St George’s has a network of STEM Ambassadors amongst our staff and students who are interested in inspiring and supporting the next generation of scientists. We meet each month and are in the process of creating a new and exciting programme of activities for 2021-22.
We invite schools and community young groups to get in touch with us with ideas for activities or resources. We are currently unable to have work experience students on campus due to covid restrictions.
Please email us at pe@sgul.ac.uk if you’d like to start a conversation and work together with us in the future.
Meet some of our STEM Ambassadors
Dr Clara Cieza-Borrella is Lecturer in Molecular Biology at the Centre for Biomedical Education (Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education, IMBE) and joined St. George's University in February 2019. She previously worked at the Institute of Cancer Research (Sutton, London) for five years where she carried out her postdoctoral research on the functional characterisation of novel genes and variants associated with prostate cancer development. It was in 2017 when she got the opportunity to get actively involved in Public Engagement activities and became UK STEM Ambassador. Since then, she has been organising and taking part of diverse activities addressed to children (ages 7-12), teenagers (ages 13-17) and young adults (ages 18-23) such as careers speed dating, online live chats with School classes, on-site School students visits, School Careers Fairs, hands-on activities and talks in local Schools. Clara feels confident in speaking about Biology-related subjects to lay audiences including children, young people, parents and carers, and anyone not familiar with the subject really. Contact her by email to ccieza-b@sgul.ac.uk or follow her updates on Twitter: @clara_cieza
Dr Carol Shiels is the Curator of the Pathology Museum at St George’s and the Lead for Public and Civic Engagement. Her interest in human diseases goes back to her degree in Cellular and Molecular Pathology and her research at Imperial College London focusing on leukaemia. She enjoys designing and running outreach events for schoolchildren at KS1, & KS2 and also invites local schools into the Museum for one day workshops to support the A level biology curriculum. In partnership with final year medical students studying at St George’s, a series of new school workshops has recently been developed. She is interested in working with schools to trial these new workshops and to develop new ones that can be given virtually. Carol also hosts Art of Pathology workshops for St George's students and staff in the Museum and is interested in developing these into virtual workshops in partnership with schools and their students studying art. Contact Carol by email at pe@sgul.ac.uk or follow her on twitter @caroljshiels
I am Goharika Paladugu, a 2nd year Biomedical Science student, and a UK STEM Ambassador for the London Hub. Through this role, I hope to inspire young children and raise awareness of STEM subjects to all age groups. Becoming a STEM Ambassador means that there are a variety of activities ranging from career talks to judging science competitions for which I could express my interest in. Recently, I signed up to participate in a session where we contribute ideas and help teachers plan out their curriculum, ensuring that it includes lessons where children get to acknowledge the importance of STEM subjects. In the future, I hope to organise my own events and collaborate with other UK STEM Ambassadors at St George's. This will be an amazing experience as I can use the transferrable skills gained through my Biomedical Science course in making sure the events are the most effective and successful they can be. In addition, participating in such public engagement programmes not only gives me a chance to flourish as a person but the diverse skills I'll gain as a result would further enhance my profile, showcasing me as a competent candidate for future employers in any area of work that I want to get involved in.
Hi, I’m Sarah Murphy. I joined St George’s in October 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Infection & Immunity. My main area of research is investigating the development of resistance and novel treatments for invasive fungal infections. Since joining St George’s I’ve started lecturing and taking weekly tutorials. I’ve particularly enjoyed the teaching side of my job and this is partly what has inspired me to become a STEM ambassador. My major motivation though is that I have been fortunate enough to have some brilliant mentors and teachers throughout my studies: I was not very confident with my academic ability when I was a teenager or even during my undergraduate degree, however with the right support system many opportunities arose and gave me the confidence to pursue a scientific career. Now I am thoroughly enjoying sharing my knowledge and passion for science with students at St George’s and would like to further extend my enthusiasm for STEM by helping to organise activities for a variety of audiences. I have a particular interest in engaging with students who might suffer from “imposter syndrome” or the feeling that they are not suitable to pursue certain university degrees or careers. I hope to work with these students to support building their confidence, resilience and means to achieve their career goals.