Inspiring Scientists at CIMR/MBU (ISAC/M)
We had a fantastic week with this year's cohort of students - watch this space for information about next year's programme
What does the programme involve?
ISAC/M aims to open the world of university scientific research and inspire students who are curious about science and research as a future career. It is designed for students who may be put off applying to Cambridge or other universities because of reduced opportunities or perceived barriers, where those factors may be much more limiting than their actual potential and abilities.
During the week, students will:
- Spend time in a research lab at either CIMR or MBU, ‘shadow’ researchers, learn about how research is carried out including the importance of technology, and run experiments in a lab
- Prepare and deliver a short presentation about the experiment they ran
- Attend interactive seminars to help develop scientific knowledge and skills
- Attend guided tours and demonstrations of scientific core facilities and see some of the different technologies used such as cutting-edge microscopes
- Spend an interactive day run in partnership with a Cambridge college, with workshops on how to apply to Cambridge and other universities
- Network with other placement students, admissions staff, postgraduate students, and scientists as well as attend optional mentoring slots about studying and working in research
Who is eligible?
Unfortunately, with limited time, capacity and budget, there are only a small number of places available for ISAC/M, and because it is a widening participation initiative, these places will be allocated based on how many specific criteria are met by applicants.
You must fit all the following criteria in order for your application to be considered:
- You must be attending a state-funded school
- You must be in year 12 and 16+ years of age
- You must be studying:
- at least two STEM subjects at A level; or
- at least two STEM subjects at higher level as part of the International Baccalaureate; or
- the level 3 National Extended Diploma in Applied Science
- You must have grade 7 or higher GCSE (or equivalent) in maths, biology and at least one other science
- You must be able to travel to Cambridge daily for the course of the programme (we will reimburse reasonable travel costs, including bus and train fares, or petrol expenses if you are driven to Cambridge, but not taxi/ Uber fares). If you do choose to stay in Cambridge overnight, unfortunately we cannot reimburse accommodation costs.
You must also fulfil at least one of the criteria in the list below. We will give preference to students who fulfil more than one, with the first two carrying the most weight:
- You are currently, or have been, in local authority care
- You are eligible for free school meals or pupil premium
- You are caring for a family member
- Your parents/ carers did not attend university
- You live in POLAR4 quintiles 1 or 2 (this is a measure of participation in higher education in the area you live, and we will deduce this from the home address you supply)
- You have experienced disruption in your education (eg through illness/ frequent moving/ significant relocation)
- Your ethnicity is under-represented at the University of Cambridge (currently this includes young people of Black African, Black Caribbean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Gypsy, Roma or Traveller origin)
Some background about CIMR and MBU
CIMR is a biomedical research institute that is part of the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge. CIMR’s mission is to determine the molecular mechanisms of disease to advance human health. We focus on translation between biological research and clinical applications. The Institute has 26 research teams studying how normal biological processes inside cells can go wrong during infections, or because of rare genetic changes. By understanding these processes and the molecules involved (particularly proteins) we aim to discover better treatments for diseases and enable better outcomes for patients.
The MRC MBU is also a department of the School of Clinical Medicine. The strategic mission of the MBU is to understand mitochondrial biology in health and disease, and to exploit this understanding to develop new therapies and improve human health. Research at the MBU aims to understand the fundamental biochemical and biological processes taking place in mitochondria, and the roles and integration of mitochondria within the cell. We aim to learn about the involvement of mitochondria and mitochondrial dysfunction in human diseases, and to exploit our understanding and knowledge to develop new therapies to treat them. There are ten Principal Investigators in the Unit, each leading an independent research group that focusses on a particular area of the Unit’s research. The Unit’s environment encourages cross-disciplinary interactions between the groups, who also collaborate extensively with other leading research groups on the local, national and international stage.