Science

Science Newsletter Module 6

Students in year 8 were working on the Earth’s structure and different types of rocks. They investigated the crystal size of igneous rocks depending on how quickly they cool, by using salol and adding it to either cold or warm slides. The results produced were very clear and quite pretty!

(from left to right: COLD, WARM, WARM, COLD)

College Figurehead Activities Day

On day 1 of celebrating Marie Curie and the transition to the new college figurehead from Darwin, students saw the sort of work Curie was involved in during the 1900s, including her invention of the first portable X-Ray machine. Few knew of her pioneering work to improve the services for injured soldiers on the front lines and the lasting impact this has had on modern medical technology in warfare. Students had to guess the part of the body shown in the X-ray images and were challenged to find the scientific anatomical names for each part.

They then were asked to create a full skeleton from puzzle pieces - this was a fun challenge with some interesting results showcasing our students' knowledge of anatomy! They were also tasked with coming up with a name and backstory for their skeleton (with our very own Bob for inspiration!)

Curie won two Nobel Prizes for her work in radioactivity – one for Chemistry and one for Physics. Students learned about radioactivity and watched a demonstration of real radioactive sources, such as Radium – one of the two elements Curie worked with extensively. Students used a Geiger-Müller tube to observe the background radiation we are all exposed to on a daily basis - and were simply radiating with excitement!

Overall we had a busy session where students were able to gain an insight into the dangerous work that Marie Curie gave her life to, and her determination to make a name for herself in a society where women struggled to compete with men in scientific fields.