School Events

Host a Gopher Science Lab

Would you like to:

• Provide a unique opportunity for your Year 11/12 science students to make their UCAS applications stand out
• Strengthen school links with local feeder primary schools
• Encourage youngsters who ask lots of questions about science
• Support non-specialist primary colleagues by increasing their practical science repertoires

“Gopher Science Lab” is a new event designed by the Biochemical Society and the Society of Biology to engage primary school children who show exceptional interest in the way the world works. We would like to do this by inviting them to a local secondary school for a morning of science demonstrations and fun and we would really like to hold a “Gopher Science Lab” at your school.

Here’s how it works:

1. Choose a convenient date and time for us to come for a one hour planning meeting at your school 
2. Choose a date for the 2-3 hour “Gopher Science Lab” event to take place
3. Appoint an event team (ideally a nominated science teacher, a technician and 4-6 enthusiastic science students) who are available to attend the above dates
4. Email jane.thomson@biochemistry.org with your dates and contact emails for the team ASAP

We will then contact four of your local primary schools and ask them each to select eight Year 3 students chosen on the basis that they are able students who show exceptional interest in science/the world around them.

We will come to your planning meeting to agree:

• suitable practical activities (we have a selection to choose from)
• what consumables/equipment will be required (all resources for the event will be provided by us)
• the schedule for the event
• who will do what
• risk assessment

On the “Gopher Science Lab” event day, the four teams of eight students will be brought to your school where they will experience a selection of exciting practical demonstrations and hands-on activities. The teams of students will move around the activities and will be encouraged to join in and ask questions to enable them to replicate the experiments in front of their classmates when they return to their schools.

If you are interested, please send us your dates and contact emails. We look forward to meeting your team!