Scientists take their research to Parliament

Seven researchers from the University of Bristol will present their work to a range of politicians and a panel of judges as part of a national competition on Monday [13 March] . STEM for BRITAIN is a poster competition in the House of Commons involving 210 early stage or early career researchers. The seven Bristol candidates were shortlisted from hundreds of applicants and are in with the chance of winning a gold, silver or bronze medal and up to £3,000 in each of the five subject categories. Dr Bryan Bzdek, a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Chemistry, will present his chemistry research discussing how atmospheric particles grow into cloud droplets and impact climate. He said: "It is a great opportunity to demonstrate to policy makers and other non-scientists the fundamental importance of chemistry to our understanding of how our environment works and how we humans can impact it." Dr Karen Mifsud, a senior research associate within the Neuro-Epigenetics Research Group, will present her latest bioscience research, conducted together with Professor Johannes Reul. She will explain recent advances into understanding how the brain copes with stressful experiences. Their work, which challenges existing assumptions about stress responses in the brain, has recently been published in the international renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA .