Wednesday

The program on Wednesday started at 8.45. We met in the lobby of the hotel and headed off to the L'Oréal Young Scientists Centre, which is located near Green Park. As soon as we arrived, we put on lab coats and goggles and entered the laboratories, where we would solve an exciting crime. The goal was to catch the killer of Tom using modern techniques in forensics.

We needed to compare the DNA which was found on the victim with the DNA of five possible suspects. The DNA was fragmented by restriction enzymes. The fragments are specific to each person. This means that when one looks at the fragments of the DNA at the crime scene and compares them to the suspects, there needs to be a match.

We put each of the samples on the gel and applied a voltage. The voltage makes the negatively charged DNA move towards one of the poles. The distance is reversely proportional to its size. Therefore, we got one specific pattern for each sample. One of the samples had a pattern which was the same as the one of the DNA found in the crime scene, which meant that this person was the murderer. The work in the labs was very exciting because most of us could never do this at high school.

After the workshop, we had a picnic lunch in Green Park. We enjoyed getting away from the busy streets and were looking forward to the afternoon.

The afternoon was full of shopping and sightseeing. We split up into groups of three or more and were allowed to go wherever we wanted. Most of us headed to Oxford Street to visit the most famous shops of London.

After a short walk to Southbank, we enjoyed a great Mexican meal at Wahaca. We each got to choose two or three smaller dishes so that everyone had something they liked. Dinner was followed by a fabulous dessert and a beautiful London sunset.

Back at the hotel, some students went off to the gym in order to burn the calories from before. There are badminton courts, boxing bags and more.