Skip to content ↓

Science Newsletter Articles

March 2024

Archive

  • Year 7 Media Correspondents Science Week Report

    Published 25/03/24

    Rocket Science

    Science has always been amazing but on Wednesday last week we had an extremely amazing show: The rocket show that we’re writing about today. The show consisted of multiple experiments and a lot of fire. But don’t worry, it was very safe.

    Charlotte’s favourite part of the show was when the balloon exploded due to the mixture of helium and a type of acid.

    Lakshi’s favourite part of the show was when we lit plastic bottles on fire, and they flung them in different directions.

    Another good part of the show was when Nathan demonstrated that, in fact, jetpacks will not be invented until a scientist can figure out how to balance human weight and the fuel used to fly.

    In conclusion, the show was a blast, and it was very entertaining, and we enjoyed it so much. We are so glad Nathan had time to show us the wonders of science, because with science, humans can achieve anything.

    Lakshi & Charlotte, Year 7 Correspondents

    Last Wednesday, KS3 had the pleasure of watching a live show of 'Wonderstruck' that was all about rocket science. It had absolutely everything, from jumping Rice Krispies to mind-blowing demolitions (amongst so much more). The show was interesting, exciting and really funny - it even had the participation of staff and peers.

    My favourite part, by far, was when we put together our very own homemade rocket engine. This was 2 litres, which we later found out was enough to propel a student (shout out to Jeeya) in a 'car' all the way across the hall. I thought this was especially cool because something so important to the field of science was right in front of us, so simple and easy to put together.

    Something else that confused me was when we set fire to a cotton wool ball and, while alight, could be picked up and tossed from one hand to the other. This proved how heat rises, so by bouncing it on a flat palm, you could avoid a nasty burn.

    The last thing I would like to talk about is one of those mind-blowing demolitions I mentioned previously. To do this, a huge balloon was filled with nitrogen, which I learnt at room temperature is a gas. Then finally, we set light to the balloon engulfing itself and the space around it in flames. To top it all off, it created a mighty bang that, even with my ears covered, was immensely loud.

    Overall, I really enjoyed this show. I learnt so much without even realising it; what an opportunity to watch first hand. Oh and, of course, I will not forget, as they kept telling us: do not try this at home!

    Ayla, Year 7 Correspondent

    Read More

  • Biology In Action

    Published 25/03/24

    The Biology in Action trip certainly provided a useful and insightful look into the multitudes of different careers and opportunities within the broad subject of biology.  A small group of us, all higher biology students, attended the trip to Emmanuel Hall in Westminster, along with a few other schools too. The centre looked amazing, with amazing speakers there too. Every lecture was around 45 minutes long, discussing various different uses of biology in everyday life and so many different career paths instead of the presumed doctor, dentist, or veterinarian that always comes to mind to a lot of people, including me, when a career in biology is mentioned. There were six lectures throughout the day, varying from exam tips to research expeditions, virology, and even methods of saving species from extinction, such as the Northern White Rhino, which was certainly unique and interesting. To me, the most interesting lecture was the one on virology, with the speaker sharing her role in science and even sharing her method of discovering a once unknown outbreak of plague around 4000 years ago, which certainly inspired me to perhaps follow a career in that sector of science. Overall, the trip opened my eyes to many unique and exciting opportunities for me in science and widened my knowledge of the subject of biology and the impact it has on our living world.

    George Claydon, Year 12

    Overall, the trip was a great day out in such a nice venue; it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to be able to listen to such experiences from experts in the field. A variety of compelling lectures were given, one on the awesome experiences in the Amazon Rainforest, major trauma centres around the UK, an emotive talk on the Northern White Rhinos, a talk from Miss Estruch and a talk from a PHD completed doctor on her experiences with researching infectious diseases from-thousand year old human remains. Constantly engaging talks allowed all the students to be attentive all of the time. The day was all in all very eye-opening and definitely pushed me more towards Biology as a whole.

    Shishir Gautum, Year 12

    Read More

  • Physics in Action Trip

    Published 19/03/24

    Read More

  • Chemistry Race

    Published 06/03/24

    Five of our top Chemistry students; Ethan Abbate, Scarlett Basquil, Leo Dhunnoockchand, Nathan Kuhn and Adrianne Yu-Mason were selected to attend the prestigious Chemistry Race held at the world-renowned University of Cambridge. 

