UniStem Day 2024
Youth's first encounter with stem cell research
On Friday, March 22, UniStem Day was held in Norway for the very first time, spearheaded by the Mohn Research Center for Regenerative Medicine. The event gathered 80 high school students from Bergen to explore the possibilities within stem cell research, a field that has the potential to revolutionize the future of medicine.
Norway made its debut in the global science celebration UniStem Day on March 22, 2024. At the Mohn Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, affiliated with the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital, students from Askøy and Nordahl Grieg high schools had the chance to dive into the fascinating world of stem cells.
The event, now spanning 13 countries and two continents, aims to inspire the next generation of researchers by connecting them directly with the forefront of science. It gathered 97 universities and research centers and over 250 high schools with 30,000 high school students in Europe and Australia.
The program was packed with activities designed to engage and inform. From lectures on the latest breakthroughs in stem cell research and 3D bioprinting, the students gained rare insights into both the theoretical and practical aspects of the research. A special highlight was the international video call with peers in Italy, which underscored the event's global reach and the power of collaboration in science.
"The program was pedagogically sound and varied. The topic was directly linked to parts of the biology curriculum, and at the same time, the students saw concrete examples of research and, most importantly, how it is conducted in the lab. Very useful," said Kjell Augestad, a teacher at Nordahl Grieg High School.
Dress-to-impress competition
Six students were brave enough to come down to the stage and put on the suit and accessories required for producing cells in a cleanroom, which can then be given as a medication to a patient. Petra Vogelsang, who works at the Ex-vivo facility, demonstrated step by step how to perform the procedure for putting on the gowning. All the students did a great job, even though none would have been approved to enter the cleanroom laboratory.
"I couldn't have imagined that stem cell research had come so far and could be so exciting. It was a program where we learned in a fun way, and I'm glad I got to attend," said Espen Opsahl from Nordahl Grieg High School.
Hoping to Ignite the Spark of Research