Showcasing microbiology research at Norwich Science Festival 2026

Ka Cheung, a second-year PhD student at the University of East Anglia, spent her three-month Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) with the Centre for Microbial Interactions.

Ka’s work supported outreach activities at Norwich Science Festival 2026 within the Microbe Zoo exhibit – an immersive experience for young children developed with The SAW (Science, Art, and Writing) Trust. Ka participated in various aspects of the project and helped to produce a range of content related to microbiology for public audiences, including recipe cards, a large activity book with simple experiments for children to do at home, microbe fact sheets, and postcards with microscopy images.

Teamwork and collaboration skills were developed on the placement as Ka interacted with microbiologists, communications teams, partners of The SAW Trust, and a graphic designer. She complied content for a new intranet page and helped to train volunteers for Norwich Science Festival 2026. She also wrote a blog aiming to to raise interest in microbiology and illustrate the reasons for studying a degree in Norwich.

As part of her PIPS, Ka attended events such as an Accessible Science conference and the Sci Comms East ‘Science Festival Explainer’ training workshop to help improve her science communication skills. She also joined the ‘Find My Future’ event at the John Innes Centre, overseeing an educational activity stand which helped visitors learn about DNA and the different environments where bacteria are found around the world.

Towards the end of her placement, Ka supported construction of the Microbe Zoo in Norwich city centre then worked with a large team of volunteers to showcase the exhibit to the public for Norwich Science Festival. The event was a huge success, and there are plans to tour the Microbe Zoo around the UK over the coming years, including a slot at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in July 2026.

Dr Sam Rowe, Ka’s placement supervisor, said, “Ka really gained confidence in science communication and public engagement during her internship, both in translating complex information for non-specialist audiences and then discussing these topics with adults and children at events. I think she also gained a greater awareness of how large projects are managed from the initial funding stage to delivery and evaluation.”