We host a series of year-round events, talks and activities for students considering studying Biological Sciences at university.
Schools’ Biodiversity Project
Undergraduates from our Biological Sciences department have been helping local schools to make the most of their green spaces by monitoring and fostering local wildlife.
The Schools’ Biodiversity Project helps schools to learn about the surrounding wildlife, from beetles to birds, as well as create places for them to live. This includes introducing light boxes to monitor moths, pond dipping and setting camera traps. When needed, students are paired with trained undergraduates to help run curriculum-based projects.
Find out more about our Schools’ Biodiversity Project
Rare Disease Day
We’re a leading institution in the development of novel therapies for rare diseases. Our Rare Disease Day - running alongside the international event - is an opportunity for sixth form students to attend lectures and get hands-on experience in our lab practicals.
Click here to watch last year's Rare Disease Day talks.
Click here to find out more about Rare Disease Day.
Spotlight on Science series
A Level resources
Our academics have created short films based on their research, to give A level teachers valuable classroom resources, including learning outcomes and discussion points to raise and engage with their students.
Visits and talks
We organise frequent visits to local schools and museums to talk about our work. We also welcome visiting groups to our department.
Suggested talks:
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Understanding the brain and its role in memory formation |
Dr Philip Chen |
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A Zoologist in Tasmania |
Professor Dave Morritt |
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TB or not TB: Diagnosing a deadly disease |
Dr Shobana Dissanayeke |
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Chloroplasts, the (green) stuff of life |
Dr Enrique Lopez |
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The origin of our crops: 10,000 years of genetic engineering |
Dr Enrique Lopez |
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Where’s the buzz? Bumblebee decline and conservation |
Professor Mark Brown |
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Urban bees: life in the city for the UK’s threatened pollinators |
Dr Elli Leadbeater |
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Antibiotic resistance, past, present and future |
Dr James McEvoy |
Suggested topics:
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Chinese mitten crabs/ invasive species |
Professor Dave Morritt |
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General marine biology/ life on the shore |
Professor Dave Morritt |
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Plastic pollution (either generally or in the River Thames) |
Professor Dave Morritt |
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Beetle species– linked with conservation and biochemistry |
Dr Deborah Harvey |
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Boosting biodiversity in your own school grounds |
Dr Deborah Harvey |
To find out more email our outreach officer, Prof Lazlo Bogre
Resources for students
We have prepared a range of videos and resources for students that are applicable to several year groups.
Dr James McEvoy’s presentation looks at infectious disease through the lens of surgical infections. It describes the history of the problem, our modern success in reducing it, and the problems posed by antibiotic resistance. It ends with some questions for you to go away and think about.
For further reading, the video links well with our paper Titanium Kirschner Wires Resist Biofilms Better Than Stainless Steel and Hydroxyapatite-coated Wires: An In Vitro Study which was recently published in collaboration
Dr Walter Lucchesi welcomes you all while he explains the content of his course on Immunology and Infection. This second-year course is student centred and is based on active learning; with every lecture followed by the analysis of clinical case studies and relative assessment.
You will learn to integrate complex material and to focus on processes rather than facts.
A great guide on how to brush up on your field techniques in your garden or outside space. You don’t need any state-of-the-art equipment – just enthusiasm!
To coincide with British Science Week (6-15 March 2020), Royal Holloway has launched a free, four-week online course; Understanding Biological Energy - on the leading social learning platform, FutureLearn.com.
A new research paper by Professor Gerhard Leubner and Dr Jake Chandler from the Department of Biological Sciences shows that seeds can grow in space. Check out this interview about Rocket Science featuring Tim Peake and Dr Jake Chandler to find out more.
Finally, even if at home, students can take part in this years BioBlitz! Spend an hour or two searching for plants and animals in your garden or safe space and record your findings on the free app – it’s great fun!
Annual Jack Pridham Lecture
Covid-19 pandemic impact on child health by Dr Liz Whittaker
Dr Liz Whittaker, an expert in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology at Imperial College, delivered our annual Jack Pridham Lecture in October 2020 on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on child health.
Watch this fascinating and informative talk on our YouTube channel
Queen's Green Canopy
The Queens Green Canopy is a unique tree-planting initiative to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Groups across the UK will be encouraged to enhance our environment by planting trees from October. Schools can get involved and are provided with free trees to plant via the Woodland’s trust.
To celebrate this unique scheme Royal Holloway, University of London, will be delivering activities designed to engage pupils with trees in their grounds and ecosystems. Dr Deborah Harvey (Lecturer, Biological Department and leader of the Schools Biodiversity Project) will deliver sessions in school or on-campus with interactive, outdoor activities exploring areas within the KS4 & KS5 biology curriculum.
Activities can include
| Activity | Brief Description | Curriculum Link |
| Tree identification survey | Multi-session with surveys carried out in autumn repeated in spring/ summer | Identification |
| Leaf miners and galls | Identifying leaves affected by leaf miners and galls and the larval stages and mine patterns | Predation, parasitism adaptations, surveying techniques, statistical analysis, data presentation |
| Lichens | Species present distribution on trees links to pollution, sun screening effect | Symbiosis, photosynthesis, adaptations to environment, chromatography |
| Wet holes | Exploring wet holes in trees as a habitat | Identification, trophic levels, adaptations to the environment |
| Decomposers | Exploring the fungi structure and structure and associated species | Nutrient recyclers, carbon and nitrogen cycling, food chains, global warming, fruiting times |
| Leaf litter | Examining for invertebrates |
Identification of invertebrates, food chains, classification |
Additionally, activities are available depending on the locations habitats.
This is an excellent opportunity to bring Biology to life. Sessions can be delivered as a 1-off session or repeated to include long-term research and analysis. Suitable for students in Y10-Y13.
To discuss activities available and to book a visit, please get in touch with D.Harvey@rhul.ac.uk
