Thatcham pupil takes the stage tonight in television talk about DNA

Kirsten Lilly, aged 12, who attends Kennet School, was in the audience for the science lectures in London earlier in December, which were being filmed, and was chosen to go on stage to assist lecturer Alison Woollard with a demonstration for the show.
A menagerie of creatures will be the focus of this year’s Christmas lectures, entitled ‘Life Fantastic’.
Dr Woollard, a lecturer in genetics at the University of Oxford, will use developmental biology to explore the secret of life and explain what we can learn about ourselves from creatures as diverse as microscopic worms, chihuahuas, the naked mole rat, chickens and lobsters.
Kirsten was asked on to stage to help demonstrate the genetic code that makes up DNA.
She had to find hidden sentences in a wordsearch on a giant lightbox that illustrated the different instructions found in different genes.
She said: “I was really surprised to get picked to go on stage but I really enjoyed it.
“I’m studying cells in my science lesson at school at the moment, so I already knew about genes and nuclei before the lecture, but the way Alison explained them was really interesting and I learnt loads.
“This was my first time visiting the Royal Institution, but I want to come back again for more events.”
The lecture Kirsten appeared in will air tonight (Sat) on BBC Four at 8pm.