Schools Open Day 2026

19 April 2026

The MRC CoRE RND was delighted to host groups from state-funded schools from around Oxford at our Schools Open Day, held on 19th March.

MRC CoRE staff and students welcomed pupils and teachers as they visited to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and medical research at the Unit. The Open Day started with a showing of “The Symphony of the Brain” video to familiarise visitors with our research. Early-career researchers then talked about their experiences of working in STEM, highlighting their diverse educational backgrounds and career paths that led them to work here. This was followed by an interactive discussion of the use of animals in research. After that, the pupils rotated in small groups through different hands-on activities led by more of the early-career researchers. Special emphasis was placed on giving pupils the opportunity to see real working instruments and laboratories for themselves. Engagement activities were coordinated around 4 ‘knowledge stations’, at which pupils could learn about some of our key research themes, including: the activity and structure of the brain in health and disease; human brain stimulation; computer modelling of brain function; and brain-machine interfaces. The visit ended with a wrap-up session capturing feedback.

the pupils look down three microscopes
Visiting pupils get to see a working histology lab, and follow the workflow for brain tissue from an intact brain, through sectioning and immunolabelling, to mounting on slides.
a researcher stands in front of a diargam, explaining
Dr Nima Mirkhani discusses student’s strategies they developed to get a ‘high score’ in a game designed to explain deep brain stimulation optimisation to disrupt excessively synchronised neural activity.
a research shows a transmission electron microscope to visiting pupils
Dr Natalie Doig (left) answers questions from pupils as they get a chance to explore the smallest structures of brain cells for themselves, using our transmission electron microscope.
a researcher (seated) undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation, directed by a pupil holding the stimulation coil over their head
Dr Camille Lasbareilles guides a pupil to the right part of her motor cortex for hand control. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, Camille’s hand twitches when the stimulator is correctly placed.
a research shows images on a computer monitor, next to a laser scanning confocal microscope, as pupils observe
Jennifer Blackmore explains to pupils and their teacher how our laser scanning confocal microscope allows us to see the coloured labels we have applied to parts of brain cells- through transgenic markers, or antibody labelling.
a researcher wearing an EEG talks to the pupils
Dr Fernando Rodriguez Plazas explains EEG brain recording- with a live readout from his own EEG is shown on the display behind him.