Back in 2018, SAW had the pleasure of welcoming 2nd year PhD student Shannon Woodhouse for a 3-month internship with us.
Since then, Shannon has gone on to finish her PhD (it’s Dr Shannon Woodhouse now!), spent two years managing the Food and Farming Discovery Trust, an agricultural education programme, and most recently stepped into a new role at the John Innes Centre, as Education Programme Coordinator.
It’s been a while, so we decided to catch up with her and get the lowdown on what this exciting new programme has in store.
Hi Shannon, you’ve recently started a new role at the John Innes Centre, could you tell us a little about what you’ll be doing?
Sure!
I’ve joined the Communications and Engagement team as Education Programme Coordinator. My role is all about developing and coordinating a programme of existing and new educational and engagement activities, events and opportunities for local schools.
We hope to create an offering that enriches the science curriculum with real world research examples to showcase local science and help raise career aspirations for young people.
Its sounds like a really exciting role. Can you tell us a bit more about the programme and why you chose to get involved?
The Education Programme is a new initiative that aims to bring together the wonderful engagement and outreach of the JIC, the Youth STEMM Award, the Teacher Scientist Network and, of course the SAW Trust! I’m very excited to work with SAW again.
The programme will include activities and opportunities for Primary and Secondary students and will cover themes relating to JIC research. In recent years there has been a decline in the number of students studying plant related courses and through the education programme I hope to encourage young people to consider a career in plant and microbial science.
Well, we couldn’t think of anyone better for the role!
Can you give us a little update on what you have been up since you started the position in June?
Over the summer we hosted the Year 10 Science Camp at the John Innes Centre, giving Year 10 students an opportunity to experience life in the lab and a week in a research institute.
Students had the chance to take part in science practical’s, shadow researchers and visit other institutes on the Norwich Research Park.
We also supported the Food and Farming Discovery Trust with their event, Food Security and Agriculture Unlocked at East Norfolk Sixth Form in September. Students had the chance to find out more about careers at JIC and hear from some of our scientists about their work.
And lastly, what exciting things have you got coming up that you want us to know about?
We have lots of events in the pipeline including Find my Future in November. This exciting event is for Year 8 students and showcases careers in STEM. Students have the chance to speak to STEM professionals to learn about their work and hear from lots of exciting speakers.
We are also about to open applications for the next Year 10 Science Camp at JIC.
Finally, we are planning a new STEMM Conference for Primary and Secondary School Teachers, set to be held in March 2025. The event aims to empower teachers to integrate more STEMM into their classrooms, inspiring their pupils and bringing the world of research to life in their teaching. It’ll provide the opportunity to network with STEMM professionals and there will be free lesson plans, resources and ideas to take away. I’m really excited to continue adding to, and developing, the Education Programme to offer an exciting range of opportunities for schools.
To find out more about Shannon’s role and the JIC Education Programme, you can contact her at shannon.woodhouse@jic.ac.uk
