Pre-16 activities

Being a Technician - STEAM Technicians make it happen

Are you creative or do you enjoy problem solving? If so, join us as we showcase the exciting and important roles technicians play right across the University of Bristol. Explore with real-life Technicians the many different paths available which may lead into a technical career.

Find out:

• what type of activities are Technicians carrying out
• what does their working day look like
• what does a technical career look like

Through a variety of hands-on practical sessions such as: histology, tissue culture, earthquake structural resilience testing, soil and water analysis or the tour of anatomy, you will see just how many different technical roles exist and learn which technician you are.

Activities will vary but will cover all areas from Science and Engineering, Health and Life Sciences and the Arts (STEAM). For instance, what goes on in our specialist research and teaching facilities, what are 3D printers and laser cutters used for, how are ideas turned into real life items such as underwater cameras, how do owls and skulls fit in, what is it like to complete a technical apprenticeship, what does music and audio engineering involve?

To find out more Watch 'Technical Apprenticeships at the University of Bristol' on YouTube.

Life in the lab - Biological Sciences Technical

All too often people have the misconception that universities are just about students and lecturers.  But what about the hundreds of support staff who keep their Schools ticking along.  

Based in the Biological Sciences teaching laboratories, you will experience the skills required, and the diversity involved in working in a busy laboratory environment alongside the lab technicians who work there.  

Activities will vary from year to year but are likely to include microscope skills; media/reagent preparation; working aseptically; basic equipment servicing; field collection techniques; plant propagation; aquarium duties; assisting in outreach activities and electron microscope work.  

In this week, you will explore the building blocks of life, cells and molecules, getting some hands on experience of biochemistry, immunology and microbiology.

Biochemistry explores chemical processes related to living organisms and is a science that combines biology and chemistry.  Biochemists study the structure, composition, and chemical reactions of substances in living systems. Immunologists explore the cells and molecules which protect us from infection, while microbiologists study microbes, which may be helpful or harmful to the body.

This week will allow you try some exciting lab techniques and experiments to help develop your science knowledge, experience and skills. Get hands on with diagnosing diabetes or using forensic DNA fingerprinting to uncover the CSI crime scene culprit. Investigate the immune response to COVID-19 and meet some amazing microbes. You will also get the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of university life and meet current students and equip you with information and insights for your future options. 

Animal Minds: evolution and behaviour

We often think about animal diversity in terms of physical traits like size and colour. But the diversity of animal behaviour is just as striking and poses unique challenges to document, understand and explain. So how do scientists understand why animals behave the way they do? And how are these behaviours produced?

We’ll take you on a tour of how biologists study evolution, then introduce how we can approach complex traits such as behaviour, with hands on practical sessions. This will include practical work ranging from analysing how neurons and brains function through to investigating the social networks of dolphins.

Green planet and the environment

The history of life on earth has been shaped in large part by the evolution of plants, and now the future of our climate depends on preserving diverse forest ecosystems.

We’ll introduce you to the amazing diversity of plants, how they develop and work, and their importance in shaping our climate. We’ll also consider how human activity is affecting natural forest dynamics and how this will impact our efforts to prevent climate change. This will include practical work ranging from plant development through to ecosystem structure and understanding climate modelling.

Earth Sciences is the nexus of many STEM subjects, and we will use physics, chemistry, biology and maths skills to answer big societal or environmental questions.

We will work in a chemistry lab, use geophysics equipment, look at volcanic hazards, talk about ocean acidification, explore evolution, and/or look at ore samples to think about natural resources.

Activities include lectures, laboratory exercises and, usually, a local fieldtrip. You will also learn essential report writing and presentation skills and have the opportunity to meet current Earth Sciences students and staff.

• Read more about work experience in Earth Sciences 
• Watch 'Earth Sciences work experience' on YouTube

• Do you want to make a difference in the world?  
• Are you interested in technology and how it will affect our future?  
• Are you thinking about studying A-level Mathematics after your GCSEs?  

To find out how you can apply your creative problem-solving skills to address some of the critical issues humanity faces, join us for a week of hands-on workshops and activities using mathematics, computing, and engineering skills.  

Throughout the week you will gain an insight into subjects taught in the faculty of Engineering alongside developing important employability skills like communication and teamwork; as well as hearing first-hand from our students, alumni and industry partners about life at university and the careers beyond.  

Read more about work experience in Engineering  

You will be learning and understanding about the research process in Geography, learning the key skills required to create new knowledge, new skills in using geographical software, and how to do research in an area of interest to you.

Are you interested in urban inequality? Migration? Poverty? We will help you develop a research question and use some new tools to answer them!

This will be an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in geography either at university or as a career and will give you a real insight into what universities do.

We hope it will be a rewarding experience that will strengthen interest in geographical sciences and help develop valuable skills for future studies and career paths. Moreover, you will also have opportunity to engage in a range of other activities at the university level, from working with the Exams Officer identifying plagiarism, to meeting with PhD students, listening to colleagues present their research and attending lectures and seminars.

Experience studying Physics and Mathematics at university and find out what it is like to work as a researcher.

You will take part in computational activities, a tour of the lab, lab experiments, and lectures from a variety of topics.

Learn about different research areas, such as quantum engineering technologies, particle physics, materials physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics.  You will also take part in sessions about careers, study skills and science ethics.