It is one thing to think the course you offer is excellent.  It is entirely another to know this for a fact.

The courses we design and deliver have always had our students and their future at the heart.  We work with employers and industry experts to ensure that what we deliver is relevant, of high quality, and will give our students the edge when they graduate.  We believe in our courses, we believe in their quality and we believe that they will provide the biological scientists of the future (that could be you!) with the professional training that they need to become highly successful scientists.  But it is not enough to believe it – we want to prove it.

Previously, we have put ourselves through the rigorous process of degree accreditation by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) – and we have been successful.  A real measure of the quality of the programmes that we offer.  But this is not a badge you get once and can keep forever, oh no, this badge is earned, and you must continue to earn the right to display it proudly.

It was a cold morning in November when we were prepared to showcase our programmes to an expert panel from the RSB.  Ready demonstrate why our Awards deserve to keep the accolade ‘accredited by the RSB’.  Luckily, due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, no one had to actually face the cold!  We all sat in our own living rooms or at kitchen tables ready to discuss and explain what we do for our students.  Some of our current undergraduate students also met with the panel – the accreditation team want to make sure what we say is backed up by student experience.  The event took the whole day, our programme was scrutinised and we were questioned about all that we do.  As the day drew to a close, we felt that things had gone well, but we didn’t know until the final report came in….

Now we celebrate – the RSB has re-accredited all of our courses!  And not only did we get reaccredited but we were also commended for some of the specific points of our programme; 

• The incorporation of global issues within teaching which ensures students have a global awareness of their field of study.
• The implementation of cross level working and interaction (through Global Challenges) which enables students to have a real experience of team working which is highly desired by employers.
• The active involvement, alongside the academics, of a highly skilled and experienced technical team in the teaching of undergraduate students.
• That all students have the opportunity to undertake a lab-based research project as their capstone experience.
• That all students undertake a compulsory work placement gaining valuable employability skills that will support their future careers.
• That all students participate in the GradEx exhibition giving an opportunity to highlight their capstone experience to potential employers.

We are proud, we are happy, and we know our courses are excellent – and they are all accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.

A blog written by Paul Orsmond – Senior lecturer (Tef) in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Most research carried out into learning in higher education (HE) is within the context of teaching, and a tutor-designed curriculum. Here the research is driven by questions such as ‘what sort of learning do we want’? Such research helps address higher education metrics, such as academic performance indicators that track and provide a measure of performances and achievement. Metrics are now strongly ingrained into higher education that it is understandable why student acquired learning is recognised as the only learning of worth taking place in higher education. Of course, it isn’t.

Our research explores the rich everyday learning that students naturally engage in with their peers within university, but outside the tutor curriculum. Such learning can be extended, encompassing student learning arising from engagement with family and friends. This participatory learning addresses questions about ‘what learning do we have now’?

A lack of awareness of this ‘other’ learning taking place in higher education presents a problem. At present there is a disparity between employer expectations and employee qualifications. Quite rightly HE invests in preparing students for the workplace. But there is gap in this preparation and it is one that our research well illustrates.

Written by Dr Sarah Williams – course Leader for Biomedical Science 

I should be clear from the start, I’m loose with my term biologist.  I am a true believer in the concept of ‘One Biology’ so whether your biology is more towards the biomedical or more aligned with the ecological (or maybe you don’t even know yet?) – I still mean YOU. 

What a situation we find ourselves in, sitting at home doing what we can to maintain a normal work life, a normal family life, a normal social life – even though we all know none of this is normal (so we are really aiming for the impossible there) and we are all hoping that this comes to an end sooner rather than later.  But there are some positives – I see biologists everywhere.  They are providing advice to the government, they are modelling the outbreak, they are working towards a vaccine, they are designing new laboratory tests and implementing them in our hospitals (big shout out here to the NHS Healthcare Scientists – another amazing set of biologists).  They are on our TVs and our radios, they are talking to the general public, they are calm and they are collected, and I feel lucky to be one.   

I am a biologist of many labels – a human biologist, an immunologist, a clinical immunologist, a senior lecturer in biomedical science.  Those names represent an amazing journey of biology that has taken me to different ends of the country, in research labs, hospital labs, lecture theatres – and most recently my attic office.   

People often ask – what does a biologist do?  Look around you, at the moment they are difficult to miss.  However, to use a well-known adage ‘this too shall pass’ and then what?  Well, then the Biologists will move on to the all of the roles they were quietly performing before COVID19 changed all of our lives.  The Healthcare Scientists will go back behind the pathology doors, quietly processing all of our biological samples (being a part of 80 % of  diagnosis).  Research Scientists will continue to strive for answers, to tackle the World’s biggest problems.  They will push for a more sustainable future, they will work to understand disease, to enhance biodiversity, to monitor emerging threats to health, to educate, to advise, to inform.  From where I sit, the opportunities for a biologist are somewhat endless, you just need to find the first step on your path. 

