When Science Goes Wrong
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On 19 May 2017, a group of Year 10 students travelled to Imperial College to attend a lecture by Dr Simon Foster. They were accompanied by Ms Addo, their Science teacher. Imperial College is one of the top five universities in the world, so the students' expectations were very high. They were not disappointed!
The aim of the lecture was for students to find out about how science is applied in real life and what happens when it goes wrong. Students had a chance to look at the science behind some of the more amazing headlines, including how the "Walkie Talkie" building in London bridge focused the sun's rays resulting in cars and buildings catching fire; and how children ended up having fits after watching an episode of Pokemon, which, when shown on the news, caused adults (including the news readers) to have fits as well.
Pupils' behaviour was exemplary, they did the school proud. You can read their own comments below.
Anchelina
I enjoyed the trip to Imperial College. It helped me become more interested in science and experiments. Imperial College was interesting and a lovely place to visit. I learnt that Wan Hu was the first person to try to go to the moon by strapping himself to a large wicker chair with 47 large rockets attached to it. Unfortunately there was a huge explosion and he disappeared in the mist.
Georgette
On Friday, we went to Imperial college where we watched a demo of how to make gunpowder and the dangers that come with it. What really caught my eye was the Pokemon animation that caused children to have epileptic fits. Even though I am a Pokemon fan I should be more careful. I really enjoyed the trip, it was incredibly interesting.
Shanai
The Imperial College trip was a great experience. We learnt what happens when science goes wrong. Whilst at lunch, we were able to see all the students studying and socialising. This definitely showed the hard work and dedication within the college. Just walking around the campus made me feel excited to see the different areas of the university. It made me think of my own future and possible university experience.
Cheyanne
I liked the trip to Imperial College because it was fun and interesting. I found it really funny when Dr. Simon Foster showed us a clip of an 80-year-old going sky diving on her 80th birthday. It was also fascinating to see the three ingredients of gunpowder..