The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) is thrilled to announce the resounding success of its recent outreach event, held as part of UniStem Day 2025, an international initiative occurring simultaneously in 12 countries and involving 30, 000 students in 2 continents. Designed to introduce secondary school students to the fascinating world of stem cells, the event on March 14, 2025, saw enthusiastic participation from students of Belfast Model School for Girls, Belfast High School, South Eastern Regional College in Bangor, and Strathearn School. Through activities and lectures from experts in stem cells, and touring our state-of-the-art laboratories, students gained invaluable insights into the critical role stem cells play in medical research and their potential to revolutionize healthcare. 

In the role of academic lead, Professor Andriana Margariti introduced the students to stem cells in a talk entitled ‘Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine and Healing’, showcasing the institute's research and commercialization efforts. Professor Imre Lengyel lead the efforts in initiating the students to the fascinating world of advanced microscopy and its use for stem cell and biomedical research. Postdocs and students from our institute introduced the students to biomedical research trough fun and engaging activities and Dr Dr Anna Krasnodembskaya gave a lecture on ‘Mesenchymal stromal cell- based therapies- future for regenerative medicine?’.

This successful outreach initiative underscores the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine's commitment to education and community engagement. By making complex scientific concepts accessible and exciting, the institute aims to empower the next generation of scientists and innovators. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Engagement Manager from the Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Sciences Donna Rogers and all the participating schools and their students for making this event a success.

The UniStem day participation is one of the initiatives organised by the 'WWIEM outreach committee' and was organised by Dr David Cisneros and Dr Selinda Orr.

Figure 1. Word cloud of what the students like about science.

 

Figure 2. Word cloud of what the students liked about UniStem day

 

Thank you to Peter Barabas, Wiwit Setyaningsih, Andrew Yacoub, and Dr. Ileana Micu for their support with microscopy and the Advanced Imaging CTU. Special thanks to Abby, Julia, Paulina, Refik, Abigail, Wai, Asim, Jess, Charlotte, Katie, and Derek for their help with tours and demonstrations.