25 November 2024
Excellent work on the topic of scleroderma and Raynaud’s Disease saw Year 11 students Feyikewa, Lucy, Laura, Sophie and Maria Eduarda (main photo) reach the finals of Imperial College London’s Science in Medicine competition, which is aimed at Sixth Formers.
In recognition of this fantastic achievement, the girls enjoyed a one-hour online mentoring session with Professor Marina Botto from Imperial College. You can see the detailed research poster the team created for the compeitition in the gallery below.
In November, Sixth Form physicists enjoyed lectures on a wide range of topics at Physics in Action, and members of Physics Society in Year 11 upwards were mesmorised by the night sky on a visit to the Norman Fisher Observatory. Mrs Clayton, Tiffany and Annabelle explain more below (see photos in gallery).
Mrs Michelle Clayton, Head of Physics
Sixth Form students enjoyed lectures on cutting edge physics from academics and experts working in industry at the Physics in Action lecture series. The diverse range of topics covered included quantum photonics, the Coriolis effect and ‘Weighing the Neutrino’. The neutrino talk was particularly interesting. The most abundant particles in the Universe, and the most mysterious, neutrinos were long thought to be massless, but it is now known they do have some mass. The speaker described attempts to determine the mass of the neutrino through explicit laboratory measurements and by considering their role in the cosmos as a whole. The girls also had the opportunity to listen to a panel discussion on how to get into physics-related careers on this enjoyable and hugely beneficial day.
Tiffany and Annabelle, Lower Sixth
When we arrived at the Norman Fisher Observatory, the sky above was full of stars, some brighter than others. As the moon rose, its silver light gleamed with an ethereal radiance. Instantly, we were mesmerised by the sight; stars twinkling amid the black abyss, as if someone had sprinkled a pinch of salt in the sky. We approached the main observatory with anticipation and excitement.
First, an astronomer talked to us about the speed of light and how long it takes to travel certain distances. For instance, we discovered it would only take 0.00001 seconds for light to travel from London to New York but 1600 light years to reach JADES galaxy. The astronomer also showed us some pictures taken by famous telescopes. We were fascinated by the Hubble telescope’s image of the Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation - the resolution was so clear we couldn’t believe it was captured across a distance of 7000 light-years!
After the talk, we went to the astronomical telescope next door. While waiting for the positioning of the telescope, we followed our instructor’s laser pointer instructions and observed the distribution of the orientation of various stars with our naked eyes.
In the magnification of the telescope, we saw Saturn's rings and the moon around it. Next, we saw Jupiter and, to our surprise, the four moons of Jupiter were almost lined up, forming a rare sight. The fourth moon had turned just before our visit and we were lucky enough to get a picture of it. Because time was limited, the technicians pointed their telescopes at the moon and each observed a small portion of it, showing its bumpy surface - proof that it has protected the Earth from the impact of asteroids.
This experience not only deepened our appreciation for the intricacy and beauty of the universe but also ignited our curiosity. There is so much unknown about the universe, just waiting to be explored, and this trip reminded us of all the exciting possibilities awaiting us in the pursuit of astronomy.
