STEM for Britain 2025
On the 11th March, the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee hosted STEM for Britain 2025 in Portcullis House, at the Houses of Parliament. STEM for Britain gives Early Career Researchers (ECRs) an opportunity to present and discuss their ground-breaking research to Members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster, and stimulates conversation and engagement both within the parliamentary setting and in their respective constituencies. The overarching aim is to raise the profile of Britain’s ERCs within Parliament and in the wider research community. Additionally, the participants also gain valuable insights into the challenges and exciting advancements in other fields of research, potentially cultivating future collaborative projects. They also receive a concise introduction to parliamentary procedures and gain an understanding of how Parliament addresses matters pertaining to science, engineering, medicine, technology, and mathematics.
Two members of CeMi, Dr Rosalia Cuahtecontzi Delint and Francesca Kokkinos were invited to present their research at the event. Rosalia reflects on the event:
“At STEM for Britain I presented my research in using nano-textured surfaces to study how human stem cells can disrupt bacterial biofilm formation by disrupting their communication system. 
Presenting my research in Parliament was an amazing experience. The morning session on Biological and Biomedical Sciences was shared with Engineering, and was a great opportunity for exchange ideas with other researchers. I connected with Early Career Researchers in my field and was truly inspired by the diverse engineering innovations on display. It was a powerful reminder of the collaborative spirit driving scientific progress. The more experienced members of the jury came from diverse backgrounds, making their comments and questions on my work particularly insightful and enriching. Besides that, I had the opportunity to speak with Martin Rhodes, the MP for the area where CeMi is located, and discussed both my own and other exciting science happening within the Centre with him. I also had valuable conversations with other MPs and members of various STEM societies, further highlighting the importance of communicating scientific research to a wider audience.”
Francesca also had a rewarding time presenting her research:
“On the 11th of March I had the honour of being able to present my research on Osteosarcoma, the most common type of primary bone cancer, in Parliament as a STEM for Britain Finalist in the Chemistry Category. 
Apart from being able to network and hear all about the exciting research happening across institutions in the UK from other early career research finalists, the event gave me the opportunity to share my research with MPs and have insightful and valuable conversations around scientific research. Specifically, I was able to meet with Martin Rhodes, MP for Glasgow North, and talk to him about my research at University of Glasgow and the importance of raising awareness for rare cancers such as Osteosarcoma. The highlight of the event for me was hearing Martin Rhodes mention my research later that week in Parliament in support of the Rare Cancer Bill debate.”