Go west: Imperial Fringe takes science of identity on tour

The Imperial Fringe went on tour for the first time last night, asking the question 'What makes me me?' at the Imperial West campus. As plans evolve for the College's new campus in White City, the Fringe programme travelled to Imperial West for the first time, bringing an evening of activities about sense of identity as a way of getting to know our new neighbours. Brain simulations, kitchen science demonstrations for prison inmates and a photo booth that gave visitors a fantastic new look filled up the Common Room at the Wood Lane Studios GradPad, while the community space in Brickfields Hall was transformed into a mock-up operating theatre. Researchers spent the evening discussing their research with visitors, including people who live and work in the local area as well as alumni and school students from further afield. Professor of Surgical Education Roger Kneebone set up his famous pop-up operating theatre to attend to an acted-out stabbing. The surgical team performed a mock operation on the 'victim', highlighting the physical and psychological impacts he would be likely to sustain from his injuries. Samantha Buval, a sixth form student at Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith, volunteered to help the surgeons patch up their 'patient', in reality a life-like model of a human body.