This year marked the program’s third year, with visits to four international middle schools, Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES) Lund, IES Staffanstorp, Lund International School (LIS), International School of Lund (ISLK).
A group of 25 researchers, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and research staff from Lund University, spent half a day in classrooms discussing topics from stem cells and cancer to the immune system, neuroscience, and computational biology. Many of the scientists that volunteered their time, joined through the Lund Stem Cell Center Research School’s Professional Development Program (PDP) and the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) at Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine.
“We need to reach students earlier”
For Abigail, science outreach is not something extra. It is part of what it means to be a researcher.
“Scientific outreach is often undervalued or underprioritized. But sharing what we do is one of the core pillars of science,” highlights Abigail Altman, a doctoral student in the Cell Reprogramming in Hematopoiesis and Immunity Research Group.
“Many outreach programs mainly target people already interested in science. There is a gap when it comes to reaching those who aren’t, but who still deserve to understand what science is and how it affects their lives.”
When Abigail first arrived as a doctoral student, she noticed that existing outreach activities mainly targeted students who had a clear interest in science, such as the annual UniStem Day hosted by Lund Stem Cell Center. UniStem Day, is an outreach event that brings high-school students to the university for a full day of hands-on activities centered around stem cell science and regenerative medicine research.
“These students are enrolled in high-school science programs. They are already interested in science,” Abigail says. “To reach someone who hasn’t yet connected with science, you need to meet them earlier, before they choose their high-school tracks.”
She brought the idea to Associate Professor Nicholas Leigh, a Principal Investigator at both Lund Stem Cell Center and WCMM. Together, they organized the first middle-school visit in 2023. Four doctoral students from WCMM, Ines Caiado, Nika Gvazava, Chimezie Umeano, and Emma Gustaffson, joined Abigail and Nicholas for that first pilot at IES Staffanstorp.
The following year, the program expanded to include three middle-schools when Abigail proposed including the initiative as part of the Lund Stem Cell Center’s Research School for Stem Cell Biology’s professional development activities.
The idea resonated with the current cohort of students in PDP program. Soon, 13 doctoral students in the program, along with additional volunteers from across the Center, signed up to take part.
The group reflects a range of backgrounds, languages, cultures, career stages, and research areas – something the organizers consider essential.
“Representation matters. If a student sees someone who looks like them working in science, they are more likely to imagine themselves in that role too,” notes Abigail.
Curious questions, creative teaching
Working with middle-school students is different from speaking to university visitors or high-school groups. And for Abigail, that is the best part.
“Students this age, 12 and 13 years old, are curious in a very open way,” she states. “They’re not worried about asking the ‘wrong’ question or impressing their peers yet. Some questions are wild, some are thoughtful, and some are completely unexpected. But all of them show that they are curious and trying to make sense of what we study.”
One student surprised her with a memorable question during a presentation on cancer-and-immunity: “If my friend dies of cancer and I eat them; will I get cancer?”
“These moments highlight the challenge, and joy, of explaining science in a way that is both accurate and accessible, without discouraging their curiosity,” she notes. “Personally, I think it is really fun to see how researchers choose to present their research and break their science down into topics that these young students can relate to. Seeing the students then grasp these concepts is also very rewarding.”
Soon coming to a school near you
Plans are already underway to continue the program in Autumn 2026, with hopes to expand the number of participating schools to include Swedish-speaking schools, and more schools outside of Lund. To do that, the program will need more volunteers, especially Swedish-speaking scientists.
“We have built great relationships with the schools we have visited. We want to keep that going and involve more researchers, and potentially, more strategic research areas across Lund University.”
As Abigail approaches the final stages of her PhD, she is also looking for someone who can help carry the program forward and continue building on the strong foundation she and her colleagues have created.
