Novo Nordisk Foundation Grants New Funding to Next Generation Lab

January 15, 2024

Thousands of high school students have already been closely involved in research and have generated new knowledge about prehistory by analysing proteins from archaeological finds. Thanks to a grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Next Generation Lab can now continue and expand its activities.

In Next Generation Lab, high school students classify original archaeological material using research methods in protein chemistry and provide knowledge about the past. In the interdisciplinary laboratory course for high school classes, "Fingerprints from the Past," students have a day-long visit to the Natural History Museum of Denmark, where they get up close to the research and researchers at the University of Copenhagen. Throughout most of the day, students work practically in the laboratory using various methods for species identification. The results are used by university researchers and published in scientific journals. The high school itself contributes new knowledge about life in medieval cities back to the local museums, which provide the archaeological material.

The course is primarily aimed at subjects such as biology, biotechnology, chemistry, history, physics, intellectual history, and social studies, but other subjects with an interest in the topic are welcome. We tailor the teaching to the students' academic knowledge and skills.

The project is a collaboration between the Natural History Museum of Denmark and GLOBE Institute and is funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation.