A group of international undergraduates from the Pembroke-Kings Summer School visited the Sainsbury Laboratory to take part in a computational biology workshop run by Henrik Jönsson and members of his group. Even though most of the participants were not reading biological or computer science, they cheerfully took on the challenge of spending the afternoon learning about modeling plant growth using computers.
The group represented several institutions (Harvard, University of Hong Kong, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania), and it is hoped the visit not only added to their experience of cutting edge scientific research, but helped to emphasise the importance of plant sciences to an international undergraduate audience. In addition, their feedback as highly committed undergraduates not reading biological/computer sciences was especially valuable in helping the Lab to adapt an existing talk/practical for new, non-specialist, audiences. In future, it is hoped this exercise can be further adapted to suit teenagers and general adult audiences.