Year 8 UCLan Trip – October 2024

In October 2024, a group of Year 8 students were delighted to go on a trip to UCLan to discover more about Science.

They had a fabulous time and you can read more about their thoughts and about the exciting experiences below, along with a selection of photographs too.

Student Responses

• How would you rate the trip out of 10? AVERAGE = 8.97
• Do you feel like you have learned something new? 100% said yes
• Have you spoken to a new friend today? 57% said yes
• Would you recommend the UCLan trip to next year’s year 8 cohort? 100% said yes
• Has this trip encouraged you to go to university? 17% said yes,13% said no, 70% said I already wanted to go

Describe as fully as you can what we have done on the trip:

• We did a forensics science investigation of a murder that happened in Manchester and used lots of different techniques
• We investigated a fake crime scene, testing DNA and using special equipment
• We investigated a fake crime scene, using scientific methods to solve who did the murder
• On the trip we entered UCLan and went into their lab and were told the details about a murder and did a series of practicals
• Investigate a fictitious murder case and try to discover the culprit
• We have solved a murder cause by using science
• Investigated a fictional murder with gel-electrophoresis
• We have learned about the importance of forensic science and how to use it in different fields in the future. We have mixed chemicals and used something called gel electrophoresis which we poured chemicals through to find DNA matches
• We investigated a murder of a person and there were 2 suspects. we used real techniques to investigate who murdered the victim
• When we got to the University we had all the safety info explained to us and we had to investigate a fictional murder using techniques that real forensic investigators would have used
• We have learned about the basics of forensics and how we can use them in investigations
• We learnt about forensics and how it can help with discovering how forensics can help with investigating crime scenes and finding out different things that have a relation to/with DNA
• On the trip, we learnt about forensic sciences and investigated a murder by using gel electrophoresis and other detective techniques
• We have done forensic science at UCLan where we solved a fictitious murder. We used gel electrophoresis and DNA to find links between the suspects, the victim and the glass. We also analysed the hair and fabric of the victim and suspects
• We have learned a few ways how forensic scientists do on a daily basis. Trying to help families, friends and loved ones on what happened to the people they know and love
• We arrived there and started by practicing using the automatic pipette, we then made our gel electrophoresis. This helped us to see whose DNA had been transferred to the glasses. Our mission was to find out who had murdered the victim, suspect 1 or suspect 2
• On the trip, we learned how to use a precise pipette that could extract liquids to a microlitre, we made a gel to use for gel electrophoresis, we used a centrifuge to mix DNA samples with enzymes, we pipetted the DNA samples into the gel to activate it
• On the trip, I went in the forensic science labs to do investigations
• We were looking at a murder. The first suspect was her best friend the second suspect was her boss who has had some arguments in the past. They went out for a couple of drinks and one of them put poison in the the victims drink so we looked at all their DNA
• On this trip, we went to UClan , and solved a fake murder using forensics techniques such as gel electrophoresis
• Investigated a fictional murder using microscopes to look at fibres and using gel electrophoresis
• We explored a murder scene, one victim, two suspects, who did it? We found their DNA, checked their clothes to see if any of the subjects has had contact with the victim to find any links. We saw DNA using a method called gel electrophoresis
• We arrived at the place and started to learn about DNA and made gel electrophoresis and pored samples of the 2 unknown and 2 suspects along with the victims DNA and then looked at their hair
• We went on a coach to get to UCLan, then we went inside and talked. We were then invited into the main science lab where we talked about the crime scene and forensic science. We then formed our gel and did various other activities to help further
• We learnt about forensics and how to look at DNA and fibres
• We did gel electrophoresis when we arrived
• At forensic science at UCLAN we did one big investigation using a lot of different equipment to find out a murder

What is your favourite element of the trip (not the coach or lunch!):

• The practical stuff (including the microscopes
• All of it!
• My favourite part was the practicals
• I like using the pipette to mix different chemicals
• Using the microscope
• Looking in a microscope and seeing fibre
• Learning about gel electeophresis
• My favourite element of the trip was using microscopes to look at hairs and fibres
• I really enjoyed using the super pipette
• The gel making
• Using the electronic pipette
• Seeing the results for the first time
• My favourite part was the experiments!
• Experiencing university
• I liked investigating the murder
• Using the microscopes
• Being able to understand the process forensic scientists go through to uncover and extract details about situations
• Looking at things through a microscope
• I liked using the microscopes
• Liked looking at the murders
• Doing gel electrophoresis
• How funny and entertaining the staff who helped us out at UCLan were
• Using the microscopes to see the fibres and hair strands
• The double helix has a negative charge
• Using the microscopes
• Bananas have 50% of our DNA
• The DNA process
• Creating the gel bases
• Gel electrophoresis
• Using the microscopes