News

Dr. Karri Lamsa's laboratory has a visiting PhD student, Mr Tamas Bellak from Szeged University. He has come to visit the laboratory in Oxford for two months in order to learn electrophysiological recordings from slice preparation. Tamas is a 3rd year PhD student in Szeged under supervision of Prof. Antal Nogradi. Tamas was awarded with a Balassi Institute Campus Hungary scholarship for this strip

The Unit held its ninth annual Open Day, coinciding with the MRC Centenary week, for local schools on the 25 June 2013. The MRC is celebrating 100 years of medical research. Seven local schools attended the day and 120 pupils and teachers took part in the activities. Professor Peter Somogyi introduced the visit with a short presentation on the MRC’s work celebrating a hundred years of life-changing discoveries achievements. He acknowledged those who have supported us along the way, and introduced the great burden that diseases of the brain impose on society.

Groups of students went to visit the laboratories getting hands-on experience with instruments, real specimens and experiments, providing a glimpse of what to expect in a working research laboratory. They all visited two of the research groups.

Student feedback shows that they found the visit stimulating, and that the research they were shown inspired them. It was clear that the teachers also found the experience stimulating, and we were again told that after last year's visit some students were inspired to make University applications for various bioscience degrees, including neuroscience and medicine. Feedback what the students' found interesting: “the electron microscope …” ”watching a cell undergo mitosis …” ”the ability to see in action work that had previously only been shown in textbooks…” ”learning about the link between GABA and depression…” ”discussing optogenetics and its applications in medicine”…”finding out about place cells and the structure of different cells…” ”having an amazing view of dendrites and axons…” ”Learning about Parkinson’s disease and new research is beginning …“ ” to see people working in the lab and hear about their work…”.

Thanks to all who participated and made this day possible.

The wildflower meadow in front of the Unit now has its star performer in flower: a Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii. This plant has grown from wind-blown seed. If you wish to view it, please take care not to trample other plants.

This summer the Unit's wild flower meadow surrounding our entrance and carpark is flourishing. The prominent red campion's pink flowers are easy to spot; some of the other species include: white campion, cuckoo flower, wood avens, bird's foot trefoil, ribwort plantain, wild strawberry, black mustard, yellow rattle, white dead-nettle, black medic, teasel, cowslip and columbine. We have a Common Spotted Orchid flower spike growing, and hopefully this will open in the next few weeks. The meadow, although small, has a range of different conditions; from the full sun of the left-hand side, to the dark corner above the bike sheds; which will help it support a good range of species. The yellow rattle is a parasite of grasses, and so helps keep the grass from becoming too large or successful and out-competeing the flowering dicot species.

Wildflower meadows have declined by 97% since the 1930s. Last week, the Prince of Wales publically supported a project by Plantlife, the Wildlife Trusts and Rare Breeds Survival Trust on the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation. The project aims to create "Coronation Meadows", as well as a comprehensive inventory of the nations remaining meadows. One meadow will be announced in each county by the end of the year. The first 60 were announced last week to mark the 60 years since the Coronation, but the target is 107. News item at BBC. Telegraph article.