     

     

     

    This Chemistry Race is a new chemistry competition in the UK for teams of 3-5 Sixth Form students organised by students at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. The race originated as a Czech competition Chemiklání at the University of Pardubice in 2015.

    The teams race against each other in solving chemistry problems; whoever gets the most points within the time limit wins! Our Year 12 students competed against Year 13 students and attained a respectable position on the leader board.

    Dr Numbere, Chemistry Department

    During the first weekend of half-term, a team of Sixth Form students, including myself, went to the University of Cambridge to take part in the annual Chemistry Race that was also taking place in Oxford as well. It was very exciting being in the lecture halls competing against other teams who were just as passionate about Chemistry - and winning! The BGS team worked hard to compete as many questions as possible in the two-hour time limit, helping each other along the way. And although we didn’t win, we had a fantastic time solving questions and having fun together. Overall, it was an amazing experience.

    Scarlett Basquil, Year 12

    During the half-term holidays, I, alongside four other Year 12 students, had the privilege of attending the Chemistry Race in Cambridge where we would compete against around 60 teams of 4–5 people. The venue for the competition was in a science lecture room, which really gave me an insight into what it is like doing a science course at Cambridge University. The competition lasted two hours in which we had to answer as many questions as possible, but had to get a question correct in order to move on to the next one, which certainly was a challenge despite our combined knowledge of chemistry. All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience and I especially appreciated being able to meet people from other schools who were also looking to further their knowledge of science. I hope that BGS will get to compete in the Chemistry Race next year as it is a superb opportunity for any keen chemist.

    Nathan Kuhn, Year 12

    Read More

  • British Science Week 2024

    Published 06/03/24
    Chemistry in Action

    On the 29th February, myself and a group of higher chemistry students went to the Chemistry in Action lecture at the Emmanuel Centre in London. In this lecture we gained an insight into multiple fields of chemistry that we could go into in the future and their current ideas and innovations in solving problems with society, the environment and industry.

    We learnt about the current progress in making batteries more sustainable by finding more environmentally friendly alternatives for their components while also trying to increase their effectiveness in supplying and storing energy.

    In nuclear chemistry we were informed about the ways that nuclear waste can be recycled in order to decrease the amount of high level nuclear waste. Some fission products can be used in medicine to target metastatic cancer cells and in space exploration in the form of nuclear batteries. They debunked misconceptions and explained in detail how nuclear waste is disposed of and how rigorous safety regulations are, which definitely helped ease a lot of our fears about the disposal of nuclear waste affecting the environment.

    Then there was a panel of Chemistry graduates who gave their experiences in university and career decisions. We could go into chemical engineering, with study years abroad, and write a PhD on a cell's chemical signals or work in industry in analytical chemistry and do an iterated Masters, or even do an apprenticeship and specialise in crystallisation of medicine. What connected all of their experiences together was a love and curiosity for chemistry.

    Since important tests are coming soon, a professional chemistry marker explained and clarified the questions on the papers and helped us avoid common errors in regard to the command terms in the question. As usual, always read the question.

    An “Accidental” Material Chemist explained how she became passionate about material chemistry through opportunities offered by university and international competitions, pushing science to its limits. She also wrote a PhD on creating a type of composite pellet that would be viable as a sustainable container of hydrogen to power cars, which involved lots of hands-on practical work and exploring different ratios of material to see new properties.

    Finally, we learnt about the ways that synthetic chemistry can help diseases like snake bites in the tropics (a commonly disregarded illness). Current treatments include antivenoms which rely on knowing the species of snake for a specific medicine or having to deal with multiple horrible side effects from receiving many different antivenoms. Antivenoms are also really expensive, hard to synthesise and hard to transport due to their temperature requirements, so chemists have been trying to synthesise glycopolymers in order to replicate the properties of antivenoms in order to diagnose and treat snake bites while also increasing accessibility of healthcare to all people.

    This was a fantastic learning experience which broadened our horizons with what we can do with the field of chemistry in the future.       

    Adrianne Yu-Mason, Year 12

    This was a fantastic introduction to British Science Week which commences on Friday 8th March, so please look out for more STEM events organised by the Science Department.

    Mrs Moore, Head of Science

    Read More

March 2024

Archive

Cookie Policy