Thursday 7th March saw Yr7 off to South Kensington to take part in the British Association for the Advancement of Science Discovery Day.
Arriving at the Royal Albert Hall we found that the Met Office had a display stand and so one of our number decided to have a go at weather forecasting. Although his knowledge of geography was decidedly dodgy (Mr Murphy take note!), he did manage to put the right symbol over London - sunny weather all day.
Our first activity was A Journey Into the Stomach. Appropriately enough this was located deep in the bowels of the Royal Albert Hall! After a quick discussion of the different food groups and the importance of a balanced diet, we were led through a gaping mouth into a large inflatable dome. There then followed a highly entertaining talk explaining the importance of digestion, the difference between chemical and physical digestion and the fate of digested food. Along the way we found out why the stomach can't digest itself and that most of your faeces is actually bacteria! I'm sure that Alex Bosier and Daniel Palmer won't forget having to mix up the food in a simulated stomach.
To fill in time between activities the boys popped into the Science Museum and its Space Gallery. Ben considered Einstein's contribution to physics and why we can't travel faster than light; while others tried (mostly successfully!) to design rockets for a variety of jobs, including spying on a foreign power.
Our second activity was a visit to the Astrodome where we were treated to a fascinating account of the Solar System and the night sky - I apologise to any parents whose sons are asking for telescopes!
After lunch we took part in a set of practical activities. The properties of sound and light were investigated with the help of Southampton University and the National Physical Laboratory. Sorry to colleagues who now have to cope with 'snappers' in class, I did try to stop them getting the blueprints! The boys were also able to try out chromatography and (for a lucky few) to investigate what cells are made from.
To round off the day we were interviewed by a reporter from the BBC World Service - goodness knows what the rest of the world will think of St John's!
Many thanks to Mrs Turner and Mrs Waissel (especially for the coffee) and to Messrs Jenkins and Sugden for their help in supervising the boys.
Dr. S. Horbury
Useful Links
The British Association for the Advancement of Science
The National Physics Laboratory
Southampton University Physics Department
© St. John's - DTP, 2000 & 2005 - N. Pauli