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Science Department Pupil VOICE Science Department Pupil VOICE Imperial College London Science Club On Thursday 2 July, Year 12 students attended a personal statement workshop at Imperial College London. In Science Club this year we carried out many investigations but our favourite one was literally opening up nappies. We compared how much water a nappy could absorb to how much a normal cloth could absorb. The nappy absorbed a lot more water than the cloth because the nappy had a special material inside called hydrogel which absorbed a lot of water. We enjoyed this because we had to get our hands a bit wet and it was fun! Reja Ahmed and Chhitiz Gurung 8H Year 7 Science We arrived at the Sir Alexander Fleming Building on the South Kensington Campus. and took our seats in the Lecture Theatre. A postgraduate student who is currently completing her PhD shared her experience of university life. Following her talk there was a lecture about writing a personal statement for university. She shared the dos and don’ts of what to include such as not relying solely on the synonyms tab for alternative words. An opening statement should never include the word haemorrhoids! Always check the definition before you insert a word! Also, make sure that you know what the current developments are in the news for the subject you are considering to study at degree level. These can often be used for academic interviews. BBC News and Channel 4 are what you should be tuning into regularly! She spoke of many more ways of writing an excellent personal statement to guarantee not being put in the ‘No’ pile. Salters’ Festival of Chemistry A fifth year medical student shared how he had used his opportunity at university to become an entrepreneur and start up his own business. He is working with other departments at Imperial College London to develop a glove that controls tremors in patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. At the end of the lecture, we took advantage of the sunshine and toured the university visiting facilities such as the sports centre, library and halls of residence. Altogether it was an informative visit to prepare us for UCAS applications in the next academic year! Tanzim Ali, Year 12 On Wednesday 13 May, Year 7 pupils represented the school at the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry. After a long journey on public transport the boys arrived at Queen Mary University of London. We were greeted by the event organisers and taken to the undergraduate lab to start the Salters’ Challenge. From a selection of suspects, pupils worked in pairs to determine who the criminal was using chromatography techniques and ion tests. Following lunch, the boys participated in a university challenge. They used their science skills to get a liquid solution to change colour in exactly one minute by varying the concentrations of chemicals. After their participation they were treated to a magical demonstration where they learnt about the wonderful chemistry of liquid nitrogen and solid carbon dioxide. They received certificates of participation and really enjoyed the opportunity to apply the science they learnt during lessons to real life situations. Aaron Rex, Ridwanur Rahman, Virgil Doe and Myron Kaunda did an excellent job of representing the school at the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry. Year 12 Chemistry Cambridge Chemistry Year 12 chemistry students took part in the 2015 Cambridge Chemistry Challenge for Lower Sixth. The challenge consisted of a 90 minute written paper taken under exam conditions. It contained two questions which contained parts of the AS level chemistry syllabus as well as chemistry content seen in the first year of a chemistry degree course. Some parts were easily approachable, but other parts were more challenging. Our students used different analytical strategies to tackle the exam and arrive at probable solutions. The science department received a highquality, laser-etched crystal orbital for the students’ participation. Miss A Ansah, Science Teacher Miss A Ansah, Science Teacher 10 Westminster City School Newsletter Edition 020 September 2015
Science Department Pupil VOICE Adventures in Molecular Science On Tuesday 30 June, three of our current AS Level Chemistry students attended AIMS: Adventures in Molecular Science. This one day course, at the Department of Chemistry at UCL, was designed as a taster day for the University Chemistry experience, including lectures / workshops and laboratory work. They also listened to discussions on the merits of studying chemistry at university, future careers for chemists and a chance to ask current undergraduates about their experiences. Following a brief outline of the day, students listened to two undergraduate lectures about the chemical ‘Origins of Life’ and how to harvest ‘Solar Energy from Organic Molecules’. Afterwards, the UCL admissions tutor gave an enlightening lecture on applying and studying for a chemistry degree and the broad range of occupations open to chemistry graduates. After lunch, students made their way to the undergraduate laboratories where they were invited to make an organic compound using the laboratory’s equipment to then analyse their product. The students used the practical skills they have gained at school to make the organic compound. Miss A Ansah, Science Teacher Sixth Form Science Strange Ice In May our sixth form students attended a lively chemistry demonstration lecture at Emanuel School given by Professor Andrea Sella who shared his fascination and love of ice. Ice is so familiar that we take it for granted but it is a material that is so strange that it breaks almost every rule in our text books. Professor Sella of University College London is a synthetic chemist and his Strange Ice demonstration celebrated the centenary of X-ray diffraction. He captivated the whole audience and our students in particular who impressed him so much that he emailed me the next day to compliment them. Mr C Rees, Assistant Headteacher Professor Sella wrote: “At the end of the talk your students asked an impressive number of important and very intelligent questions. I was deeply impressed by them and I would be grateful if you would pass on my regards and thanks for attending my talk and for contributing so much to the discussion at the end. I wish them all the best in their studies.” wcsch.com Dead on Time Year 8 pupils got the fantastic opportunity to take part in the Foundation Schools Science Challenge at Queen Anne’s School in Reading. Pupils were given a taste of real-life forensics together with the opportunity to solve a mysterious death. Pupils needed to apply their best problem solving skills as they uncovered twists, turns and shock revelations in a dramatic film-like mystery. They learnt techniques from the beginnings of forensic science such as analysing finger prints right through to DNA fingerprinting in order to reach a conclusion that fits the evidence and find out who committed the crime. Miss A Ansah, Science Teacher Jordan Yaheya 8k shares his experience: “The science trip to Reading was fantastic. We learnt all kinds of new things like DNA taking, finger-printing and also identifying what our own prints look like. I especially liked the fact that we were able to do DNA testing. It was technically challenging and the pressure of having the whole team relying on you not to make any mistakes was intense. Overall, it was a great day out and I would definitely go again!” Science Careers Engineering a Career Year 10 and Year 12 students attended a talk from Yasmin Ali, a chemical engineer who works at eON. She spoke candidly of her occupation and research in oil and gas exploration. With supplies of oil and gas quickly being depleted, energy companies are looking for innovative ways to efficiently extract oil and gas from the Earth. That means the next generation of scientists and engineers need to invent new technology to solve today’s problems. Yasmin talked of the future development of 3D printers to reduce the storage of spare parts on remote oil rigs among other research goals. She also shared how chemical engineering is a great subject to study at degree level as engineers are in the top three of graduate earners. Plus, engineering is a great profession to pursue if you are interested in branching into investment banking later in your career as you are equipped with the analytical and problem-solving skills that the finance sector look for in candidates. Altogether it was an informative and useful talk. Miss A Ansah, Science Teacher Westminster City School Newsletter 11
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