First, we spoke about and labelled different parts of the microscope. A microscope is a piece of scientific equipment that lets us see very small things that our naked eyes otherwise couldn't see. The microscope uses lenses, like those in glasses or a magnifying glass, to make things look bigger – this is called magnification. We tested out different specimens under the light microscope and looked at the magnified version of the specimen. Next, we were given a worksheet where we were asked to guess what the magnified version was; we had eight different specimens and options to guess and match up! 

Finally, we had the chance to draw four of the eight specimens observed under the microscope. Once all of these activities were completed, we marked the worksheets. Some students were even shocked to see the correct answers! 

We continued to talk about the microscopic world. We reviewed the different parts of the microscope and their functions for the rest of the morning.

After lunch, we learnt about the human body’s organs and where they are located in the body. We had a model of the human body, and a few students were called to the model to point out to everyone where the organ was and its job. This led us to learn about one of the most vital organs: the lungs. First, we spoke a bit about the lungs and their functions before learning a new way of representing the lungs to understand more about how they function. This session was split into two parts:

First, we established what the lungs are and what they do. The lungs are air-filled organs on either side of the thorax (the chest); they bring oxygen from the air into our body and then into the blood and remove the C02 (carbon dioxide) waste. 

We were then given the opportunity to make a model of the lungs using two balloons and a plastic bottle. First, we were all handed two balloons and one bottle. We tied one balloon up without blowing it up. We then cut the other side off to open the balloon. The bottom of the bottle was cut off for us prior; we were instructed to cover the cut-off part with the tied balloon. We then had to cover the top of the plastic bottle with the second balloon leaving the bottom of the balloon hanging inside.  

The second part of this experiment was using the peak-flow meter to simply measure how quickly one can blow out air from their lungs.

We all had a peak-flow to blow through, and each student had their height measured. Then, the tallest person with the highest peak-flow score from each group stood up to write their name and height on the board.  We then concluded that the taller the person, the higher their score, which means the taller you are, the quicker you are able to blow air out your lungs.

The last part of our session with the Imperial College was learning about the heart and how it functions. We learnt how to use a stethoscope and how to measure our pulse.

Firstly, we measured our pulse using a battery-powered pulse oximeter. We all had different results, and our numbers varied each time we tried. We also learnt two other ways to measure our pulse; you could place your index finger and middle fingers on the wrist at the base of the thumb, count how many beats you feel over a minute or 30 seconds and multiply the number by 2 to work out the pulse. OR you could repeat the same process but place your same fingers on the windpipe. In this final part of the session, we learned many important facts. We discovered an alternative way to listen to the heart using a stethoscope. Each student had a stethoscope to listen to their heartbeat. We listened to each other's heartbeats and noticed that some of us had faster heartbeats and for others it was slower. Most of the students in the group had similar heartbeats as we weren’t moving very much.

Overall, this was an amazing experience, and the Imperial College was an amazing place to visit. We dedicated a whole day to visiting this outstanding place! A perfect opportunity to develop scientific knowledge and skills. One day we will be able to use the knowledge and skills we learnt as an advantage.