by Kaila Howard
Over this past summer, five GLCPS students traveled overseas to Scotland, to study at the University of Glasgow. They arrived in Glasgow on July 3rd and were there for a little over two weeks. In Glasgow, the students worked on STEAM-based projects, labs, and workshops, their main focus being microbiology. They used the university’s facilities to test river water for pollution and harmful bacteria, then presented their findings.
When I reached out to the students from GLCPS who attended this program, the feedback I got was very positive. Serena, from the graduating class of 2020, gave me some additional details about the type of work they were doing there. “We had the privilege to work with Dr. Sonya Taylor, who was amazing. We had water samples from the River Kelvin and Loch Lomond. We put them on various agar plates to see what each water sample contained. Our main goal was to see if the River Kelvin was polluted and if it contained viruses.” She goes on to explain that the water they sampled was, in fact, polluted. She also talked briefly about the presentations they had to give at the end of the program. She said she felt nervous and stressed about presenting, but it ended up being a rewarding experience.
© Antony McAulay - stock.adobe.com.
The group got to experience the breathtaking scenery of the Scottish highlands and Glencoe, visiting the town of Oban as well. They also got a taste of city life in Scotland, exploring the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In Glasgow, they went shopping and sightseeing. The trip was filled with many other visits to various museums, cathedrals, a tea house, a botanical garden, and all sorts of restaurants. With so much history in the city of Glasgow, there was plenty to see. The students also got to live in the university dormitories and took part in various group building activities there, getting some of the college experience of living on their own. After seventeen days full of activities, the students flew back to America and brought with them experiences they’ll never forget.
© BooblGum - stock.adobe.com.
Currently, Heidi and the team of program coordinators over in Glasgow are corresponding to hold the program again next summer, this time branching out to more specialized science-related studies, providing workshops for aspiring doctors and veterinarians. They hope that the next University of Glasgow summer program will be even better than the last.
““I grew as a person by becoming more independent and more responsible on my own.””
