A group of 13 transition year students from around the country visited the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) laboratories in RCSI as part of AMBER's ‘Exploring Materials' programme. This week-long initiative ran from the 24-28 February.

The Tissue Engineering Research Group develops scaffolds and tissue engineered materials for the regeneration of various tissues within the body. The transition year (TY) students spent the week learning the basic principles of materials science; how nanoscience is impacting a range of materials, from computer chips to medical devices as well as getting the opportunity to shadow postgraduate students and post-doctorate researchers in their daily work. 

On Thursday, 27 February in the TERG labs, the students spent the day learning about fabricating scaffolds, testing the properties of scaffolds, growing cells and using bioreactor systems and learning about novel growth factors and signalling systems that can enhance the regenerative response within the body.

Speaking on the TY programme Professor Fergal O'Brien, Head of the TERG and Professor of Bioengineering & Regenerative Medicine in RCSI and Deputy Director of AMBER said: “It is essential that if young people are going to pursue successful careers in science & engineering, that they should gain exposure early. This is why we ran this programme. It was a fantastic week and it was great to see such enthusiasm from every one of the 13 in our labs. I'd like to especially thank the TERG team here in RCSI and particularly Dr. Tanya Levingstone who heads our outreach activities who led the organisation and management of the programme over the week.”

AMBER promotes training and educational programmes which impact all levels of the formal education system from primary school to fourth level. 

AMBER is also committed to the development of novel outreach programmes for schools and the general public which will stimulate discussion on future medical devices, new technologies and materials and the role of science in defining how we live our lives. The AMBER Research Centre is a collaboration between RCSI, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork.