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

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.

Every autumn term we give a lecture for schools. Details of our 2018 lecture can be found below:

Monday 29th October 2018, 6.00-7.00 PM.

Professor Hal Sosabowski is a Royal Holloway alumnus twice over, B.Sc. Chemistry 1984-1987 and PhD in Chemistry 1987-1991.

He is well known for his Bigger Bang! show which he takes around the world notably to Europe, Russia and the Middle East. He is also the only person to have caused explosions in Parliament (with permission), and unlike Guido Fawkes, Professor Hal’s explosions did work.  

The Bigger Bang show is an exhibition science event with learning outcomes all the way. Recently back from Moscow Hal and his team will be bringing their unique brand of high end exhibition chemistry to the Royal Holloway to honour the memory of his mentor, Professor Jack Pridham. With demonstrations such as the Phosphorus Sun, the Belousov-Zhabotinski Reaction, the Helium/SF6 choir, the Exploding Bottle, Barking Dogs and Fun with Liquid Oxygen, not to mention Cryogenic Capers with Liquid Nitrogen – a must for the discerning chemist and science connoisseur.

Professor Hal is Professor of Public Understanding of Science at the University of Brighton and contributes regularly to national and international science events as well as national TV. He has worked with Professor Brian Cox, Professor Lord Robert Winston, Jamie Oliver, and Professor Jim Al-Khalili.  Most recently he was involved with the twice-BAFTA-winning CBBC series Operation Ouch!

To book, please click here.

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.

• You think you're stressed? Try being a plant!
• The secret life of your colourful aquarium fishes
• Manipulation of RNA splicing to correct disease mutations
• Birds blind to the danger of windfarms: How green is green energy?

We organise frequent visits to local schools and museums to talk about our work. We also welcome visiting groups to our department.

Suggested talks:

Suggested topics:

To find out more email our outreach officer, Dr James McEvoy