Tucked away atop Gibbet Hill, the BioMed Grid is a collaborative learning space filled with gizmos and educational tools. Although it’s tailored towards medical and Life Sciences students with its choice of books and services, it is open to anyone and is a great space to work… By Charles Hand
The Essential Info
Here are the key bits you’ll want to know first.
Where is it? The BioMed Grid can be found in the Medical School building on the ground floor. Located at the top of Gibbet Hill campus, the Medical School building can be reached from campus by taking the main road or the path that winds through Tocil woods. You will pass the Medical Teaching Centre and continue through the arch before you reach the grid. Have a look at this interactive map if you aren’t sure.
When is it open?
Mon–Fri: 8am–midnight
Sat–Sun: 11am–9pm
Holidays: 12–6pm
Open all year!
How do I get in? You will need your University ID card to enter the building and then again to enter the study space. Don’t forget it!
Facilities
The BioMed Grid has an ethos centred on group work, brainstorming and presentations. To facilitate this it has computers, desks and sofas for you and your friends to work at. These spaces can’t be booked, so simply turn up and use them. On top of the basics, there are whiteboards, panaboards (the fancy ones that let you print out what you’ve written on them) and smart boards (interactive whiteboards). You’ll also find extra gizmos to help with editing in the form of Macbook Pro, a Mac and a camera, if you should need them. The Student Assistants, who look after the space, can provide feedback and help you with presentations and video/sound editing. There are also workshops and drop-ins to support you with developing these skills.
Check out this comparison table to see which spaces can meet your tech needs.
Medical and Life Sciences students
For those of you taking medically orientated courses, the grid has some extremely useful resources. To start with, it has books of course! Bear in mind, however, that these are for reference only and cannot be taken away from the grid. There are also anatomy models and flash cards to help you revise.
The pièce de résistance of the BioMed Grid, however, is the Clinical Skills area. This has an examination couch, a screen for privacy and a wide range of medical equipment available for rent. It’s the perfect place to practice your examination skills and you can receive OSCEs feedback from trained staff. This is a resource I took full advantage of during my exams and would highly recommend it!
Top Tips
- The doors to the building shut very quickly so don’t try to squeeze through as they are closing!
- Hot drinks and cold food only allowed.
- There is a coffee shop and café within the building for refuelling.
- Being a collaborative space, it does mean people will be talking. This also means groups will be given priority of the smart boards and other technologies over individuals.
- The Student Assistants have varied backgrounds so ask them whatever you want and one of them is bound to be able to help.
- If you have any questions about the space, you can always ask one of the Community Engagement Student Assistants in the space or email [email protected]
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