First Fortnight as Forum Poet in Residence

by Samantha Walton - Genomics Forum Poet in Residence

I began my residency at the Genomics Forum staring at a graphic of DNA winding around histones, exposing some genes for activation while spiky epigenetic factors cling to the spools of purple string from worm-like tails. The image claims to describe epigenetic mechanism operating in DNA, and has been one of the many diagrams, images, reconstructions and videos I’ve turned to over the last couple of weeks to try to get a handle on the basics of epigenetics research. This process has also included playing two games – ‘Gene Control’ – in which you can change the shape of your DNA and its levels of methylation by cranking up a volume control, and ‘Lick Your Rats’ where frantic mouse-clicking helps you activate your rat pup’s GR gene. This has, I promise, been a valuable use of my time over the last fortnight as a poet in residence.

Faced with the overwhelming wealth of research being undertaking in the Genomics Network, epigenetics jumped out as a way of honing my focus during my time here. This was in part an acknowledgement of my own ignorance, as by turning focus beyond or ‘above’ the gene, epigenetics upset everything I thought I knew about genomics. I’ll return to the subject of my own ignorance again (and again) later and just admit here that I had never before encountered discussions about the relationship between environment and the genome explored in epigenetics. This is in spite of the field being, according to the programme for the upcoming EGN Conference (April 30^th-1^st May) “one of the most fast-moving and potentially transformative areas of contemporary ‘post-genomic’ science.” The suggestion that environmental influences can cause changes in the structure of the genome, meaning that genes express themselves differently even if the organism is a genetically identical clone, seems of radical importance, not least because ‘environmental influences’ might refer not just to biological factors, but to social, psychological and cultural experiences. The trans-generational considerations of epigenetics make it even more fascinating, and much of the writing on the subject I encountered raised the possibility that changes in gene function might be inherited without the DNA sequence changing, and influenced by factors such as stress, famine, ill-health and parenting.

Thanks from Granny Sandie!

by Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer - Discovery & Learning, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

When Naomi first contacted me to work with her on a Scratch Pantomime with children in Edinburgh, I was very excited by the idea but I must admit I didn't quite know what it would involve or how successful it would be. I also didn't know I would end up as Granny, so keeping in character here are a few words from Granny Sandie:

"Well me dearies, it still amazes me that after only a few hours the children performed from scratch such a good show. At the start all I wanted was a bit of piece and quiet, a little afternoon nap on my chair with my blanket keeping me nice and warm but I was awoken by 13 excitable children! And very glad I was too as it was a delight to join them on stage." 

The following Friday the children visited Edinburgh Zoo. The afternoon started with a handling session featuring some of our smaller animals including an African royal python. The children learnt about vertebrates and invertebrates and about body coverings from fur, feathers, to skin and scales. Then a visit to two of our most popular animals Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the giant pandas, including learning about the importance of breeding programmes. We also visited our Budongo Trail, the chimpanzee enclosure and then up to the big cats with many other animals on route.

Back in our Education Centre, it was wonderful to hear how much information about endangered animals, the story of the Mauritius kestrel and their experiences of the panto that the children had retained from the previous week.

It was a delight to work with these children and despite the fact that in normal circumstances I would prefer to be considered younger than my years, I am actually proud to be remembered by them as Granny Sandie!

I have to thank all those involved and especially Naomi - a great idea and a great medium to deliver our message. I also hope to repeat the project with other youth groups.

What an exciting week!

by Naomi Webster, Education and Interpretation Officer, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

and Genomics Forum Bright Ideas Fellow

I knew that I had set myself a challenge in trying to put together a scratch pantomime with a conservation message and our preliminary discussions with LYT- Discover and North Edinburgh Arts highlighted complications I hadn’t considered such potentially low literacy rates. So I rapidly threw my draft script out of the window and realised that the children’s parts would definitely need to be improvised during the rehearsals but we might be able to use an adult narrator to keep the story on track – in case their creativity headed off somewhere unexpected! 

Friday lunchtime rapidly approached and we headed out to North Edinburgh Arts Centre to see how many children would be taking part. Having had my expectations set rather low, we were thrilled when 13 children turned up – the lure of a trip to Edinburgh Zoo having proved a great incentive! And it was a great excuse to work with Sandie – Senior Education Officer at RZSS – and a not-so-secret panto enthusiast like me!

