During the February half term, 32 Lower Sixth students, accompanied by four teachers, had the amazing opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Seattle, Washington.
The title of the conference was ‘Envisioning Tomorrow’s Earth’ and speakers from all over the country, and indeed the world, were invited to present their research findings in areas ranging from sociology and statistics, to astrophysics and exoplanet search. The speakers included academics, senior employees of well-known companies or world-renowned writers and publicists. We also had the opportunity to visit the fair, created in partnership with the EU, where European scientists and developers got the opportunity to present the latest developments in their research. One of the many highlights of the conference was the presentation made by Bill Gates, who talked about the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation in tackling the challenges facing the earth today and tomorrow, as well as possible solutions. Everyone had the opportunity to attend the lectures of interest and there were so many interesting talks that sometimes it was almost impossible to choose the lecture for the slot.
As well as the conference we also got a taste of Seattle and the surrounding area. We visited the fabulous campus of the University of Washington and attended an ice hockey match in nearby Everett. We also visited a number of the must-see attractions of the city: the Museum of Popular Culture, the Museum of Flight at the Boeing headquarters (where we got the opportunity to go aboard the real Air Force 1 and the Concorde), the Chihulli Museum of Glass and the Iconic Space needle, from which we got an unforgettable view at the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier. The trip was truly inspiring and unforgettable!
Sofia Melamed, L6
