When Professor Lord Robert Winston joined Imperial College London in 1997, he found himself inspired by the science but discouraged by the lack of visibility or wider interest in outreach. A Schools Liaison Office (SLO) had been set up but experienced funding challenges. “There were times when these things weren’t valued,” he says, reflecting on the early days of his mission to embed outreach into the fabric of academic life. “There were lots of pockets of activity in departments and in the SLO, but they weren’t well known or coordinated. It lacked purpose.”

That sense of purpose would arrive, in part, thousands of miles away – in Auckland, New Zealand. While visiting his friend Dr Peter Gluckman, a fellow doctor and pioneering scientist, Robert was struck by a simple but powerful idea: Peter was inviting local school children into his university hospital to try out basic hands-on activities like measuring blood pressure. “I thought that was interesting,” Robert recalls. “I wanted to do something similar here. But I wanted to go further.”

That spark of an idea would eventually evolve into the Wohl Reach Out Lab – a pioneering space on Imperial’s South Kensington campus dedicated to giving young people the chance to experience science beyond the textbooks. “Imperial’s Rector at the time, Richard Sykes, was hugely important. Unlike anyone else, he understood what we were trying to do with the Reach Out Lab and really supported it. In the end we managed to raise £2 million,” Robert says, with funding coming from a number of sources including its namesake, the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation.

The investment covered the costs of the Lab’s construction. More importantly, the timing aligned with a shift in government thinking, Robert explains. “The government was starting to realise that science excellence – and therefore education – was important for the UK.”

The Reach Out Lab broke new ground. “What we were doing was new – it was practical science that wasn’t happening in many schools,” says Robert. “We got disinterested teenagers to become interested.” Robert achieved this through creative and engaging hands-on activities that included in vitro fertilisation of a sea urchin and dissections - “the sorts of experiences young people would remember,” he emphasises.

Since the opening of the lab in 2010, over 46,500 young people have visited the space engaging in over 2000 hands-on activities supported by 8,500 enthusiastic staff and students.

Science and society

Robert is a world-renowned scientist who pioneered gynaecological surgical techniques that improved fertility treatment. But it was in the late 1980s that he first found his passion for engaging wider audiences with science. He quickly became a public figure, stepping into the national spotlight during the heated debate over embryo research and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). “There was a bill coming through that would block access to IVF and hinder fertility research. It had widespread support, so I had to do something. We had to change public opinion and that meant explaining the science. So I was in the news all the time. It was exhausting and I came under a lot of criticism. I even had death threats. It wasn’t easy to deal with,” he says. But the effort paid off. The bill was defeated and Robert’s role in defending science in the public arena was firmly established. “I want other scientists to know that protest is worthwhile. Speaking out is worthwhile.”

For Robert, this experience illustrated the importance of science communication. As a peer in the House of Lords, he became an advocate for stronger societal engagement with STEM, particularly amongst young people. It also led to a fruitful television career creating and presenting on science shows including BAFTA-winning The Human Body (1998) and Child of Our Time (2000-2020). “I actually thought Child of Our Time wouldn’t work when I first heard the idea,” he admits. In fact, the groundbreaking series went on to run for 20 years. “Shows my poor judgement! One of the children they followed ended up coming to Imperial. That was special.”

Despite the successes, Robert didn’t always have the strongest support from the scientific community. “I remember going to the Royal Society shortly after one of the first programmes aired, and being met with some hostility,” he says. It wasn’t common at the time for scientists to present TV shows. “I felt really rubbish. I doubted what I was doing. I didn’t feel welcome. But a few people told me to keep going – so I did.”

Among those who offered encouragement was science communicator Professor Kathy Sykes OBE, known for helping set up the Cheltenham Science Festival and global science communication competition, Famelab. “She became a good friend,” he says. “She really developed the idea of ‘dialogue’ in science communication – this two-way process of public engagement.” This would ultimately influence Robert's vision for the Reach Out Lab.

Robert himself joined the government’s Public Engagement committee and spent five years helping scientists become better communicators. “One of the people we supported through the programme was Jim Al-Khalili,” he recalls.

Aged 84, Robert still delivers outreach activities through Imperial’s programmes, but also nationally through Science Live, a roadshow for secondary schools that reaches thousands of students aged 12-18 every year. “We get big names doing the shows – and they always sell out. The reach could be 20,000 students a year. It’s amazing.”

Robert’s unwavering dedication to engaging young people with science transformed Imperial’s outreach activity. The creation of the Wohl Reach Out Lab has meant children and schools have a dedicated place in the heart of Imperial's South Kensington campus. Since its development, the way Imperial engages wider society with its work has evolved beyond recognition – from the summer schools to the annual Great Exhibition Road Festival. “What we’ve done to engage wider audiences with science here at Imperial – it’s very impressive. We should be very proud of what we’ve achieved,” says Robert. “We now have an international reputation for our approach to outreach.”

