Photo opportunity: 12.40 pm, Tuesday, 17 December, Lecture Theatre, Medical Sciences Institute, University of Dundee
More than 450 secondary school pupils from Perth and Kinross, Angus and Dundee will descend upon the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee this week for the annual Higher Biology Conference.
Dr Steve Millam from the Scottish Crop Research Institute will highlight the strategies used to improve the nutritional and health properties of existing crops which can be greatly facilitated by plant biotechnology, including the production of anti-cancer drugs in tobacco. He will explain how a large number of lesser known plant species that contain natural products can be exploited as sources of novel pharmaceuticals, for instance the common garden plant "Honesty" contains an oil that has potential for treating Multiple Sclerosis.
The pupils from schools will also hear a number of short talks, including the first hand experiences of Dr John Riley, Dundee's "Crocodile Dundee", during his visits to the Congo Basin to study the dwarf crocodile. Dr Will Whitfield will also explain how scientists within the School are discovering how living organisms work by using a fluorescent jellyfish gene to study cell division and development.
The aim of the conference is to increase the awareness of recent exciting developments in life sciences and the breadth of career opportunities that the biosciences have to offer. It also provides the pupils who will be sitting their mock higher examinations in January, with unique opportunity to experience University life at first hand.
Contact Professor Rod Herbert 01382 344262
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk