University of Aberdeen scientist Anne Donaldson spent a week at Westminster shadowing city MP Anne Begg in a scheme which aims to build bridges between some of the best research workers in the country and Members of Parliament.
Today (Friday, January 13) Miss Begg found out more about Dr Donaldson's workplace when the Aberdeen South MP spent the morning at the Institute of Medical Sciences.
The Royal Society organises the MP-Scientist Pairing Scheme which helps scientists understand the methods and structures through which they can feed their specialist knowledge to parliamentarians.
The scheme also lets MPs forge direct links with research scientists, which keeps the politicians up to date with topical research and should help them during discussions and decision-making.
Dr Donaldson, a senior lecturer and Royal Society Research Fellow, found her week in November at Westminster fascinating. She said: "I spent half the week shadowing Anne learning what the life of an MP is really like. It was an amazing insight and let me see the great demands that are made of her time.
"The other half of the week was spent attending seminars which showed how science is dealt with in Parliament and how MPs obtain their information about science. It really was a valuable week."
Dr Donaldson, whose research involves trying to understand the basic mechanisms behind the biological processes of cancer, may ask Miss Begg to help set up microscope specimens in her lab. The MP will also get the chance to inspect specimens via high tech microscopes.
Miss Begg said: "I was really excited about my visit to Anne Donaldson's lab. I was allowed to take part in an experiment, something I haven't done since I studied science at school. As someone with a genetic condition and an interest in stem cell research, meeting scientists who are working in this field was fascinating.
“The purpose of the Royal Society scheme is to show how scientists and politicians need to work together to achieve outcomes which will have a positive impact on people's lives."
During her visit the MP also met a number of other leading scientists at the Institute of Medical Sciences.