Having kicked off with some evaluation to get an idea of the children’s baseline knowledge, Sandie and I were excited to discover that the children’s knowledge was actually higher than we expected. A recent school project on rainforests and regular viewing of Deadly 60 being two sources they mentioned! Despite this prior knowledge, the children quickly got into the swing of the games, learning all about the layers of the forest, physically illustrating Gerald Durrell’s cobweb quote “The world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread, you send shudders through all the rest. People are not just touching the web, we are ripping great big holes in it.”

Any improvements on 1.5million?

by Cameron Duguid - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

I really can’t quite believe that the 5 months is all but up! 3 days a week really doesn’t seem enough to digest even a tiny portion of the diverse research done within the Genomics Forum.

Lindsay and I have been conducting some very interesting interviews, ranging in subject (amongst many other things) from implantable defibrillators and whether we are our DNA with Gill Haddow, to innovation in agriculture and interdisciplinary research with Ann Bruce… So many interesting topics, but also, as always, so much potential for heading off on any number of tangents!

Alongside filming with Lindsay, watching back and digesting interviews, I have still been getting stuck in to trying to animate the chemical world. My original idea for trying to model proteins and DNA more accurately has been compromised a little, I’ve realised a balance needs to be met between accurate representation (as far as this is possible!) and some simplification for clarity! Feel like I keep talking about trying not to stray away from the complexity, yet, paradoxically, the only way to understand and appreciate scale and complexity is through simplification. And after cutting out many wee molecules, I must admit the idea of simplification does prove a little appealing!

I quite often get caught up with calculations while trying to work out interesting comparisons. I think continually dealing with gigabyte files has made it really hard to grasp the shear size of these numbers. I was trying to get a handle on this recently by imagining how many of these Commodore PET ‘2001’ 4K computers from ’77 it would take to hold a Human Genome. Now, I could well have gone wildly wrong somewhere, but I made it about 1½ Million, but as I say, I could quite easily have gone awry. I’m going to have to check some of the figures with some more reliable minds! Any improvements on 1.5million?

Blogger’s Block

by Lindsay Goodall - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

I have been a bit blocked recently when I’ve tried to write my blog. I think it’s because I’ve been so busy over the past few weeks. I’ve been to a convergence workshop, a STIS seminar on Syngenta, the Innogen coffee morning, a Changing World lecture, an anthropology seminar on sperm banks in China, I’ve been reading a lot and trying to participate as much as possible. Now the challenge is to wade through all this new-found information to find some clarity and focus. Yet the more I discover the more I need to know, and the research phase of my residency could easily continue exponentially. I sympathise with the scientists working on the ENCODE Project. How do you know when to stop searching for new information and start to process the raw data?

While carrying out my research, I’ve become as fascinated by academia as I am with all things genomics, and surprisingly I’ve realised there are so many similarities between university life and the film and TV industry. For example, there is the constant pressure to seek funding, produce new work and keep on top of new developments and technology; the uncertainty about where your next project or commission will come from or where it will be based; there is a need to network and make contacts both locally and internationally; and there are lots of opportunities to travel and work with new partners and collaborators.

Behind the scenes..

by Cameron Duguid - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

'Topographies of the Genome' - Deborah Robinson

Well, how time flies with so much is going on- I’m a good few steps behind with this!

After a hectic 3 day trip to Lancaster, Cardiff and Exeter my mind is buzzing. A wide range of enlightening and thought provoking meetings, and a great chance to see sequencing in action. I’ll write more on our trip once my flitting thoughts have settled a little!

Over the previous weeks it has been inspiring to talk with and attend seminars by Deborah Robinson with interesting ideas on engaging with science in art. Of huge relevance to me as I feel that, having started off at art college, I have moved away from the open artistic projects I worked on in college, towards more conventional documentary making and science communication- less critical and not drawing in an abstracted ways from science and scientists. I have a tendency to get caught up in trying to find ways to illustrate molecular goings on, rather than outwardly observing.

I've visited a few labs in different countries, and have definitely subconsciously assessed their cleanliness (Lausanne- super clean: closer to home- possibly less so! Although I may have been influenced by bad decor and a lack sparkling stainless steel) However, actually thinking of the dust under a lab machine as a subject for art, as with Deborah's Genomic Dirt project I find really inspiring. That kind of more divergent thinking is really interesting, and in no small way part of a picture of the daily life of scientists.

Photographing the Genomics Forum..

by Georgina Wood
Genomics Forum, Photographer in Residence

Working with the Genomics Forum was a great opportunity for me to continue my practice after graduating from ECA.

