AS PART of a week full of careers events, students at Bishop Challoner had the pleasure of meeting Baland Jalal, pictured.

Baland spoke about his tough start to life but how he has still been able to achieve his dream which now sees him as a neuroscientist at Cambridge University’s School of Clinical Medicine.

He was previously a fellow at Harvard University and a Visitor Scholar at the Centre for Brain and Cognition at the University of California,

Baland engaged with his audience on a wide range of exciting topics such as ‘sleep paralysis, ‘dreams’ and ‘mirroring actions’.

The positive impact of his presentation was summed up by one student who said: "I went into the talk knowing the bare minimum about neuroscience but came out with a knowledge and interest beyond any expectation.

Another student said: "Being able to learn about subjects that should be complicated in terms that I could understand has opened up a whole new area of science that I am now looking forward to exploring more."

Baland’s visit has definitely inspired many young people into the world of neuroscience.

By Cara McGrath