Looking back, Robert sees the Lab and the wider outreach movement it helped inspire as part of a long-term cultural shift – one he’s proud to have helped initiate. “It wasn’t always easy,” he says. “But it’s been worth it.”

Seen as a troublemaker at school, Evo Tongomo wasn’t sure whether university was for her. But teachers who saw her potential encouraged her to apply to Imperial and she got in. During her studies, Evo was a Student Ambassador with Imperial’s Outreach team where she developed a passion for helping vulnerable young people. Then in 2024, she won the Student Award for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of her tireless commitment to outreach but her most inspiring and fulfilling experiences happened in the Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace.

Evo’s school years were marked by a paradoxical mix of good grades and frequent detention. “I had a lot of behaviour problems,” she shares. “I was mostly seen as a bad kid. But there were a few teachers who told me I was bright. I didn’t believe them but whenever I got in trouble, they always gave me a second chance. Eventually, I started realising that maybe I should believe in myself a bit. Those teachers were strict which I hated at the time but in hindsight, the way I was going, I don’t know where I could have ended up.”

Growing up with two siblings in a single-parent household, Evo’s mother was a big believer in education. “She didn’t go to university, but she always had that dream for us,” says Evo. For her A-levels, Evo chose Maths, Drama and Geography. She says she was “obsessed with natural hazards” so looked into geology and Imperial came up.

“I knew it was a good university, but I wasn’t really considering it,” she says. Evo’s Head of Year encouraged her to apply and helped her submit the application. She was invited to an interview and offered a place, conditional on her A-level results.

COVID disrupted everything. Unable to sit her exams, Evo’s grades were assigned by an algorithm, which marked her below her predicted grades - too low for Imperial. “Heartbreak. Terrible times. Lots of stress,” is her summary. The algorithm disproportionately affected students from lower-income backgrounds, sparking national outrage. In response, grades were revised to teacher-assessed predicted grades. For Evo, this meant she had secured her place at Imperial.

“Academically, university was a different playing field,” she says. “Things got real very quickly - I could fumble through school but the reading and study involved in my degree was on another level. I’d always struggled with reading but there was no escaping it at uni,” she shares. It was suggested to her that she speak to Imperial's Disability Advisory Service. They arranged assessments that revealed Evo has a learning disability. “It explained a lot,” she says, thinking back to her school years.

From then on, Evo was able to get the support she needed and ultimately graduated with honours in 2024.

Making space

One of the first things Evo did when she got to Imperial was apply to become a Student Ambassador. “I needed something to fund my living costs, and this looked like something I would enjoy that would also be flexible around my degree.”

Evo started off working on the Maths Homework Club supporting school students with their studies then, as lockdown measures began to lift, she helped with the Summer Schools. “It was so rewarding – you can really connect with the students,” she says.  

But it was in her second year that she did specialist training to support programmes in the Makerspace. “I’d not been in a space like that before. I was hesitant about getting involved as I wasn't sure it was for people like me but it seemed really cool and interesting,” she says. “I’m so happy I joined the Makerspace. I’ve graduated now but I still come in to help. It’s special. It’s such a lovely team and the students we work with are wonderful and so driven. I am really inspired by them – they come up with incredible ideas and execute them so well.” 

Evo mainly helps out on the Move-Up Maker Challenge for people who have completed the Maker Challenge programme. “It warms my heart seeing the participants develop over the years. There’s one student I’ve been working with who has just been given an offer to go to Plymouth University to study Product Design and I’m very proud of her. She’s really grown into herself and become so confident. It’s a wonderful thing to follow these students’ journeys.” 

Evo says she sees herself in many of the students she’s worked with and that couldn’t be truer than for the STEM Futures programme – an Outreach initiative for prospective students of Black heritage. Evo was involved in the first year of the programme and this, alongside her experiences in the Makerspace, planted a seed for her future career. “It really got me thinking about my own journey to university. These programmes help young people connect with their passions, and give them an insight into different opportunities so they can make an informed decision on what is best for them. I just thought how much I would have benefitted from a programme like that when I was their age. I realised this is something I wanted to pursue as a career.” 

Evo dedicated her spare time to engaging young people. She became the Outreach Officer for the Geophysics Society and even delivered activities at her old school. She has now started a new job working for a charity that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain their aspirations. “It’s really rewarding. We provide academic support, mentoring, and enrichment programmes that combine educational and pastoral care to break cycles of disadvantage and open up new opportunities,” she says. “It aligns with my values and my experience with Imperial’s Outreach team really helped me define those."