Questers, are you ready...
Explore the science behind Cambridge in a new interactive trail
From Dorothy Hodgkin, who identified the structure of insulin, Rosalind Franklin, whose part in discovering the double-helix structure of DNA was for a long time unacknowledged, and Alan Turing, who devised a theory of morphogenesis, Cambridge has long been home to scientists that have paved the way for many life-changing and world-leading discoveries.
Led by Dr Amy Foreman, Research Associate and Project Manager at the in Cambridge, is made up of three separate trails of different lengths which take you on a whistle-stop tour show-casing the impact of past discoveries on the work that takes place at the Gurdon Institute today.
探花直播idea for the Great BioQuest came during first COVID-19 lockdown when Amy was new to the city and spent her allotted outside time exploring the local area. “At the Gurdon, we are always trying to come up with new ways to engage with the public,” said Amy.
“There are so many discoveries that have been made in this city that are directly relevant to the work we do and the methods we use.” It seemed like a family-friendly walking trail could be a fantastic way to engage.
“ 探花直播trails are a novel opportunity to give more of a human story behind the biological research at the 探花直播, both past and present.”
Dr Amy Foreman
Choosing one of three routes – the worm, the fly and the frog – with each starting at the Museum of Zoology, questers are given a riddle; solve the riddle to unlock all three trails and be guided between each of the points on your chosen route.
But with a city bursting with scientific discoveries, how do you choose what to include?
“It was a combination of finding the key landmarks in the city and the research which has had the most impact on the work we do here at the Gurdon today,” said Amy.
探花直播trails include both well-known local discoveries, and ones you may not have heard of before. You will find out more about key figures such as Dame Anne Mclaren whose pioneering research helped develop human in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as well as Frederick Sanger, two-time winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and recognised by many as the “father of genomics” for his work on DNA sequencing.
探花直播trail premiered at the in 2022 and received some great feedback:
“Thanks so much for setting it up - what a lovely idea and we so much fun on a sunny afternoon”
“I learned so much and loved the riddles!”
“Great to get to know Cambridge and science fun facts!”
Key to helping turn 探花直播Great BioQuest into a reality was the 探花直播 of Cambridge Public Engagement Starter Fund.
探花直播fund is an opportunity for 探花直播 of Cambridge researchers to apply for small grants to undertake innovative public engagement with research activities.
“Without the funding from the Public Engagement Starter fund, amongst others, we would not have been able to produce the trails. 探花直播fund has been incredibly helpful and an essential part to the project’s success,” said Amy.
“ 探花直播Public Engagement Starter Fund is an essential source of funds for smaller public engagement projects such as this. It is great to see the fund being used to share our research, our 探花直播 spaces and our City with our community. It’s also good to see it being matched against other funding sources to amplify what our researchers can do.”
Dr Selen Etingu-Breslaw, Public Engagement, and Impact Manager at the 探花直播 of Cambridge.
“It is brilliant to see innovative and fun projects such as 探花直播Great BioQuest using the starter fund to reach and share research to new audiences.”
Trail information
探花直播trails have been designed to suit everyone in the family! Younger players can answer the ‘Young Explorer’ questions, while more experienced players can challenge themselves to solve the “Pro-Explorer” riddles.
探花直播trail is fully accessible, and everything is at street-level. If you would prefer not to use your phone, you can .
探花直播worm route will take around 30 minutes, the fly route around 45 minutes and the frog route one hour but as there is no time constraints, you can take part at your own pace.
Race to the end or have a leisurely stroll – it is entirely up to you.
探花直播Great BioQuest was created by Dr Amy Foreman () with contributions from PhD students, Postdoctoral Researchers, and the Public Engagement Team at the Gurdon Institute.
探花直播project has been funded by the 探花直播 of Cambridge Public Engagement Starter Fund, , and
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