Coughs and sneezes spread diseases

Inspiring Scientists is a series of resources to help develop students’ understanding and awareness of science and the diversity of scientists. The video profiles were commissioned by the Royal Society and carried out as an oral history project by National Life Stories at the British Library.

The resources showcase the life stories of British scientists with minority ethnic heritage and cover issues such as being a minority in science, influences in their childhoods and the fun and importance of science both to themselves and to the wider community. The activities that accompany the profiles relate to the area of research that the scientist is involved in.

The video to accompany this activity can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YQjlQA0fA

Donald Palmer's job involves studying, and teaching others how the human body protects itself from infections and malfunctions, including cancer. He is especially interested in the way the immune system changes with age, and examines the surfaces of human cells using chemicals and instruments. As a child born and brought up in south London by parents who emigrated from Jamaica, he watched Star Trek and read Marvel comics, identifying with the character of Peter Parker (Spiderman) as a 'regular' person who liked and was good at science. His journey from school to Senior Lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College began with an Ordinary National Diploma in Medical Sciences at South London Technical College. He attributes his success to helpful 'mentors' and his own 'hunger' to succeed.