We are all biologists, and you could be too. We will help to unlock your potential and start you on your own journey. Become a Biologist with one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses.

From the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department, stay safe and stay well.

A blog written by student Max Clarkson (BSc Hons Pharmaceutical Science, Level 6)

Staffordshire University’s Biological Sciences students have just returned from one of Turkey’s largest cities, Istanbul – a city that embodies the country’s complex history and rich culture. In addition to the many tourist attractions within Istanbul (including the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and Roman architecture), the city demonstrates well developed systems for healthcare and scientific research. Staffordshire University’s students visited Istinye University, a diverse institution, conducting research into complex topics such as artificial intelligence, stem cell technology, and virology.

Upon arrival to Istinye University (after a scenic, and luckily rather straightforward tram ride) we received a warm welcome from Asst. Prof. Zehra Aydin and her colleges who were very eager to show us around the University’s Topkapi campus.

To begin the tour, we were introduced to Istinye’s Artificial Intelligence laboratory and were surprised at the many applications of machine learning within the biological industry. Staffordshire University students were very excited to discuss the potential use of artificial intelligence in their own future projects – hopefully in collaboration with Istinye!

Students were also given the opportunity to visit various other facilities within Istinye, including: the tissue typing laboratory, the molecular biology laboratory, the cancer research laboratory, the CRISPR and gene editing laboratory and the infectious agent research laboratory. The investment and passion demonstrated towards the resolution of some of the biggest issues we face in the 21^st century is enormous – we were quite envious of Istinye’s high-tech equipment!

The next day, Staffordshire students were welcomed behind the scenes of Istinye University Liv Hospital Bahçeşehir and Liv Hospital Ulus. We were very impressed with the relaxed environment and quality of care provided within each hospital – some students were even able to witness this first-hand during a live brain surgery! A surreal representation of what we can achieve together as scientists. Staffordshire students and Staffordshire University’s Dr Ahmad Haidery were also very keen to discuss the stem cell treatments being performed at Istinye University Hospital.  

We had the opportunity to show off our biological knowledge to Prof. Engin Ulukaya – the Dean of Istinye’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Level 6 Staffordshire University student Uzair presented some of his research on the bacteriophage virus; discussing the potential healthcare applications. Additionally, we had fantastic conversations with researchers at Istinye that are using nano-formulations with novel chemotherapeutics to target cancer cells.

After touring some very impressive facilities we got the opportunity to explore some of the marvels of Istanbul, and eat some great Turkish food, obviously.

The visit to Istinye University is one we will never forget, it has been the experience of a lifetime, we cannot wait to return!

During the summer break we saw the arrival of a lone, quiet, little bear at Staffordshire University’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences department. This unexpected mysterious, arrival had no name, no identification, but a lot of curiosity for all things science and eager to gain some hands on experience. Being friendly scientists, and naturally curious ourselves, we welcomed this enthusiastic Ursine (scientific name of bears) to the department. Of course, every great scientist has to start somewhere and we’re more than happy to help them on their journey no matter the species. Our motto is ‘One Biology, One World, Endless Connections’ after all!

Firstly, we needed to enrol our new researcher into the department and for that our little bear colleague needed a name. The Ursine scientist asked if we could pick a name, but picking just one name proved difficult. We decided the best thing to do would be to put the suggested names into a poll for the public to vote. After some time, the votes were counted and there was a very clear winning name. Our excitement grew as we could finally enrol our furry friend but we wanted to get permission from the person whose name we would be using a version of. We know this seems strange but bear with us it’ll all make sense soon.

A letter was written and sent in the post while we all eagerly awaited the response, which we didn’t have to wait long for!

The science bear couldn’t wait to open (although clumsily) the letter to read the good news! The sender who gave their permission you ask? Well that was none other than the brilliant Sir David Attenborough himself! The winning name was David AttenBear, which Sir David was very flattered our fuzzy friend would take a version of his name.

We can now officially introduce our newest member of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences department, David AttenBear. After getting Sir David’s letter, David AttenBear was honoured as he knew of Sir David’s integral work in conservation and inspiring the next generation of scientist all over the world across the 67 years he has worked at the BBC. Now David AttenBear is enrolled he can begin to get his paws into some work experience. Over the coming months we have some exciting opportunities for AttenBear to get involved with and we’ve asked if he can keep us up to date with some blog entries of his own. We hope David will enjoy his stay with us at Staffs and the things we have lined up for him.

