RCSI is hosting Leaving Certificate students to conduct mandatory practicals from the Leaving Certificate Biology curriculum in its laboratories this month.

The 'See it, Do it' Leaving Certificate Biology Practical Series is an initiative of the REACH RCSI Programme, the Community Engagement and Access Programme of RCSI. The programme enables students from RCSI’s local community of south east inner city Dublin to carry out mandatory experiments from the Leaving Certificate Biology curriculum such as dissections, isolating DNA from plant tissue and using a light microscope to examine cells.

The series coincides with Science Week (11-18 November) and College Awareness Week (19-24 November), and it will continue until the end of November.

Students will gain valuable hands-on experience of experiments and information on careers in science as well as getting a real insight into life at college, which aims to give the students an added incentive to succeed in their studies.

This collaborative initiative is led by the REACH RCSI Programme Manager, Maria Kelly, in partnership with Dr Maria Morgan, MCT, John O’Brien, Vincent McDonagh (TERG, Anatomy), Dr Eoin Cotter (Pharmacy), Dr Arlene Glasgow (Microbiology) and Laura De Diego Garcia (Physiology & Medical Physics).

Maria Kelly, REACH RCSI Programme Manager said: “The ‘See it, Do it’ Leaving Certificate Biology Practical Series will give the students an opportunity to conduct their own hands-on experiments. We hope that the initiative will help the students gain a better understanding of the biology curriculum and also inspire them to pursue careers in science."

A central component of the REACH RCSI Programme is the promotion of education, using RCSI’s core expertise to supporting the teaching and learning of science at primary and post primary level by facilitating the development of an interest in science and education among individuals from local communities.