Researchers meet school students through the new initiative Forskarsnack

Researchers at the Department of Life Sciences welcome schoolchildren to a new initiative designed to spark curiosity and interest in research. Before the visit, they receive preparatory material. During the visit, they meet researchers, ask questions and tour the laboratories.

"Why are you researching bark?" asks a curious group of fourth-graders from Brottkärrsskolan who have come to Chalmers to meet Professor Johan Larsbrink. Johan conducts research to improve our understanding of how complex biomass decomposes, particularly plant biomass. Bark is one such material and is often considered a residual product that is not used after it has been removed from the wood.

"We are researching how bark is broken down and what happens during that process, which can take a very long time," says Johan.

Launch of Forskarsnack

The visit is a test run of the new concept that the department is developing. It takes place in Fysiklek in the Physics Building – a room designed to host school visits and arouse curiosity. In addition to a lecture hall, there are also hands-on experiments to try, which means that the visit offers learning opportunities in several different ways.

"We want to help make knowledge more accessible, inspire the children and give them a unique insight into what it is like to be a researcher. They should feel that they can ask all their questions," says Marie Palmnäs, who is one of the organisers.

"The idea is that we will be able to offer this regularly, with different researchers, and it is part of our work with utilisation," Marie continues.

Reaching out to schools

The research in the department includes both basic and applied research in life science, areas that often generate great interest among the general public and schools. In 2024, a focus group was established to further strengthen the activities aimed at the schools. Marie Palmnäs is in this group together with Vijay Raghavendran and Maggie Holme. The group was initiated by Ingrid Undeland, Vice Head of Department for Utilisation, as a step towards strengthening collaboration with schools at LIFE. In addition to the new Forskarsnack initative, many other activities have been organised, for example during the Gothenburg Science Festival, where lower secondary school students learned more about topics such as lipids and cell membranes, and during the recurring event Experience Technology in connection with Save the Egg.

"We hear a lot about how reading is declining in schools and that children need to strengthen their reading skills. Therefore, we also want to combine these activities with educational material that pupils can engage with before their visit," says Vijay Raghavendran.

Before the visit for Forskarsnack, the class receives background material and information about the topic, as well as some simple tasks, such as identifying new words and formulating questions for the researchers.

Curious questions about current research

The students from Brottkärrskolan were more than ready when they met Johan and the two doctoral students David Sandberg and Linus Storm. Everyone brought their questions and the researchers explained their research in a simple and inspiring way, including why bark is still a relatively unexplored area and how the research is conducted in practice. Johan also spoke about the discovery of a completely new and previously unknown bacterium that the research group had the opportunity to provide a name for it.

After a Q&A session and an introduction to the subject, the students had the opportunity to examine bark in different stages of decomposition, and they also studied the material under a microscope.

Finally, the group toured the Division of Industrial Biotechnology. Here they learned more about which instruments are used in the laboratory, how the samples are stored in large refrigerators and they also met researchers working in the laboratories.