt she had to throw one more question in.
Q: What is your motto in life? And what advice would you give us?
A: It’s much better to have a good launch pad: you can always worry about the landing later. Meaning make sure you have a good basis – so, for example, your grades, experience etc. These are what will open many doors to you in the careers of Science, because as long as you have a solid backup to present, then you will end up somewhere good.
“Thank you very much for your time, and we are very inspired by your story” ended Kani and we walked away. Each step we were taking was full of inspiration, ideas, ambitions and most importantly a desire to definitely take a route into rewarding careers of Science. Dr Fong is truly the epitome of someone who is dedicated to achieving their dreams no matter what. This was incredibly inspirational, almost hypnotizing!
After lunch, along with the group we made our way to the next room which was a discussion room. We were told to find a seat in either of the circles. There we were introduced to the 5 professionals that were in charge of the workshop. They all had a degree in pathology or a course related. We made out that the coloured sticks on the ground where chromosomes and we were right. We were told to pick up one of the chromosomes on the floor and as they read out the colours on the chromosomes the ones who had that colour where told to sit down. As childish as this sounds, it was an extremely entertaining task. At the end of that activity, it was the other group that had the breast cancer gene and, to our interest, we started the conversation of how Breast cancer evolves and the treatments and their implications. We read through a case study which involved the story of a mother that had been diagnosed with breast cancer and her daughter was at a potential risk of developing it as well. After a discussion of benefits and risks of things like screening if you’re suspected of cancer and different ways of treatment, we were really amazed by the in-depth research that pathologists had to undertake in order to plan correct medical plans for each patient. It made us aware of the fact that every patient is different and has different needs to be met. Kani was especially enthusiastic within the discussion of whether or not the daughter should be screened as she immersed herself into the argument. We also discussed ways of preventing cancer and things that trigger or cause it. We were bewildered by the amount of information about cancer, as we didn’t think there was much more to this topic. In fact, we felt as if we were pathologists ourselves discussing a case and reaching decisions, but, obviously with the nature of science and medicine, we cannot ever stop learning and we learnt that a career in science requires infinite learning and challenging decisions that you may have to make daily. We were also able to realise that any profession in science requires the person to be able to submerge themselves within the team and work with others, communicating with patients, to meet their needs. As the discussion drew to a close our knees started to buckle again. We already knew what was coming next. We had time for one more quick interview. We approached one of the pathologists, Miss Samantha King. She was delighted to be asked to answer some of our questions and with her consent we proceeded.
Q: What did you study at university?
A: I did a Biochemistry course then majored in Pathology. Originally I was planning on going into Medicine, however I am very lazy, and when I saw my other friends work so unbelievably hard it put me off the idea of doing exams for the rest of my life, which is why Pathology appealed to me.
Q: What best excites you about your job?
A: The clinical side, as I can interact with my patients on a one to one basis in order to create the best possible treatment for them.
Q: How do you relax?
A: My career is a very demanding and I work in a thriving organisation, however finding time to relax is important, as it gives you clarity on other aspects of your life. For example, I try to see my friends on a regular basis and socialise when I have free time. As the day began to draw to a close, we went to the round up session to discuss the day’s events; however we were all really more interested in finding out who won the prize draws! Fortunately one of our girls Sobia won the evaluation prize draw and even better Kani herself was rewarded for her enthusiastic involvement in the Breast Cancer discussion. Sara was probably the most enthusiastic person in the room and as a result hyperventilated. No words can describe the extraordinary experience we gained as it urged us to reach for our goals and aspire to our dreams. Thank you to everyone who organised this event. It was truly inspiring.
Antonia Hutchison, Ealing Hammersmith and West London College, Year 12
A Panegyric on Pathology: Why science is my future – Don’t forget your enthusiasm
The Royal College of Pathologists has brought swarms of students and scientists together once again – for the annual Schools Science Conference- a day dedicated solely to the future: Science. Greeted at 9.30, the students from all around London were roused by founder of the event, Don Henderson who opened with the words “Science is the springboard to the future”, and by the end of the day- they were the words on everyone’s lips. Students were encouraged to take part in numerous activities, ranging from CPR to sorting prescriptions. Straight away, students of Ealing College were educated on the history of Medicine- a topic that could only be described as fascinating. If Edward Jenner had not inoculated a young boy with Small Pox in 1700’s or if Alexander Fleming had not cleaned the mould that contaminated his plate of Staphylococcus bacteria- then medicine wouldn’t be the same. It became apparent that in order to move forward, we must look at history and work out what our role in the future will be. It is up to us, the scientists of tomorrow, to cure HIV and stop MRSA. Other tables buzzed with enthusiasm, with healthcare professionals encouraging students to dress in lab outfits and to have their blood tested. St Johns Ambulance took students through the Dr.ABC mnemonic that could keep a person alive if unconscious, teaching them to look for a response, check airways, breathing, and eventually call 999 before starting CPR.
In the next room, students were busy making DNA bracelets – linking Cytosine to Guanine and finding out about Watson and Crick, while others were quizzed on their knowledge of blood groups and transfusions. There were also a number of lectures to attend, dependent on which group one was in. Professor Iain Hutchison described his role as a surgeon to rows of dumbstruck students, all completely absorbed by the fascinating images of jaw reconstructions, benign tumours and artistic impressions of his patients. The complexity of our body was explained- and the complications of facial reconstruction highlighted: The skin being so incredibly complex – from the thin, delicate eyelid to the fat, thick layers on the cheek. Forty-five minutes later the entire room were either thinking up ways to raise money for “Saving Faces” (a Science Research Foundation) or wondering how science could advance so scars could be fully removed – something which is not yet possible. This made it clear that science is the future.
By the end of the day, everyone had something new and exciting to take away with them – all anxious to repeat the events to their friends when they return to school. There was a sense of community, with students openly asking questions to scientists – ever so enthusiastic to answer. There is no other subject that can offer you a chance to one day save lives, create lives and feel so alive. The Science Conference was a huge success, because as you left, you really felt important. As an individual, one felt that they would truly make a difference by choosing to study science. It’s not all lab coats and goggles like the movies portray it – but real life doctors, engineers and immunologists – endless corridor or doors leading to the future: It’s up to us, which door we choose to take.