This summer, through STEMPOINT, I completed a two-week research placement at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, supervised by Dr Ann-Kathrin Reuschl. I got to experience what biomedical research is actually like, work alongside researchers and take part in laboratory work, including micropipetting, centrifugation and tissue-culture work.

For me, one of the biggest things I enjoyed was my A-level Biology studies suddenly feeling real. Things I had learned in lessons about immunity, cells, proteins and genetics were no longer just diagrams in a textbook or questions on an exam paper. I could actually see how these ideas were being used to investigate SARS-CoV-2 and the immune response. Going to seminars, hearing scientists discuss their work and being able to experience how researchers ask questions also made me more curious and showed me how much there is still to learn.

Even the long commute each day became part of the experience and taught me independence, commitment and time management. Overall, the placement changed the way I look at Biology. It made me realise that learning is not only about finding the right answer. Sometimes the most interesting part is becoming curious enough to ask another question.

Muhammad Ali Babar [Year 13]