Stem cells are in the headlines a lot these days, but what do we really know about them? Why do we study these intriguing cells and what is a research lab really like? These are just some of the questions that were tackled at the University of Milan's UniStem Day for high school students on 19th March 2010. The event was attended by 1,000 school students and involved a whole host of activities - from lectures and films, to lab visits and science communication activities.

Some of UniStem's leading scientists took students on a fascinating journey into the world of stem cell science. The day began with a morning of talks and short films on key aspects of stem cell science today.  EuroStemCell's film, "A Stem Cell Story", was shown, along with the story of Huntington disease sufferer Charles Sabine, plus a sneak preview of a new EuroStemCell film on the latest stem cell technology - induced pluriopotent stem cells.

Armed with their new stem cell knowledge, 100 students then formed small groups to visit one of four research laboratories at the University of Milan, or take part in a workshop on science communication in the stem cell field.

Dr Elena Cattaneo, who organised the day, hosted 45 students from three schools in her lab. Students learned about key techniques in stem cell research at four different activity stations in the lab. And there was even a chance to test out their singing voices by joining in a group performance of the BioRad "PCR song". The afternoon was rounded off with one of EuroStemCell's stem cell puzzles, information booklets and bookmarks to take away, plus a feast of ice cream.

The science communication workshop took place in Milan's Einstein School. Students investigated why science communication is important, and learnt what makes a good presentation. Next, they put their new communication skills into action: They created colourful posters to explain different aspects of stem cell research, then presented their work to the rest of the group. Their fellow students listened hard to discover the answers to a set of quiz questions.

Everyone involved had a fabulous day, and another event is already planned for 2011.

You can see the full programme of the day and read more about the participating scientists on the University of Milan's website at http://www.unimi.it/news/41715.htm (article in Italian)

The day was supported by:

• NeuroStemCell
• Leica Microsystems
• BioRep
• BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
• EuroSyStem
• EuroStemCell
• OptiStem
• CusMiBio