Researchers’ Grand Prix winner Luís Oliveira answered many interesting questions as he visited Järva Gymnasium. Nils Simon, intern at Public & Science Sweden (Vetenskap & Allmänhet), accompanied the stem cell researcher and was impressed by both the students and the presenter alike.
In the time of TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, gaining the attention and interest of young people is one of the most challenging tasks there is. It’s therefore a key skill for teachers and researchers to break down complex tasks in an easily understandable and captivating way.
Luís Oliveira, doctoral student at Lund University, is a shining example of how mixing excellent presentation skills, on-point imagery, and well-placed humor can create valuable experiences and facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge.
In November 2024, the young Portuguese researcher, in only 4 minutes, summarized and presented his highly complex research project at the Researchers’ Grand Prix. There, he managed to win the hearts of both the audience and jury, consequently awarding him with first place at this prestigious competition (read more here).
But not only did he stand out this evening; there were several pupils from Järva gymnasium in Tensta who were not only fascinated by his research but also extraordinarily engaged and facing him with intriguing questions.
Inspired by this interaction, Public & Science Sweden, in close collaboration with Luís and the staff of Järva Gymnasium, set out to organize a follow-up event to give Luís the chance to showcase his scientific path to a broader extent and providing the students with a chance to dig in deeper.
On the 30th of January, it was finally time for Luís to travel all the way from Malmö to Stockholm. In a 40-minute presentation, the doctoral student proved that he can not only deliver short, entertaining talks, but that he can also captivate the audience for the length of a whole school lesson.
Luís turned his presentation into an engaging activity through the use of interactive tools such as Mentimeter voting polls and illustrated his path into academia, while also providing profound insights into stem cell research and its potential application for cancer research.
Following Luís’ presentation, it was time for the students to ask their questions. There was a huge interest in both his journey and his current research.
How much does a researcher make?
The questions ranged from curiosity about the everyday life of a researcher and salary expectations to intricate questions about Luís’ scientific discoveries. Furthermore, one of the students asked Luís if he could help out with their chemistry homework, which he had to politely deny.
What do you hope for with your research in the short and the long run?
Even after the event, the students had a genuine curiosity in Luís and his work, as exemplified by the 16-year-old Kalbinur Sadikhodjaeva, who had many detailed questions about stem cell research and the immune system.
After the event, Luís was very impressed by the excellent scientific level of some of the questions. “It was amazing how much attention the students paid throughout the whole afternoon and how much interest they showed in what I do. I am so happy with how this afternoon went.”
It was amazing how much attention the students paid throughout the whole afternoon and how much interest they showed in what I do. I am so happy with how this afternoon went.
As the author of this article and a participant in the event, I want to take a moment to share my perspective as a researcher with a background in cell and molecular biology. I was deeply impressed by how seemingly effortless Luís delivered a top-notch talk without compromising the scientific accuracy of the presented content. Furthermore, I would like to highlight that the quality of science-related questions that were asked by the students was absolutely remarkable at this stage of their education.
All in all, this was a fruitful afternoon for all involved parties and hopefully inspired some of the young students to pursue a future career in science.
If you are now interested in bringing a researcher to your school class, you can check out Borrow a Researcher , a format in which Public & Science Sweden, helps to bring researchers into the classroom.
/Nils Simon, PhD & Intern at Public & Science Sweden
Nils Simon holds a PhD from Karolinska Instituet. In his doctoral studies the scientist investigated chronic rheumatoid arthritis pain in a pre-clinical setting. Nils’ one-month internship at Public & Science Sweden is supported by the Karolinska Institutet career service.
