School meets laboratory

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For the past two weeks, two local schools have been stepping out of the classroom and into the laboratory. The Biomedical Center (BMC) invited pupils from the Gymnasium Lindenberg in the Allgäu and Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium in Gilching to gain an exciting insight into everyday research. A whole day was dedicated to life sciences, giving the young people the opportunity to get involved and explore the world of biomedical research.

The day began in the small lecture hall of the BMC, where Prof. Christian Wahl-Schott, Prof. Markus Sperandio and Dr. Roland Immler welcomed the guests and gave them a brief introduction to the BMC. The students then went directly to the laboratories where they were able to perform their own experiments. Blood grouping and microscopy of their own blood cells allowed the young people to experience science at first hand. After the hands-on part of the program, refreshments were served in the campus cafeteria - another opportunity to immerse themselves in student life at BMC.
In the afternoon, the program continued in the BMC research laboratories. Here, the students were able to observe leukocyte recruitment experiments and talk to PhD students and postdocs about their work and daily life in research. The day ended with a roundtable discussion on the ethics of biomedical research. At a time when the life sciences are developing rapidly and raising societal issues, the young people were made aware of the importance of a sound understanding of biological processes.

This project was initiated by Dr Roland Immler, research group leader, and Dr Verena Kochan, science coordinator, in collaboration with the dedicated team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology at LMU's BMC. “With our BMC School Day, we intend to provide a realistic insight into everyday biomedical research,” emphasised Roland Immler. “Especially in times of fake news, it is important to provide young people with up-to-date background knowledge,” added Verena Kochan.

For the pupils, the day at the BMC was a special experience - an insight into the world of science that may have inspired one or two career aspirations.

The project was supported by the TRR 359 Graduate Programme (CoPILOT) and TRR 332, both funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).