One hundred and sixty students from state and independent schools as far afield as Reading, Cheltenham and Exeter joined students from the Red Maids’ School on May 16 for a diverse range of workshops focusing on how the brain works, the nuts and bolts of orthopaedic surgery, midwifery, studies in joint development using Zebra fish, and how biological research can make a difference in improving human health.
The conference, which was sponsored by the Bristol office of accountancy and investment management group, Smith & Williamson, and Swansea University, featured keynote speeches from Southmead Hospital-based intensive care consultant Dr Karine Zander, Bristol University research fellow and plant biologist Dr Heather Whitney, and consultant anaesthetist and admissions tutor for Bristol Medical School Dr Ed Morris.
Kate Fleming, director of Sixth Form at the Red Maids’, said: “This conference aimed to give girls an insight into a range of exciting opportunities that could help them to forge careers in fields where women are still under-represented.
“Both medicine and biological sciences are popular choicesat university with many Red Maids’ students and we are sharing the access our students have to notable speakers and experts in order to help other students to make informed decisions about their futures.”
Students from schools across Bristol and the wider region attended the conference, an annual event aimed at girls in year 10.
