Saving lives with broccoli

Inspiring Scientists is a series of resources to help develop students’ understanding and awareness of science and the diversity of scientists. The video profiles were commissioned by the Royal Society and carried out as an oral history project by National Life Stories at the British Library.

The resources showcase the life stories of British scientists with minority ethnic heritage and cover issues such as being a minority in science, influences in their childhoods and the fun and importance of science both to themselves and to the wider community. The activities that accompany the profiles relate to the area of research that the scientist is involved in.

Born in London to parents who emigrated from Ghana, Charlotte Armah’s scientific work may have very obvious benefits for us all. She leads experiments involving human volunteers to learn whether eating particular foods - especially broccoli - can protect us from diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. This work allows her to combine scientific expertise (developed through comprehensive school, a degree and PhD), a keen interest in helping others (encouraged by voluntary work and her Christian faith) and an enjoyment of meeting and interacting with different people. She has been very successful in science - presenting her work all over the world - without feeling that science has ever been an obsession. Rather than playing with chemistry sets as a child, she preferred to sing along to the Radio 1 pop music charts.