In2STEM 2024: Grace and Sasha’s stories

Graphic showing image of the interviewees Sasha and Grace, who are In2STEM participants in the 2024 programme.

Meet Sasha and Grace, who both took part in the In2STEM programme in 2024 and completed Neuroscience placements at the University of Edinburgh. Many thanks to Dr Christina Brown and Professor Tara Spires-Jones for hosting our participants!

Why did you apply for In2STEM?

Sasha: I was recommended the programme by my biology teacher. We don’t have anything like this near where I live in Fife. I wanted to get more lab experience and gain insights into what it was like to study at university to see if it was the right choice for me. I thought the programme would give me more skills and experience in a professional setting.

Grace: I found out about the In2STEM programme through my biology teacher. After I looked into it, it was exactly what I was looking for experience-wise because there was an opportunity to specialise – other programmes I’ve come across are more broad. I liked that it was specifically Neuroscience which is what I am interested in. I wanted to gain experience in this area.

What sort of things did you do during your placement? What was your favourite part?

Sasha: We’ve been learning about Alzheimer’s disease and how it develops throughout people’s lives. We’ve been looking at genetically modified mice brains – we used a Western Blot to stain the mouse brain tissue. I was most interested in the image analysis – it was interesting to see how you could use technology to help you in the lab. I hadn’t seen technology like that before!

Grace: We’ve been working on samples of human brain and adding antibodies and fluorescence to look at the deterioration of the microglia – it is theorised that it is strongly related to Alzheimer’s disease and its symptoms. We’ve had the chance to ask our host Christina a lot of questions – we heard about her PhD – she’s worked in different places and got a range of what she’s worked on. It’s been useful to pick her brains about all the things she’s done.

Sasha: My favourite part of the placement was meeting academics and learning about what they do. My host Tara taught us that it’s not just lab work that you need to do as a scientist, there’s also things like managing budgets and going to conferences around the world, which I am interested in. In the future I would like to be a PhD student.

Grace: My favourite part was the first day of the placement was being shown mouse brain tissue. I found that really cool and it sparked my interest even more in Neuroscience. I like how we don’t know much about the brain – there’s so much still to discover.

Photograph of Sasha in the lab in a white coat during their placement

Did you find the programme useful?

Sasha: My placement has been really interesting and insightful – it’s been useful to see what university staff do in the lab and their work. We got to see lab papers that had been published which is something I hadn’t seen before my placement. It was also useful to know someone from In2STEM was there to support me; I liked the personal statement workshop in particular.

Grace: Before my placement, I had never met anyone who worked in neuroscience.  I also didn’t know about different study and career routes within neuroscience – this week has exposed me to these different kinds of paths. Now that I’ve had this experience, I feel more confident about going into the lab – it doesn’t feel as daunting.

What are you thinking about doing next? Did the programme have an impact on your plans for the future?

Sasha: The programme has taught me that there’s many different paths that you can take – there’s not one set path or career and you don’t have to stick to one career for your whole life. For example, if you study Neuroscience at university there are lots of different careers you can go into. I didn’t have a specific university course in mind before I started my placement but I feel that In2STEM has made me more certain about wanting to study a science subject at university.

Grace: I’m planning on applying for Neuroscience and Biomedical-related university courses. I’m very interested in learning more about memory and neurotransmitters. My host has given me insights into studying memory which has been really interesting.

Photograph of Grace in the lab with a pipette during their placement

Do you have any advice for someone thinking about applying for In2STEM 2025?

Sasha: Apply for it! Take all of the opportunities you can and make the most out of the placement. It’s really valuable to take part in a placement – it allows you to experience what professionals in a lab actually do and how they got to where they are.

Grace: Definitely go for it! It’s a great experience. It’s a rare chance to get the opportunity to meet academics and get an insight into working in the lab. It’s important to see if you like it or not.

Applications for our 2025 In2STEM programme are open now! Visit our page to learn more. Sasha and Grace’s placements were sponsored by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) – a special thanks to them for their support. If your organisation is interested in sponsoring a placement, find out more by visiting our supporters’ page.