by Ilham Alasow, Year 12 Generating Genius Student I joined the Generating Genius programme in October and am currently studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A-Level as well as the EPQ qualification. I have attended a variety of different events through Generating Genius, a majority of which through the Destination Leeds programme. These ranged from Choosing Your STEM Degree to personal statement support, and most recently a series of STEM Workshops. These events allowed me to acquire knowledge and skills that gave me a deeper insight into degree options and how to approach my choices from ..read more

by Syjil Laryea, Year 12 Generating Genius Student A little bit about myself: I am Syjil and I’m currently in year 12 studying: Maths, Physics and Product Design. I am planning to complete an engineering degree at university, then progressing on towards a master’s degree in engineering. The universities that I will potentially apply for are Imperial College, Oxford University and Perdue University in Indiana. However, I am keeping my options open by continuing to expand my research into universities. I am hoping to one day become a mechanical engineer and work in a high-ranking company to gain ..read more

About Generating Genius Generating Genius is a charity with a vision to create a thriving and diverse STEM community. Founded by Dr Tony Sewell CBE in 2004, the charity has since been working with young people from black disadvantaged backgrounds who are underrepresented in STEM. This is done via our 2 core programmes: Uni Genius and Alumni Genius. Work experience is a key feature of our A-level programme Uni Genius. Paid internships are a key feature of our undergraduate programme Alumni Genius. The Students on Generating Genius All our students go through an interview and application process ..read more

My name is Michelle Ssevume and I joined the fabulous Uni Genius Programme last October. Since then I’ve been blessed with numerous opportunities to expand my network, find out more about opportunities available to me, develop new skills and consider different pathways available to me post-18. At the moment I am taking Chemistry, Biology and History at A-level at Seven Kings School and I’m aspiring to get into medical school to become a paediatrician. From that bit of information, it may seem like I have my future all figured out but in reality I still have a lot of lingering questions and que ..read more

Siân Akua Woahene-Demehin – Generating Genius Undergraduate Technology Pathway Student –  Incoming Physics Student at UCL Waiting outside my Head of Year’s office two years ago, I had no idea what was in store for me. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime; one that challenged me and pushed me further than I ever thought I could go. As I think back over the last two years, I am astounded by my personal growth. I barely even recognise the person I was back then… The first official Generating Genius event that I ever attended was a challenge day in central London, a place that I was comp ..read more

I was set the challenge of coming up with a fire management plan to tackle the issue of forest fires in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extract Reserve in the Amazon rainforest. I cannot lie – it was daunting at first. Thankfully, I was not alone since I was paired up with my very good friend, Kudei. We were initially quite unsure about how to approach this since our knowledge of the Amazon rainforest was very limited. Since neither of us do Science subjects at A-Level, we were worried that we would be at a disadvantage. However, we realised that this interdisciplinary project would allow us to showcase ..read more

On Wednesday 19th February, as part of our work experience with the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), Nicole – the Diary Secretary at the NIC, Abdul and I traveled to Canada Water where we met professionals such as the Commissioner of TFL – Mike Brown, the Director of Strategy and Chief Technology Officer – Shashi Verma, engineers, and the Health and Safety Officer.  We were then given a briefing concerning the project, those involved in the project and the health and safety regarding the site visit. The aim of this project is to enable stakeholders, such as commuters to have phone re ..read more

On Wednesday the 5th of February, the Uni Genius 19 had an opportunity to prove that the inside of the body could be seen using infrared light! In a lecture given by Dr. Gemma Bale, we learned about how near-infrared technology is currently being used. Dr. Bale has an undergraduate in Physics from Imperial College and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Optics – a specialized field within the Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering department from UCL. Gemma  Bale is also part of the MetaboLight team which focuses on developing optical devices to monitor the brain health of newborn babies. She works with ..read more

On the 18th of January, on a winter’s morning in Westminster, the 2019 Uni Genius cohort were visited by two Ph.D. students from the University of Leeds. Beginning with the start of drug development and our knowledge of drugs and medicines, we branched into the complex nature of discoveries and the limitations placed on new medicines. Simultaneously, we were enlightened about the choice of chemistry at university and the importance of being adaptable when plans do not work. Firstly, these are some shocking facts that we discovered through the master class:  Warfarin is rat poison, used to trea ..read more

On Saturday 25th January, I was selected to attend the Hackathon organized by the Rotary Club of Mayfair, in collaboration with Generating Genius, for the Alumni Genius cohort & affiliates at UCL Institute of Education.  I have been on Generating Genius programmes since Year 9 and had some great opportunities. When I heard about this Hackathon from the GG team, I was looking forward to another exciting opportunity. I was planning on attending a hackathon during the summer of 2019 but I did not have the confidence to do it. Following the first term of university and doing a module on C Lang ..read more