Haverhill schoolchildren inspired by visit of science lab that was once a shipping container

A shipping container that has been turned into a mobile science lab has been wowing schoolchildren in Haverhill as it made its first stops on a tour of England.

The Curiosity Cube, as it is called, is provided by Merck, a leading science and technology company with a facility in Homefield Road, Haverhill.

It has previously gone all over the US and Canada sharing a love of science with students, and is now on an inaugural tour of Europe.

The purpose of the cube is to spark curiosity in the next generation of scientists, and it certainly succeeded when it spent last Thursday at Place Farm Primary Academy and the following day at Westfield Primary Academy.

During the sessions, the children met Merck STEM professionals and learnt all about what it takes to be a scientist.

The children from year groups four, five and six completed hands-on science experiments and learnt all about the microbiome, explained Tom Wade, assistant head at Place Farm Primary.

The children were also, he explained, inspired and learned that:

• Your microbiome is the collection of bacteria that lives in and on your body.

• These bacteria have many different jobs that help our body to function.

• Every person on earth has a different microbiome.

• We have more bacteria in and on our bodies, than cells; 100 trillion microbial cells when compared to 30 trillion human cells.

Mr Wade added: "The children even had the chance to make their own biome in order to see how they can tweak their diet and habits, such as brushing their teeth more frequently, in order to lead a healthier lifestyle.pupils'

“In the words of the children, they said how much they enjoyed the experience and found it an excellent opportunity to do more science investigations.

“They also explained how much they loved learning from the STEM experts and found the whole experience both entertaining and stimulating.”