Public Engagement

Visit
Videoconference
Online
Teachers
Projects
Placements
Reports

Group activities, talks and tours are available at the Sanger Institute. [Wellcome images]

Visiting the Sanger Institute

We host pre-arranged visits for more than 2000 students (generally A-level and GCSE), teachers and members of the community each year.

Visitors can meet scientific staff, tour the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus and some of its high-throughput facilities, and can participate in an increasing number of educational experiences including ethical debates and computer-based activities. A visit to the Sanger Institute is free of charge.

With our current resources, we can arrange visits by groups only; unless we are hosting a special public event, we are unable to invite individuals or small parties onto the site. The Press and PR Office arranges visits by the media and invited guests.

Where possible, we tailor the visit to the interests of the group. Possible topics include:

Genome projects and genetic variation
Cancer Genome Project
Human variation in health and disease
Pathogens and disease
Human populations and origin

Visits for school groups build on learning in the classroom and complement the national curriculum, A-level and IB specifications. A 'standard' post-16 school visit to the Sanger Institute lasts for approximately two and half hours and consists of two major components:

A talk, Q&A and activity session with Sanger Institute staff (45-90 minutes)
A tour of the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, including the sequencing laboratories and the data centre (45-60 minutes)

Tour groups consist of 15 or fewer (minimum of 8), but larger numbers are possible with more than one guide. Our preferred group sizes are 30 or less.

Useful information

Group visit enquiry form
Public engagement enquiry form
Practical/health and safety information for visiting the Sanger Institute
Travel information to the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus.
Video of Sanger Institute visits.
Public Engagement Survey Form - help us to better develop our outreach programme.
Educational visit evaluation 2010/11

Contact us

To enquire about visiting the site with your group please fill out a group visit enquiry form, or to find out about the range of programmes we can offer please email pubengage@sanger.ac.uk, or call the Communications Administrator at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute on +44 (0) 1223 496995.

Teachers at the National Science Learning Centre connect with Dr Matt Holden, Sanger Institute Pathogen Researcher. [Genome Research Limited]

Virtual visits by videoconferencing

We now offer opportunities for videoconferencing into the Sanger Institute for Science Learning Centres, Science Centres and schools. Through videoconferencing, participants have the opportunity to hear about contemporary research and interact directly with Sanger Institute scientific and public engagement staff, often as an introductory stimulus or a summary session for a unit of work. These sessions are tailored to the group's requirements. Data sheets, multimedia resources and suggestions for paper- or computer-based pre- and post- visit activities are also available for participants.

Genome projects and genetic variation
Cancer Genome Project
Human variation in health and disease
Pathogens and disease
Human populations and origins

Contact

If you would like to find out more about our videoconferencing programme, please fill out the videoconference enquiry form, contact pubengage@sanger.ac.uk or call +44(0)1223 496995.

YourGenome.org: your online genetics resource. [Genome Research Limited]

Explore genomics online

We produce a website called YourGenome.org which is intended to help people understand the principles of genetics and genomic science.

Yourgenome.org offers videos with leading researchers, explanatory animations, downloadable classroom activities and accurate information about genetics and genomics. Through this website, we aim to stimulate interest and encourage informed debate about this fast-moving area of biomedical science.

YourGenome.org

In 2009, we launched a new version of the Sanger Institute's public website, YourGenome.org, including animations of scientific processes and video insights into day-to-day scientific research.

The major sections are:

Your introduction to DNA, genes and genomes: a guide to DNA, genes and genomes - and how the instructions they contain are used to build cells and bodies. You can choose to look at the basics or find out more detail.
Your human genome: find out about the UK's involvement in the Human Genome Project, see how DNA is sequenced and explore key genes and locations in our genome.
Genomes, health and society: glimpse how new genome research and technologies could affect our health and lives in these topics focusing on contemporary science and issues.
For Teachers: teaching resources including animations, activities and worksheets that support UK curriculum and science specifications for 14-19 year olds.

Other collaborative online resources:

Inside DNA: a genomic revolution is an online companion to the Inside DNA exhibition travelling the UK from 2007-2012. This site is continually updated with feedback from the exhibition and news stories around contemporary genetics.
Ethical Emporium is a prototype Digital Science resource and teacher training package developed with media producers, educators and evaluators on the issues and implications of contemporary genetic research.

