News

A-level students from across the UK were challenged to understand new scientific concepts and techniques, assess raw data from real experiments and formulate hypotheses during a visit to SLCU.  The workshop took the visitors through a two stage process: looking at some ways in which plant growth and temperature appear to be interrelated, and then g…

Ottoline Leyser elected to the Leopoldina, Germany's National Academy of SciencesProfessor Ottoline Leyser has been elected to the Leopoldina, Germany’s National Academy of Sciences. The Leopoldina is one of the world’s oldest scientific societies, founded in 1652. Leopoldina selects outstanding scientists to become members (over a quarter of whom …

We are pleased to announce that two new professorial posts have been filled at the Sainsbury Laboratory. The professorships were created as part of the Sainsbury Laboratory’s ongoing drive to recruit world class research leaders to the laboratory.  Professor Yrjo Helariutta will join the laboratory from the University of Helsinki in Finland.  His g…

Top UK Biology Teacher spends the day at SLCUThe winner of the Society of Biology’s ‘School Biology Teacher of the Year’ visited the Sainsbury Laboratory and University Herbarium as part of her prize.Biology teacher Catherine Russell, from Altrincham Girls’ Grammar School in Manchester, was nominated for the award by her pupils in recognition of he…

Spring outreach at SLCUResearchers at SLCU have had a busy spring participating in several public engagement events aimed at future plant scientists and the general public.SLCU’s researchers are developing an increasing range of activities for all ages. During the Science Festival and Festival of Plants, thousands of members of the public were chal…

M.S. Swaminathan will give a talk at SLCU on the critical role plant science plays in tackling the challenge of world hunger. A plant geneticist by training, Professor Swaminathan’s is widely celebrated for his leadership of India’s Green Revolution, especially over his tenure as Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (1972…

On Friday 16 May at 16:00, SLCU will host a debate in Cambridge on the potential of GM crops in agriculture in developing countries.Our understanding of plant biology is rapidly increasing. We have made significant progress in analysing important agronomic properties such as disease resistance and drought tolerance. This knowledge can be applied in…

SLCU aims to inspire the next generation of plant scientists.SLCU was pleased to host participants in the Admissions Office’s Realise programme for an afternoon of activities. Dressed in lab coats and using research equipment, children and their adult companions set up and ran an experiment using plant infiltration, a technique used by researchers …

Dr Sebastian Schornack will give a talk exploring the dynamic relationship between plants and microbes. As part of the Cambridge Science Festival, Dr Sebastian Schornack will give a talk exploring the dynamic relationship between plants and microbes.  Plants an microbes can be best friends or deadly enemies.  How did these relationships evolve, ho…

Branching out: From model plants to coppiced trees Researchers from the Sainsbury Laboratory and Rothamsted Research, funded by the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative, have discovered a gene that contributes to the coppicing response of willows.Willows (Salix spp.) are of commercial importance as they provide renewable and sustainable biomass for bioene…

Dr Siobhan Braybrook has written an entry for the GARNet community blog, explaining the value of pure science research.'You don’t need to know exactly where you are going in order to end up somewhere cool; you can explore things for the sake of knowledge which gives a lot of freedom; and sometimes you find out unexpected things that end up having m…

Please note this event is now fully booked.Any enquiries regarding tickets should be addressed to the Open Cambridge team:Email: opencambridge@admin.cam.ac.uk Call: 01223 766766The Sainsbury Laboratory is participating in Open Cambridge on Saturday 14 September. Free tours will be given of the award-winning Lab by architects from Stanton Williams a…

The Sainsbury Laboratory joined plant breeding organisations, horticulturalists and other plant experts in the 'Festival of Plants' at the Cambridge Botanic Garden. Researchers from SLCU participatef in a range of events and exhibits timetabled throughout the day, including pop-up plant science demonstrations, short talks about their research and a…

A group of 30 A-level pupils spent an afternoon at the Sainsbury Laboratory as part of their participation in Newnham College’s ‘Women in Science’ residential course. The girls were given a challenging task by academic visitor Alexis Peaucelle, and rose to the occasion magnificently. They were given seedlings from various lines of Arabidopsis plant…

Plants are “masters of biochemistry”. This was one of the conclusions reached by the 30 teenagers who visited the Sainsbury Laboratory for a morning of science challenges. Working in collaboration with Science and Plants for Schools, the Sainsbury Laboratory hosted the event as part of a week-long programme run by the Sutton Trust, designed to give…