professor jim al-khalili
great university science quiz – raising awareness and cash to help tackle drug resistance
antibiotic research uk’s inaugural great university science quiz took place online on wednesday 18th november. 13 teams from universities across the uk rose to the challenge. between them, they raised over £5000 to help beat drug-resistant infections.
shionogi and msd sponsored the event. it included four rounds of questions presented by two very special guests. broadcaster professor jim al-khalili, leading british space expert professor monica grady, presented questions. he was joined by our own dr tina joshi, member of the antibiotic research uk science committee. as well as her work for us, dr joshi has also featured in the truth about antibiotics.
dr tina joshi
the student science quiz sought to fundraise and engage students in the issue of antibiotic resistance in a fun way. to build on the success of the quiz antibiotic research uk are planning to launch a year-round student programme in early 2021.
we know how important tomorrow’s healthcare professionals will be. showing them the dangers of antibiotic resistance early in their careers will, we hope, inform their future actions. it is one of the biggest threats to modern medicine and we all must work to prevent this global health crisis.
who won?
the winner of the student science quiz was a solo entry – yasmin tyrrell from the university of manchester. second place was the mighty chondrias from queen mary’s university in london. third place was also a team named the mighty chondrias! they comprised of work placement students working at pfizer.
the students all contributed £5 to take part. they set a very high standard which bodes well for the future, said professor colin garner, chief executive of antibiotic research uk.
professor garner said that:
“these are the medical professionals and researchers of tomorrow, so it is crucial that they know all about drug-resistance. the fact that there was such awareness and indeed such broad scientific knowledge has to be good for the health of our nation. perhaps among them, there is the future scientist who makes the discovery that has a substantial impact on antibiotic resistance and its treatment.”
thanks so much to our sponsors, presenters and of course the students who took part.