Written by: Hana Anderton.
Once again, volunteers from the Kawamura Research Group returned to this year’s Discover Festival on 13th June 2026, bringing chemical biology to the centre of Newcastle through an engaging experiment. The family-friendly festival gave members of the public the opportunity to explore the world around them, celebrate creativity, and discover the excitement of scientific research, something which the team delivered brilliantly.
The group’s interactive activity, Juicy Genes, invited families to extract DNA from strawberries and kiwi fruits, offering a fascinating insight into what exactly makes up every living organism. Through this interesting experiment, members of the public were also able to learn about the role of epigenetics in understanding diseases such as cancer and how research in this field can better future treatments
“It has been a wonderful event and great to see people of different ages engaging so much. Hopefully it has inspired the next generation to explore science and stay curious”- Thomas Beniston, 2nd year PhD student.
Many thanks to Dr Rob Dawber, Dr Tom Smith, Thomas Beniston, Dr Eleanor Taylor-Newman, Dr Filomena Saulino and Karin Ware who took part and helped make the event such a success.
Missed the event? Watch the Juicy Genes tutorial video here.
The planning for the Discover Festival was supported by work experience student Hana Anderton, who produced the Juicy Genes video and flyer.
Read more about the 2026 chemical biology work experience week here.