During the residency I attended several different events organised by the Forum and was able to learn a lot about Genomics and the Forums work. At the start of the residency I researched several different areas. Once I had a clearer idea of the current topics and the work that the forum carried out, I was able to narrow down my research and base my ideas around one topic.

I was interested in the current and future status of Bio-fuels and their expected contributions towards renewable energy. It was clear from my research that Bio-fuels were not a problem free answer to our energy demands, however with future developments it seemed that it could be possible to improve on current sources of Bio-fuel and use these resources to contribute towards our energy requirements.
As my work is often based around the environment, this was a fantastic opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of an area of particular interest to me.

19 September 2012 - Week Two!

by Lindsay Goodall - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

N and I were sitting in Time 4 Thai on North Castle Street having a quick catch up lunch. It’s the first time I’d seen her since starting at the Forum, and I was telling her what I’d been up to last week and told her all about the Caryl Churchill play I’d been to see at the Traverse on Tuesday.

“It’s about a father and his son, sons, who are clones, and about the son(s) confronting their, his, their, father, and it raises questions about the essence of identity, and the ethics of human cloning, and the discussion afterwards touched on everything from post-Marxist playwriting to medical tourism and the selling of organs; and from science as a commercial enterprise to how much of our genome we share with gorillas; and one audience member raised the question whether scientists should be held morally accountable for the science and technology they create; and then there was also a debate about economics and the right to bear children and then someone made a point about the semantics of the phrase ‘to have children’; and then the archetypal mad scientist who cloned Dolly the Sheep claimed that she’s not really a clone after all, just a genomic copy.”

I concluded by telling N that it’s a really well-known play and when it premiered 10 years ago it even starred Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig.

“Mmmm, I’d like to clone Daniel Craig” replied N before biting into a crispy vegetable spring roll.

Peter Arnott, playwright in residence at The Forum, directed the rehearsed reading of A Number and was kind enough to do an on-camera interview with me in between rehearsals. The video will be on the Forum website soon along with some highlights from the Q&A.

5th Sept 2012 – day 2 as a Forum Filmmaker-in-residence

by Lindsay Goodall - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

I was filming an interview with Victoria Wood yesterday so wasn’t at EGN, but Cameron was in and attended the team meeting and found out about some of the events which are coming up, and about some of the people who are going to be visiting over the next few months. Not wanting to miss out on anything I decided to spend the morning diarising the meetings, events and workshops which I want to attend.

I started off on the EGN forum ‘events page’. There is so much going on, from a workshop about Convergent (Bio) Technologies to an evening reception celebrating the work of Gengage; and of course the Innogen 10th Anniversary Celebration in Edinburgh would clash with a discussion on Whole Genome Sequencing in Medical Practice in Cardiff!

From the EGN website I followed links to the Human Genome Organisation, ESRC Festival of Social Science, Café Scientifique, What Scientists Read and many more sites with events in Edinburgh and beyond.

My diary is now looking very full and healthy and I can’t wait to get stuck in. A whole new scientific world is opening up to me and it is very exciting. I feel the door to the academic part of my brain, which has been mostly shut since graduating from my Masters in Visual Anthropology in 2005, is slowly creaking open and I am re-learning to read sentences containing words such as ‘hegemony’ and ‘heuristic’ and ‘interdisciplinarity’.

3rd Sept 2012 – First day as a Forum Filmmaker in Residence

by Lindsay Goodall - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

Today I started as Documentary Filmmaker in Residence at the ESRC Genomics Forum. I was so thrilled to be offered this post – I even came out of the interview last week buzzing with what I’d learned and full of curiosity at the world around me. I was also really excited that Forum had decided to appoint two filmmakers, and so today I would meet my new filmmaking colleague, the animator Cameron Duguid

Cameron and I spent most of the morning talking about our past work, what we hope to do in this role, the people we both know, and how to approach the residency. We then got stuck in to our research. I started with The Gen – the ESRC Genomics Network’s newsletter – and a brand new notebook in which to take notes.

The first note I wrote was “social and ethical consequences”. I need to keep this at the forefront of my mind whenever I am reading, researching and chatting to EGN colleagues about their work.

As an anthropologist I do not need to learn about the technicalities of the science, but want to look at the people and communities that the science affects and what implications this has for the world around us.

