Blue Coat scientists shine again in competition
In early March, six Year 12 students attended the Heroines of Science competition, an event at the University of Reading, celebrating the lives and achievements of women in science.
Eight schools competed by presenting on their heroines of science, including physicist Chien-Shiung Wu, Hollywood actress turned inventor Hedy Lamarr, and space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Our students Ben and Jess represented Blue Coat and spoke about Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers of CRISPR genome editing. They also included a fascinating discussion on the ethics of using science to alter an organism’s genetic material.
Ben and Jess received lots of positive feedback on their presentation and Ben’s hand-drawn animation included in the talk wowed the other schools. However, it wasn’t quite enough to win, and Blue Coat were runners-up to 
Notre Dame School, who performed a “This is Your Life”- style show on the Nobel Prize winning crystallographer Dorothy Hodgkin.
Notre Dame School, who performed a “This is Your Life”- style show on the Nobel Prize winning crystallographer Dorothy Hodgkin.It was incredibly interesting to hear about so many women overcoming barriers to excel in their scientific field and how these women have inspired a new generation of scientists to follow their own ambitions in STEM careers. – Dr Langdon, Teacher of Chemistry