The aspiring medical researches among us were very excited to visit the JCSMR John Curtain School of Medical Research). The building itself was very impressive and our first sight of it was the foyer; the walls of which proudly displayed the impressive portraits of Nobel Prize winners Sir John Eccles, Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel. The three men had all conducted their award-winning research at the JCSMR.

While at the school, we found out about research into vaccines against HIV. We watched a slide being made in the hematology lab and were given a few samples to take with us. Our knowledge about hearing was deepened when we talked to some scientists and PHD students, who were using some pretty impressive machines to study the brains of rodents. We were also given an insight into immunology and were shown some pretty convincing statistics which shattered myths about the dangers of vaccinations.

The JCSMR is a world class institution at the forefront of medical research in Australia. All of us could see the passion and enthusiasm that the people who worked there had for their research. It was a truly amazing visit.

Emma Irving