Students Race Through Supermarket Sweep Escape Room at STEM Futures

The hands-on engagement activity has been designed by members of the RIMO team as a way to connect a wide range of audiences with the CoDiet project

On August 8th, members of the Research Impact Management Office (RIMO) were invited to participate in STEM Futures; a programme of activities specifically for students of Black heritage who are interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine).  

Black people are currently underrepresented in STEM, so it can be difficult for young Black students to find out first-hand what their next steps should be. This programme has been developed to support students in discovering the wide range of subjects within STEM studies and to help support them into university (more information available on Imperial’s STEM Futures page.)

RIMO put on the Supermarket Sweep: The CoDiet Escape Room, a public engagement activity designed for the CoDiet project in which the students dived into finding clues and solving puzzles, all the while learning about personalised nutrition and health. 

CoDiet is an EU-funded, Horizon Europe project that aims to combat diet-related diseases through innovative diet-monitoring technologies and personalised nutrition. Imperial's Head of Nutrition Research, Professor Gary Frost, is the scientific lead for the project and leads the work on the randomised controlled trial. Professor Franco Sassi, Professor of International Health Policy and Economics within the Business School, leads the project’s exploration of EU policy to determine how to best help society become healthier and lower the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Dr George Mylonas, Associate Professor in Robotics and Technology in the Department of Surgery & Cancer, leads the team developing the wearable smart cameras which will be used by participants in the clinical trial to record what they're eating.

CoDiet is one of several projects in RIMO’s portfolio, where the team leads on communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities. This work is driven by Alexandra Rayner (Science Communications Officer), who created and led the escape room initiative. For STEM Futures, she was accompanied by Marla Geibel (Project Manager) and Siobhan Markus (Project and Impact Manager) to help the students escape the supermarket.

"Our team has been lucky enough to be involved with the STEM Futures programme on several occasions. The students are always so enthusiastic, and it was great to see so many of them jump headfirst into this activity we've designed. We were asked many great questions about CoDiet and left feeling really optimistic about the next generation of STEM leaders." - Alexandra Rayner

Three groups of students in total took part in the activity, with the winning team completing the activity in a speedy 21mins 47secs. All students provided feedback on the activity, with 100% recommending someone else take part. One student commented: 

"I loved working together and how interesting the set up was. I learnt about problem solving and the importance of communication. I wouldn't change anything, the team did a great job!"

Hanna Jama, Diversity and Inclusion Programme Coordinator, who puts together the fantastic programme, commented on the activity: 

"The CoDiet escape room was a real highlight of the Year 12 STEM Futures summer school! It was brilliant to see the students so engaged in a science-based activity that was fun and interactive but also educational. It got students involved and aware of the research taking place at Imperial in a truly unique setting and, most importantly, in a way that felt exciting and accessible. The students were also especially impressed by how their usual classroom was transformed for the experience! Overall, it sparked curiosity, laughter and teamwork, while also helping the students build connections and strengthen their sense of community within the cohort, all through a fun educational experience. It was science with a twist and they loved it!"

Alexandra and the team at RIMO are now working to make the Supermarket Sweep modular for CoDiet's partners around Europe to exhibit in their localities and communities. Keep your eye out for where the Supermarket Sweep might pop up next!

To learn more about the RIMO team, check out their recent feature, Making Research Glow, for an inside look at the office.

For more information on the CoDiet project, visit here, or reach out to Alexandra for any questions about the activity.

Check out a glimpse into the activity in the video below.

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