Workshop One!

The Hands On Project kicked off today in the school at Great Ormond Street Hospital. A group of children between the ages of 12 and 16 came along to learn about microbiology with our in-house microbiologist Elaine Cloutman-Green.


We learnt all about what microbiologists in the Department of Infection Control at GOSH do in their labs and how they identify different types of microorganisms.


When samples like the ones we took today get sent to the labs at the hospital, microbiologists at GOSH make sure that any unfriendly bacteria, viruses or fungi are discovered straight away. We learnt that they do this through Gram Staining, where various microorganisms can be identified by their colours and shapes. They study all the samples that come to their lab very carefully.

We all stuck swabs up our noses and the put the samples onto agar plates. We had to spread out the sample in order to show individual colonies of the various microbes we collected. Then we labelled the samples.

We also took samples of the air in the room with this piece of equipment. It draws in the air through the top onto an agar plate that is placed inside. We got very carried away with the agar plates! We pressed them on to all kinds of surfaces, to gather more samples of the types of microbes you can find in the environment. Some people stuck them to chairs or their shoes.

Elaine took all of our samples back to the labs, where they will be kept in nice warm conditions that help the microbes to grow. When they have been there for around 48 hours we will actually be able to see them on the plates. Elaine will be able to help us identify the microbes that we collected. It will be a great insight into the life that is all around us, although we can't see it.