Otago Biochemistry celebrates Nanofest 2024

From fourth year students right through to retired lecturers, researchers from the Department of Biochemistry came together to inspire future scientists at the Dunedin Nanofest 2024 earlier this month.

Nanofest is a smaller, more local version of the Dunedin International Science Festival which runs every second year during the July school holidays. It features a Festival Hub at the H.D. Skinner Annex, Tūhura Otago Museum – a rotating selection of free, hands-on stalls from local science and conservation organisations aimed at educating and exciting families and other interested members of the public.

The Otago Department of Biochemistry ran a stall for two days, allowing visitors to explore the world of tiny molecules you find inside cells – the wonderful building blocks that power life.

Enthusiastic volunteers from the department helped create a display of models of living molecules and their uses, including demonstrations of DNA sequencing using nanopores, and observations of lysozyme crystals under a dissecting microscope – illustrating how scientists determine the structure of tiny proteins.

A major attraction was the molecule building kit. Kids of all ages were eager to have a go at building models of some of the simplest molecules found in living cells.

Many thanks to all our volunteers who worked tirelessly to explain the world of living molecules to the families who dropped by.