There are so many common assumptions about the life sciences, and genomics in particular, that as a filmmaker there is a vast opportunity to enter into some very heated, topical and pertinent debates where the science clashes with real life humans, and tempers can flare, issues are contested and conflicts arise. This is one of the reasons why I really wanted to undertake this role.

Filmmakers in Residence – Week One of the Journey

by Cameron Duguid - Documentary Filmmaker in Residence

After a bit of orientation, learning the ways of the coffee machine, trying to cement names in my cloudy brain, it was time to get settled into the office! Not quite sure if I’ve ever properly had one of those. After reading the first sentences from the handful of copies of The Gen I had been given, Lindsay, my fellow filmmaking resident arrived. With a fair bit of ‘so do you know?’, and ‘…ah, so you went to school with so and so!’ it was then on to- ‘now just what is this thing called genomics?’ What do you know about it? Nearly everyone I’ve told about my new position has returned a slightly quizzical face, and to be fair, I’ve been returning that face straight back.

I had heard word that the Forum would be wrapping up in May 2013, and with this there would obviously be a lot of loose end tying and what not to be done. However, sitting in on a monthly team meeting, there seemed to be a long line of events, conferences, workshops, visiting fellows- definitely no dwindling down to be done!

Letting the Genome out of the Bottle - Lone Frank, 27 August 2012

Genomics Forum blogging team at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2012
Blog by Hazel McHaffie

Genomics - essentially the study of all the genes of a cell or tissue at the DNA level - is a relatively new field of enquiry. And it's been said that the map of the human genome is 'the most wondrous map ever produced by humankind'. It has certainly raised huge questions for society, and the knowledge it provides has widespread consequences for individuals, for families and for society.

Lone Frank is an internationally acclaimed Danish science writer with a PhD in neurobiology, who has grappled with these questions, and written a fascinating book, My Beautiful Genome: Exposing our Genetic Future One Quirk at a Time. To see her is to instantly think that she's been blessed with more than her fair share of favourable genes - good looks and brains, performance skills as well as rigorous analytical powers.

The elements were against us on this occasion with rain thundering down on the roof of the Book Festival’s theatre, and a rather end-of-term feeling on this last day of the Book Festival. She though, was probably less surprised by the fact the event was not a sell out: when she proposed writing a book on this subject, friends warned her that nobody would be interested in genomics. On the contrary, people are, and the questions reflected considerable knowledge of her field. She was challenged more than once to explain her terms and the accuracy of her statements. My own limited understanding means I can only report what I've gleaned from her words and her book.

The evolving world of epigenetics - 18 August 2012

Genomics Forum blogging team at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2012
Blog by Chris Berry

Our understanding of life sciences has progressed apace during the last couple of decades.  From the development of mammalian cloning technology that brought us Dolly the Sheep, to the decoding of the human genome, we have made significant advances in genomics. This expansion of our knowledge has resulted in the development of new techniques that potentially could benefit humankind in a number of areas.  Yet just when we begin to think we might soon be masters of the genomic universe, a new kid on the (genetic) block has emerged, which may have considerable implications for both life sciences and society in general.

This relatively new science of epigenetics was the focus of a fascinating event – The Epigenetic Evolution – which took place at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 18 August.  Featuring a panel comprising biological, medical and social scientists – and expertly chaired by Richard Holloway – it fell on the shoulders of Nessa Carey – leading industrial life scientist, and author of The Epigenetic Revolution – to explain to the capacity audience exactly what epigenetics entails.

The key clue, Nessa explained, is in the “epi” part of the phenomenon’s name, which is derived from the Greek for “on”, or “in addition to”, meaning that epigenetics refers to traits or expressions within organisms that cannot be explained simply as being derived from the genetic code.  There must be other factors acting in addition to the DNA.

Hazel McHaffie - telling an ethical tale

Hazel McHaffie in conversation with Dr Shawn Harmon

Blog by Hazel McHaffie

I was delighted to work alongside the good folk of the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum recently on one of their Social Sessions, giving the public an opportunity to discuss topics related to social science research with individuals who are exploring these issues in different ways. The Forum's thinking and aims very much reflect my own, and they're a lovely friendly bunch of people.

I was invited because I'm a novelist, but a novelist with an agenda. My principal objective is to encourage people to engage with the issues thrown up by modern medicine, because these topics are exciting and affect us all, and the way we respond to them affects the kind of society we live in. But I want the books to be as accessible for the man/woman in the street who's looking for a gripping tale to escape into, as well as a useful teaching tool for philosophers and ethicists - an enjoyable read first, but also challenging. So how did I get here?