Make use of our teaching resources. [Genome Research Limited]

Teacher support

We offer professional development sessions for teachers of GCSE and post 16 science through the National Network of Science Learning Centres, and by hosting visits for groups interested in updating their knowledge in contemporary genetics.

Professional development sessions are tailored to the group; however, a standard visit would include:

contemporary science update
opportunities to browse recommended online and physical resources
paper or computer-based workshop activity using Sanger Institute datasets or focussing on ethics of contemporary genetics
(if onsite) a tour of the Sanger Institute sequencing facilities and data centre

We organise appointments for teachers interested in spending time in our resource room to look through the array of genetics and molecular biology resources, props and activities we've collected. There are also opportunities for teachers to work directly with the public engagement team to pilot or co-develop activities and resources for school students.

For activities, animations and supporting materials written specifically for teachers of GCSE and post 16 science, please visit the For Teachers section of the Sanger Institute's public engagement website, Yourgenome.org, found at http://www.yourgenome.org/landing_teachers.shtml.

Contact us

Please contact us by email at pubengage@sanger.ac.uk or phone at +44 (0) 1223 496995.

Visitors to the InsideDNA travelling exhibition. [Wellcome images]

Collaborative projects and residencies

We work with organisations, individuals and venues throughout the U.K. to make Sanger Institute science and scientists accessible to many different audiences. Recent projects have included:

Inside DNA

Inside DNA is a major genomics exhibition that offers visitors the chance to learn more about the role of genetics in their health, identity and ancestry. It's a unique exhibition investigating developments in human genomics and the ethical issues that they raise. Visitors to the website and exhibition (currently touring UK regional science centres and museum until 2012) can feed their thoughts directly to the UK government's advisory panel on human genetics, the Human Genetics Commission.

Inside DNA was developed by At-Bristol on behalf of Ecsite-UK with funding from the Wellcome Trust and support from the Sanger Institute.

BRCA2 Cycle Path

10,000 stripes, the 10,000th mile was a project to install 10,000 coloured stripes on the cycling and walking link between Addenbrooke's Hospital with Great Shelford. The 10,000 stripes represent the DNA sequence of the gene breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2, one of the 20-25,000 genes in the human genome. We worked with Sustrans to develop the information panels, DNA sculptures at each end and the colourful design on the path.

Residencies

Artists, broadcasters, writers and exhibition developers have taken up residencies in the Franklin Centre for Public Engagement to gain access to researchers and contemporary research stories.

Contact

If you have a project that relates to genome science and would like to access researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute or work directly with the Communication and Public Engagement Team, please fill in our online enquiry form or contact us by email at pubengage@sanger.ac.uk or phone at +44(0)1223 496995.

Cambridge Science Festival goers comparing genome sizes. [Genome Research Limited]

Onsite and offsite public events

In recent years, Sanger Institute researchers have participated in public events across the U.K. such as the 'Biology Zone' at the Cambridge Science Festival. In collaboration with the European Bioinformatics Institute, more than 30 researchers participated in the 'Science on Saturday' event (2005-2009), attracting more than 2000 visitors each day.

Other public events which have involved Sanger Institute researchers in recent years include: Grafton Centre DNA Day 2003, and Triple Celebration Open Day at the Genome Campus in 2003.

Contact us

If you wish to be notified of a Sanger Institute public event in the future, please fill out our public engagement online enquiry form (general). Please see our privacy statement to see how we use your data.

The Sanger Institute: unique opportunities. [Wellcome images]

Science Communication Placements

We offer practical placements for students studying science communication/science in society or individuals entering science communication as a career.

Placements are usually 4-6 weeks in length, but can be extended to 12 weeks in total. Stipends covering travel to/from Cambridge and some additional expenses are available.

These placements provide students/interns with the opportunity to work with genetic researchers to develop public engagement materials for prototyping and publication. S/he can draw upon the skills and experience of members of the Public Engagement team - including the manager, education officer, designer/animator and web developer - to develop new content on contemporary research for a chosen audience (14-16 years, 16-19 years or motivated adult learners).

Developed resources may include: public presentations, lab-based activities, animations, podcasts, webquests, self contained physical exhibits, demonstrations, paper- or computer-based investigations, role-plays/performances, online vignettes, and written features. Regardless of the medium chosen, written skills will be important to this placement, as each activity will require on- and offline supporting materials.

Contact

To express interest in a placement please contact us using the online enquiry form, or contact us by email at pubengage@sanger.ac.uk. All candidates are required to submit a current CV with two recent writing samples.