It was fantastic to welcome nearly 2,500 local primary school children to our annual science week, which included superb shows, workshops and competitions on the theme of ‘Change and Adapt’.
Visiting pupils enjoyed a variety of workshops run by Sevenoaks staff and students in Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Technology. James Tate, Head of Physics, delivered the ever popular Liquid Nitrogen show and we welcomed The Royal Institution onsite, who wowed audiences with their Explosive Foods show.
We welcomed Dr Louisa Preston, Head of Planetary Science at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory on an astrobiological tour to uncover where and what life might be hiding on Mars. Pupils learnt about the C60 molecule and the Carbon Revolution in workshops and talks run by Dr Jonathan Hare, who was part of the pioneering team that developed the Fullerenes at Sussex University that lead to the 1996 Nobel prize in Chemistry under Sir Harry Kroto.
Dr Martin, our Head of Chemistry, took audiences on a journey from the battlefields of World War I to the high-tech labs of the current day with his talk on the history of cancer chemotherapy.
Professor Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology (Evolution, Behaviour and Environment) at the University of Sussex gave a keynote talk on saving our insects, explaining how our ecosystems would grind to a halt without them, and considering the many ways that we can all get involved in saving them.
Dr Haotian Gu, a Clinical Senior Lecturer at King’s College London, explored the diverse paths available to healthcare professionals, providing an overview of clinical research, what it entails and how it’s conducted. He also held ultrasound workshops, where students had the opportunity to learn how to capture ultrasound images of their own hearts.
On the final day, Dr Fraser Lott, a climate monitoring and attribution scientist from the Met Office, ran hands-on climate-modelling computer workshops with some Sixth Form students.
A sincere thank you to all those who contributed to making the week such an engaging and thought-provoking week.
