Biology Unlocked

Biology Unlocked, part of Discover, gives Year 10s a chance to throw on their lab coats and spend a week studying biology at university. This is an exciting opportunity for any budding biologist who wants to learn in a state-of-the-art lab setting and study with scientists who share their passion. 

What will my students get to take part in?

Pre-event meet-up – Thursday 01 May 2025, 3.45-5.00pm

A chance to get the future scientists up to speed on everything they need to know about getting the most out of their week on campus. 

Non-residential event – Monday 07 – Friday 11 July 2025

5 days in the lab carrying out scientific research projects across a variety of subjects. Think bioinformatics, ecology, microbiology and more…

Students will be based mainly in the purpose-built School of Biological Sciences teaching laboratories and will use equipment and perform experiments they are unlikely to have experienced before. For the first four days, students will carry out research on four very different areas of biology. On the final day, they’ll work in pairs to design posters about their research and present them to the fellow budding scientists. Finally, there will be a chance to reflect on the week and look at how they can take their biology interests further. 

Over the week, students will gain… 

• Work experience through practical lab-based projects in teams 
• A wider understanding of routes available in biology in their futures
• Knowledge from our UEA experts in the biology field 

Specific activities include: 

The final programme is still being developed but the list below gives an idea of our current thoughts based on previous years’ activities.

• Ecological surveying – Students will step outside to explore the diverse flora and fauna that exists on the UEA campus. Using infrared sensors, they will attempt to capture some of the secret wildlife activity that takes place overnight when humans aren’t around.   
• Discover biology – Based in the UEA biology labs, students will investigate an area of biology expected to link to microbiology and molecular biology. 
• The amazing world of plants – You might be surprised to learn that plants have an immune system. Students will get an insight into the fascinating area of molecular plant pathology whilst carrying out experiments to test the immunity of plants and discover how try to avoid and fight infection. 
• Computational biology – Using hands-on techniques, students will initially look at how proteins are formed, their structure and an aspect of their role in digestion. Each student will then carryout a computational biology analysis of a selected protein using specific software.