Sparkling Science Project

The kick-off events will take place at the Medical University of Graz and mark the start of the project. This is where the participating classes and the project team will get to know each other in person.

At the beginning, the participating students will receive an introduction to the basics of pathology. The focus will be on the following questions:

• What is pathology, and what do pathologists do?
• How are the major human organs structured, and what functions do they perform?
• What is tissue, and how is it examined in pathology?
• What role does a biobank play, and how is it organized? 

Afterward, the participants will visit the Institute for Pathology Diagnostics and Research as well as the biobank facilities. This will give them a firsthand look at the day-to-day work of pathology and biobanking in cancer diagnostics and research.

Then it’s time for hands-on experience: The students will work at three stations and learn about basic laboratory procedures..

1. Preparation and Storage of Tissue Samples

• Handling Tissue Samples (simulated using “Frankfurt pieces”)
• Working with a Scalpel and Forceps
• Freezing in Liquid Nitrogen and Storage in Cryotubes at a Biobank 

2. Staining of Paraffin Sections

• Independent performance of a histological hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stain

3. Microscopy of Human Organs

• Examination of healthy human organs under a light microscope

Following the kick-off workshops, the project will continue with two additional interactive sessions. Through hands-on exercises, students will learn how digital pathology tools can make cancer diagnostics more precise and efficient.

In the process, they gain insights into the analysis of medical image data, the handling of datasets, and methods of image annotation and feature extraction. The workshops are led by experts in the fields of pathology and computer science.

Workshop 2: Introduction to Tumor Pathology and Digital Pathology

In the second workshop, participants deepen their medical understanding and work intensively with digital tools for the first time.

• Introduction to the “Case Viewer” software and its application
• Fundamentals of tumor pathology with a focus on skin, lung, and colorectal cancer
• Development of tumors and key risk factors
• Comparison of healthy tissue and tumor tissue using digital microscopy

Workshop 3: Hands-on Training in Digital Pathology and Data Collection

The third workshop focuses on independent work with digital tools. Students apply their knowledge in a practical setting and gain their first experience in data analysis.

• Introduction to the digital pathology software “QuPath”
• Annotation of histological specimens (e.g., colorectal or skin cancer)
• Development of initial simple algorithms for analyzing medical image data

• Universitätsklinik für Dermatologie und Venerologie
• Diagnostik & Forschungsinstitut für Pathologie: Theresa Marie Godschachner (Pathologie) und Markus Plass (digitale Pathologie)
• BBMRI.at: Cornelia Stumptner

• Erika Pirker-Keller
• Menzinger Manuel

• Georg Knittelfelder
• Victoria Marth
• Michael Karner

Our commitment doesn’t end in the classroom: We actively seek to engage with the public and make research accessible and understandable.

Whether at European Researchers’ Night, the youth health conference “Xund&DU,” or the Long Night of Research—we rely on interactive formats and direct dialogue.

At the same time, we also engage our community digitally: On Instagram and TikTok, we share insights into our work and show how modern cancer research works.