This year’s theme for British Science Week was ‘Connections.’
Our students in Years 7-9 got the chance to take part in British Science Week experiments. There were three experiments which explored the connections theme in different ways:
Build a Brooklands glider
Students learnt about the connections between forces of flight that allow aircraft to soar by building paper gliders designed to optimise life and lessen drag. We hope that if they might be boarding an aeroplane this summer they will be able to tell family members how it works!
Love to communicate
In this experiment, students were asked to imagine a horrific situation where they did not have mobile phones and they were separated on two different islands and the only way they could communicate with each other was to use light or electricity using Morse code. Following the experiment, students considered the two options to assess which was best. Then they considered the various ways we communicate today and what the pros and cons are of each system.
Click here to take a look at the International Morse code.
Connections between food and climate change
Did you know that food production contributes 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and the production of different foods cause very different amounts of emissions? For example, a portion of beef causes 10 times more emissions than a portion of baked beans, on average. This means our food choices can make a difference!
To help students to see the connection between food choices and climate impact they had to create their own lunch using a range of food flashcards which showed both nutritional value and how much water was used to produce it and its carbon emissions.
Then they considered how different choices could have created a more climate-friendly, healthier meal.
Taking part in British Science Week is a great way to encourage students to take an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and introduce transferable skills used by those working in STEM-related jobs. The following qualities are valued in STEM careers, but also many others:
- curious
- logical
- collaborative
- open-minded
- observant
- imaginative
- resilient
- organised.