Dan says: “I’m very excited to be taking on this role. GPSEP runs a series of projects aimed at inspiring an interest in plant science in schools and universities, with the aim of future generations of school and university students leaving their formal education with a plant-positive attitude. Plant science plays a crucial role in combating some of the world’s Grand Challenges such as population growth, climate change and resource availability and I look forward to working with the GPSEP team to reach out to more students and their educators in pursuit of rising to these challenges.”
Dan moves to the position from Project Manager of one of GPSEP’s projects – Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS). With a degree in Botany, Dan’s career path has included working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge; the Institute of Education, University College London and the former Science Learning Centre, London.
Formed in 2014 and based at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, GPSEP runs three main projects: the student engagement project; Science and Plants for Schools and the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School. Combined, they form the GPSEP programme targeted at school-aged pupils, bioscience undergraduates and school science teachers across the UK.
Professor Beverley Glover, joint Principal Investigator of GPSEP and Director of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, says: “The GPSEP team work closely with the Garden’s education team and the Sainsbury Laboratory’s outreach staff who have a shared set of goals around the engagement of young people with the challenges and excitement of plant science. Each team has a slightly different focus, and we benefit enormously from the shared expertise and vision between the teams, making GPSEP an incredibly exciting programme and one which we intend will make a very real difference.
Beverley continues: “We are really delighted to announce Dan’s appointment and to have him heading up the GPSEP team. His dedication to the aims of the programme, and his passion for sharing the excitement of plant science with students and teachers alike, promise that the vitally important work of GPSEP will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Taking up the appointment, Dan and his team are busy preparing for their annual summer school for 80 bioscience undergraduates and post-16 biology teachers from across the UK, which takes place 26 June – 1 July in Yorkshire.
GPSEP is funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation alongside several other plant science programmes including the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU); the Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich and a number of funded PhD projects and summer studentships for plant science undergraduates.
For more information see GPSEP’s projects:
www.saps.org.uk
.intobiology.org.uk
www.gatsbysummerschool.org.uk
Contact: Dan Jenkins, dmj25@cam.ac.uk; tel 01223 334410
Publication Date 24/06/2016