--- title: "Day 2: From Riverbanks to DNA Labs: Students Dive into Real-World Science" description: Biology students at Redmaids' High School take on an exciting eDNA project with UWE. image: https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hubfs/20260917_094730809_iOS.jpg --- [![Black left aligned RHS GDST logo](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/logos/Black%20left%20aligned%20RHS%20GDST%20logo.png?width=215&height=100&name=Black%20left%20aligned%20RHS%20GDST%20logo.png "Black left aligned RHS GDST logo")](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) [Back to Main Site](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) [![Redmaids' High School](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Redmaids_High_School_April2021/images/mobile-logo.png?width=270&height=472&name=mobile-logo.png "Redmaids' High School")](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) [Back to Main Site](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) [\< Back to Blog](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) # Day 2: From Riverbanks to DNA Labs: Students Dive into Real-World Science ![20260917\_094730809\_iOS](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/20260917_094730809_iOS.jpg?width=427&height=321&name=20260917_094730809_iOS.jpg)Redmaids' High School recently received a prestigious partnership grant from the Royal Society, working with the University of the West of England, to launch a project using eDNA technology to identify species living in Bristol’s rivers. Led by our Biology teacher, Mrs Turner, the project will give a group of students the opportunity to take part in laboratory and fieldwork over the coming months. Together, they will study the biodiversity of the River Trym and investigate ways to help protect and improve local wildlife populations. This partnership is a wonderful example of how education and scientific research can come together to inspire young people and deepen their understanding of the natural world; it is fantastic that our students will be contributing to real-world conservation work while developing their scientific skills and experience. ![20260917\_094922684\_iOS](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/20260917_094922684_iOS.jpg?width=241&height=321&name=20260917_094922684_iOS.jpg)The second day of the project took place last month. Here is a report from Mrs Turner... Today we were lucky enough to host a team of scientists from UWE as we embarked on the second phase of our project with them. 20 of our students from Years 11, 12 and 13 were joined by Mark (Associate Professor), Robyn (PhD student), and Tommy and Kaela (Masters students) for a morning of DNA analysis. Back in the summer term our students designed an investigation to look at migration of fish species within the river Trym and Hazel Brook, and collected water samples from the river. Today the students were taught how to extract the eDNA (environmental DNA) from their samples so that they could perform qPCR to look for the presence of critically endangered eels, trout and the three spined stickleback. The students were taught how to use Gibson micropipettes to precisely pipette the tiny volumes required. They mixed samples using a vortex and used a centrifuge to separate the DNA from the samples. This process allowed them to successfully isolate the eDNA from their samples. It was wonderful to see the students getting to grips with equipment and techniques which they would never normally experience in the school laboratory setting, they were really impressive with the care and precision which they demonstrated. They worked together with students from other year groups, showing collaboration and fostering the feeling of team work across their year groups. In a few weeks, Mark will be returning to our school with the raw data for our students to analyse, and they will then have the opportunity to present their findings back to the teams from UWE and BART (Bristol and Avon rivers Trust), to inform the future planning of conservation work on the River Trym. Overall an amazing experience for our students today, to go from ecology fieldwork to eDNA extraction in the lab, what a journey.  Mrs Turner, Biology Teacher To read more about the first day of the project please [click here](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/from-riverbanks-to-dna-labs-students-dive-into-real-world-science). Date Posted: 13 October, 2026 [Share](http://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/day-2-from-riverbanks-to-dna-labs-students-dive-into-real-world-science) ## Articles for: Sixth Form, Senior, STEM, Extra-Curricular [Click here to view all news articles](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk) - [MAKE AN ENQUIRY](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/contact-us) - [NEWS](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/) - [MY REDMAIDS' HIGH](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/my-redmaids/) [![Black centered RHS GDST logo](https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/logos/Black%20centered%20RHS%20GDST%20logo.png?width=179&height=200&name=Black%20centered%20RHS%20GDST%20logo.png "Black centered RHS GDST logo")](http://redmaidshigh.co.uk) #### Registered Office The Asticus Building, 21 Palmer Street, London, England, SW1H 0AD Company number: 6400 Registered charity number: 306983    #### Junior School Grange Court Road Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 4DP [0117 962 9451](tel:0117%20962%209451) [juniors@redmaidshigh.gdst.net](mailto:juniors@redmaidshigh.gdst.net) #### Senior School AND SIXTH FORM Westbury Road Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3AW [0117 962 2641](tel:0117%20962%202641) [seniors@redmaidshigh.gdst.net](mailto:seniors@redmaidshigh.gdst.net) - © 2025 Redmaids' High School, GDST - All rights reserved - [School Policies](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/about-the-school/school-policies/) - [Cookie & Privacy Policies](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/about-the-school/school-policies/data-protection-and-privacy-policies/) - [Contact Us](https://www.redmaidshigh.co.uk/contact-us/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Redmaids' High School", "url" : "https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/author/redmaids-high-school" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-13T09:20:54.730Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-13T09:20:44.000Z", "headline" : "Day 2: From Riverbanks to DNA Labs: Students Dive into Real-World Science", "image" : [ "https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hubfs/20260917_094730809_iOS.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/day-2-from-riverbanks-to-dna-labs-students-dive-into-real-world-science", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://news.redmaidshigh.co.uk/hubfs/RHS_logo_left%20aligned_black_RGB.png" }, "name" : "Redmaids' High School" } } ```