Mrs Martin (Head of Year 3 & Junior Science Coordinator)
The Junior School has been a hive of activity this week as we welcomed the girls back into classes for our annual British Science Week. We were fortunate to be joined by an array of amazing Alumnae who have inspired the students with their fascinating work.
We started the week with a talk from alumna, Dr Anna Ploszajski (DAHS 2009), an award-winning materials scientist, engineer and writer who has swum the English Channel. She involved the students with the science behind this swimming feat, modelling tricky experiments from her back garden and discussing everything from the fascinating life cycles of the jellyfish she encountered, to the best food to eat whilst partaking in this mammoth challenge. A perfect role model on International Women’s Day.
Inspired by Anna’s talk, Year 3 investigated how the lifecycle of jellyfish can be reversed. The excitement in their discovery of information was palpable as they uncovered facts including that if you cut a jellyfish in half, the pieces of the jellyfish can regenerate and turn into two new jellies!
Year 3 were also delighted to meet alumna, Helen Hepher (BGS, 2013), an urban designer, who explained her role within the company she works for, Levitt Bernstein. She discussed some of the projects she has been involved with and what aspects are considered when creating sustainable regeneration in urban areas by working with the local communities, designing housing that works alongside the local environment and facilities. Year 3 then set about creating their own urban playground, coming up with their own success criteria, based on the elements Helen had introduced them to.
Meanwhile, Year 4 met Lucy Wood (DAHS, 2000), who leads a team of consultants providing environmental, health & wellbeing, socio-economics and sustainability advice to development projects within a range of sectors. She challenged the girls to design a new community thinking about environmentally friendly and sustainable resources to run the community. They also linked this knowledge to the current Government Census and investigated how people travelled to school; considering if how they could use that information to encourage people to think of alternative modes of transport which are more eco-friendly.
Year 5 were very excited to welcome Dr Claire Kotecki (DAHS 1989), a biologist and academic advisor to the BBC Forensics: The Real CSI’ series. Dr Kotecki give a fascinating virtual tour of her lab in action, where we saw the research she is undertaking into fruit flies. The students were surprised to hear that, as humans, we have 60% of our DNA in common with a fruit fly. As the current Unit of Inquiry centres around digital media, Dr Kotecki talked about how she assesses sources of scientific information. The girls have now been challenged to research their own ‘science stories’ and tell them in a medium of their choosing.
Dr Kotecki also spent time inspiring Year 6. They were fascinated to hear about life as a research scientist and how genetic discoveries made through the study of fruit flies help with medical treatments for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. The students have been set a research and development challenge to come up with a scientific development that could improve our lives, so far ideas include wearable items such as hairbands that include trackers for safety and machines that cook you nutritionally balanced meals!
