What would you become?

What would you become? is a new series of activities designed to guide curious young minds as they imagine what their future career paths could look like.

Produced by researchers with public engagement funding from the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, the first activity explores some of the various roles that are vital for the day-to-day running of a research institute. It considers the skills and interests often associated with them, with an overarching goal of breaking stereotypes associated with working in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine - and at the University of Cambridge.

Dr Nicola Wilson proposed the original concept and co-created the activities with young people from Cambourne Cresent Islamic School and Monkfield Park Primary School alongside illustrator Tess Duffin.

Using this as a platform to foster relationships with the local community and to learn first-hand how young people felt this resource could benefit them, a group of students from Cambourne Crescent Islamic School were invited to spend a morning at our Institute, visiting the labs and meeting researchers, technicians, bioinformaticians and the public engagement team.

During a creative workshop, the young people were asked to brainstorm and illustrate what they remembered from the tour, the objects and people they had encountered and to consider what a day in a research institute looked like. This lab visit allowed Tess to use what the young people were interested in and inspired by to illustrate the activity.

Upon development of a prototype, a team of our researchers set about testing the activity with more young people from Cambourne Cresent Islamic School as well as Monkfield Park Primary School.

With several rounds of constructive criticism and insightful feedback from the young people, the first installment of 'What would you become?' challenges participants to think outside the box of stereotypes associated with science and use their skills and interests to create their own laboratory, where they can have whoever they imagine in their team and can be extraordinary in whatever interests them.

You can download the activity to print at home and watch this space as we expand the range and delve into more exciting roles and careers all contributing to the running of a research institute!

You can also request a printed copy by post by emailing engage@stemcells.cam.ac.uk.