In a former life I was a nurse and midwife. As a clinician I couldn't help but be aware that in medicine we keep pushing back the boundaries of what's possible, but on the coalface there are big consequences for patients, relatives, doctors and nurses, and huge questions to be faced. How far should we go to save wee Tommy's life? How big a risk should we take with Jenny's treatment? How valuable is my life now: do I really want to extend it further?

It was while I was working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that these challenges hit me most powerfully. I hunted for answers but could find very few, and the discovery of that gap took me out of clinical practice into research. Studying for a PhD in Social Sciences at Edinburgh University gave me the requisite skills to explore these difficult topics and I spent over twenty years investigating the impact on real families of the big questions about life and death. I loved it. Explorer, detective, confidante, writer, campaigner, all rolled into one! Brilliant.

My last study involved interviewing 109 bereaved parents about the decisions relating to how far we should go in treating extremely small sick infants. Spending years with these ordinary families going through extraordinary experiences, listening to their stories, changed me for ever. And their voice was so powerful that the report of this study (Crucial Decisions at the Beginning of Life) was voted Medical Book of the Year by the BMA in 2002.

But that experience was a turning point in a different way too. I realised I could never do another piece of research more poignant or more significant than that. And I’d always promised myself I'd depart on a high, not fizzle out, a dinosaur on the conference circuit. So I changed tack again.

Whilst lecturing on my research both in this country and abroad I'd become very aware that the theoretical subject of medical ethics sent people to sleep (literally!); the practical realities had them on the edge of their seats. Ahah! Everyone loves a story. The idea for novels in this area took root. This would be my next adventure.

I published my first novel in 1994 but shudder now recalling it. I made the mistake of thinking writing fiction was very much like non-fiction. It isn't. And I'd dearly like to bury that first book beyond recall. I subsequently undertook a creative writing course, and later still acquired an editor - both invaluable for honing the necessary skills.

I've just published my seventh novel, Saving Sebastian, about a little lad of four who has a fatal form of anaemia, and his parents are wanting to create an embryo who's the same tissue type to provide stem cells to save Sebastian's life - a saviour sibling. Of course it's all wrapped up in a tale of mystery and skulduggery and conflicting relationships. But essentially each of my novels revolves around a different ethical dilemma; each with its own challenges. My website (www.hazelmchaffie.com) captures the feel:

• An infertile man, a desperate woman … why not use a sperm donor? (Paternity)
• In a coma for years … so how is she pregnant? (Vacant Possession)
• A fatal disease, a haunting secret … would you help him die? (Right to Die)
• Security or truth … which would you choose for your dementing mother? (Remember Remember)

I've had to work hard at achieving a balance between the story line and the facts and arguments. It's essential that the information is accurate and authentic and I get experts to scrutinise every detail, but it's just as important that the story hooks the reader in, or they won't even start to engage with the issues. I want them to feel the emotion and be exercised by the choices. So I've reserved specific discussion points and links to further information for my website.

It's a fantastic job and I like to think it’s contributing in its own little way to helping society engage with the big ethical dilemmas thrown up by advances in modern medicine. Just what the Forum is doing on a much broader scale.

Genomics Forum seeking a Photographer-in-Residence

Have you recently (2011-2012) graduated from a higher-education photography course? Would you be interested in creating a portfolio of work inspired by the work of the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum/Genomics Network, with a view to submitting this to the ESRC ‘Portraits of Britain’ photographic competition?

The ESRC Genomics Forum is seeking a Photographer in Residence to create a portfolio of photographic works inspired by the work of the Genomics Forum and its involvement with the wider Genomics Network.

Based at the Forum’s offices in Edinburgh, the residency will involve the photographer spending a minimum of 1-2 days a week working with Forum staff (and potentially those from other Genomics Network Centres such as Innogen) and attending Forum events, in order to explore the issues and topics researched.

The portfolio of work resulting from the residency, which will run from late June 2012 until late July/early August 2012, will be exhibited at various events in order to promote the Forum’s work. Selected photographs will also be entered into the ESRC Portraits of Britain photography competition, which has a closing date of 17 August 2012.

It is intended that the residency would provide an ideal opportunity for a recently-graduated photographer to gain experience working creatively in an education/research environment.

If you – or someone you know – might be interested in becoming the Forum’s Photographer in Residence this summer, further details on the position and how to apply can be found at the Genomics Forum website.