18 March 2024
Mr Paul Rickard, Head of Science
Students enthusiastically celebrated British Science Week (8-17 March) by delving into this year’s intriguing theme of ‘time’ across the science disciplines.
The Biology Department orchestrated an exhilarating reaction times contest, with students taking on members of our Biology Society. Zara, Year 8, showcased remarkable skill in the Chemistry Department's time challenge, mastering the manipulation of chemical reactions with finesse.
Our Physics Department captivated minds with a workshop exploring the celestial mechanics behind time measurement using stars. Complementing this, Anna M, Lower Sixth, delivered an inspiring talk on the concept of time and time travel, where, among many fascinating nuggets, we learnt that if we were to travel at 99% of the speed of light for 10 seconds, almost 71 seconds would have passed for someone standing next to us as we set off.
Under the adept coordination of the STEM Society, the annual House STEM Competition was a riveting showcase of intellectual prowess and collaborative spirit. Teams comprising four students in Years 7 to 9 engaged in a series of stretching question rounds, followed by an engineering challenge to build the tallest tower of straws in 15 minutes – an undertaking which demanded meticulous planning and teamwork. The competition was fierce, with exceptional ingenuity from the Barat House team rewarded with victory, both in the engineering challenge and the overall competition.
