Science week 2019

British Science Week 2019, saw many of our students attend talks, participate in workshops and put on their very own St Martin’s Science Fair.  Whether in the school’s Main Hall, the Old Gym or in the Science labs, there was something by and for everyone.

Our Science week was launched with a workshop by Tideways Careers which brought together Civil Engineers and our Year 10 students.  The girls had the opportunity to find out what Civil Engineers actually do and familiarise themselves with some of the projects they were working on.  Elsewhere, Year 8 students took part in a Radiotherapy workshop about the different types of imaging used to diagnose health issues.

On Tuesday, a  group of Year 7 students had a chance to make ice cream and take part in CYT’s Carbon Free workshop, where they learnt how to reduce their carbon footprint.

ST MARTIN'S SCIENCE FAIR 2019

Wednesday was the highlight of our Science Week when KS3 students had the chance to showcase their projects to their peers, teachers and visiting primary school children.  

Well done to Year 7 who demonstrated the properties of thermochromic  (paints that change colour with the change in temperature) and phosphorescent (paints that glow in the dark) paints; displayed the results of their  investigation into the best materials for making simple phones; and had us all using our senses of smell, touch and taste to identify various mystery items.

Year 8 students, meanwhile, invited us to test the strength of a number of bridges they had built.  They had also designed a number of marble runs and invited all present to get a marble to run for a given time by increasing or decreasing the number of barriers.  Students also used straws to build domes and invited participants to do the same.

Not to be outdone, Year 9 students dazzled us with their pinhole cameras, periscopes, kaleidoscopes and experiments looking into the properties of visible light.

STEM club also had the chance to showcase their amazing robotics work.  they also supervised interactive activities ranging from making simple torches to building the tallest wall in 3 minutes, to using the resus model and even flying drones!

A very big thank you to all the students who contributed to our St Martin’s Science Fair 2019 as well as to the Science and ICT Departments for coordinating a huge range of scientific demonstrations and activities.  All involved really enjoyed welcoming their fellow KS3 students throughout the morning and a number of primary schools in the afternoon.

We ended our busy and exciting Science Week with a STEM Club live chat with Medicine’s discovery scientists.