Not only to gain some experience of being a scientist but also getting to live the Staffordshire University values we hold dear. Keep an eye out for the upcoming blogs by David AttenBear on his scientific journey with us and you might even bump into our beary enthusiastic friend at a school, college or event near you. Be sure to say ‘Hi!’ and take a picture with David AttenBear and tag us in it @SUBioScience on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or send an email to Victoria.McQuillan@staffs.ac.uk (Victoria’s helping David get his bearings with researcher life).

Ugochukwu Uba, Biomedical Scientist

I have had a bit of experience in laboratory work as a laboratory technician back home (Nigeria). When I arrived in UK, I started applying for medical laboratory assistant jobs but couldn’t succeed, this was because I did not have any UK experience. That is when I decided to do my studies here in UK all over again- Starting from Access to Higher Education in Science at Stoke on Trent college followed by my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at Staffordshire university. In my first year at Staffordshire University we covered modules that prepared us for professional practice of biomedical science. This helped me to get one of the few coveted placements in hospitals to earn me an applied biomedical science route. With this, I completed my professional portfolio which led to HCPC registration.

 After my studies and HCPC registration (thanks to Ian Davies), I started working as a medical laboratory assistant with agencies which gave me the opportunity to gain a bit more experience. I made a lot of applications for BMS jobs and attended a basket full of interviews, but all came back pointing out that I did not have any UK experience. After loads of perseverance, I finally got an offer to become a Biomedical scientist in Haematology and Blood Transfusion.

Reflecting on my experiences at Staffordshire University, I realised that there are challenges associated with African males in terms of acquiring a voice and breaking into fields that are typically Caucasian dominated. The university, however, has many positive initiatives and role models that attempt to bridge the gap. The fact that I was one of the few people that got the opportunity for a university driven hospital placement where I got my professional registration gives evidence to the level playground the university endeavours to give.

Ian Muusha, Embryologist

I graduated from Staffordshire University in July 2017, with an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science. During my time at Staffs, I always intended on working within the healthcare sector, whilst helping to save and change lives. As beautiful as being a Biomedical Scientist sounded, I wanted to be more, and so I worked towards becoming a clinical healthcare scientist. After Staffs Uni, I went on to complete master’s degree in Clinical Embryology and Assisted Reproductive Technology.

I have recently just finished my master’s course at Leeds, with a projected grade of a distinction. However, whilst studying, I was approached by a team of vets that had just finished setting up a brand new, state-of-the-art bovine IVF facility and wished for me to come on board as the head embryologist, I accepted! This centre is only one of two in the whole of the U.K., and I get to be at the forefront of it all with a very dedicated team. This is a great achievement to me because I have broken into a field where few members of my ethnic background have had opportunities to break into.

Even though I am currently not working in a human IVF laboratory, I am still utilising all the skills I learned from my time both at Staffordshire University and the University of Leeds. Not only this, but I get to perform sophisticated techniques such as ovum retrieval, ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and my favourite – embryo biopsy for genetic analysis. I am immensely proud to be part of the team I work with and performing IVF on cattle for both herd expansion and genetic recovery. However, one day I do hope to eventually work in a human IVF clinic, and if it was not for my varied undergraduate degree from Staffordshire University, I would not be where I am today. Not to mention the support I received from the staff which was integral to my studies at Staffs. Being a student at Staffordshire university helped me fall in love with Science all over again, but it also helped me learn the professional etiquette that the profession carries. Staffs helped me realise my dream.

Alexander Makanga, Senior Biomedical Scientist (Betsi Cadwaladr University Board)

Alex Makanga is one of our illustrious alumni who finished his MSc in Molecular Biology with a merit. He was in the department of Biology and Biomedical Science in the School of Life Sciences and Education. His research project at Staffordshire University was on Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a subject that is making headlines in the field of Biomedical Science.

Alexander Makanga is now a Senior Biomedical Scientist in Imunohistrochemistry (IHC) and Special Stains working for Betsi Cadwaladr University Board (BCUHB) Histopathology Department.  He began his Biomedical Science career as a trainee BMS at Sheffield teaching hospital (Royal Hallamshire) and later went to work for Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (Regional Neuropathology Service), followed by North West Wales NHS Trust (NWWT) and Wales Cancer Bank now BCUHB. During his time with NWWT/BCUHB, Alex was involved in the amalgamation of histopathology service across the North Wales region.  He currently participates in research and the lecturing of biomedical science students at University of Bangor.  His main research interest is Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.   The main goal is to improve efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in TNBC thereby improving patient care. Alex is passionate about molecular genetics and introduction of new immnohistochemical markers, reducing turnaround times while maintaining quality and accuracy of Immunohistochemical stains.   In addition, he actively seeks to foster environment which values learning and collaboration between institutions.