Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre

Stemistry

Stemistry

Stemistry was a three-year project that used informal discussion workshops and creative writing to explore stem cell research with diverse community groups.

Project summary

The project was funded by the North East England Stem Cell Institute. It was led by local writer Lisa Matthews.

Stemistry used a sci-art approach, in combination with co-inquiry, to improve the quality of dialogue between stem cell researchers and people from a variety of backgrounds.

The project is a key example of how we are engaging with scientists in the region to work across the disciplinary boundaries of science, social science and the arts and humanities.

Lisa held a series of workshops with two community groups:

  1. A pre-existing group of young Asian women and girls that meet regularly at The Angelou Centre in the West End of Newcastle.
  2. A newly formed group of writers from across the northeast region.

You can explore the resulting work on the stemistry website.