Students will undertake half day workshops in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths as well as study skills and career guidance sessions aimed at encouraging aspirations toward Higher Education and continued study of STEM subjects.
Biology – DNA Fingerprinting
Students will take part in a workshop looking at DNA Fingerprinting, learning about the theory and practical applications of DNA profiling. In the setting of a hypothetical crime scene students will learn how to cleave DNA and use gel electrophoresis to compare the DNA found at the crime scene with that of the suspects.
Chemistry – Rates of Reaction
Students will explore how reactions can be affected by different factors such as surface area and concentration. Students will look at the reaction between potassium iodide, sodium thiosulphate, hydrogen peroxide and starch to investigate the effect of concentration on the rate. Students will use their results to predict how they can turn this reaction into a chemical clock!
Physics – Sounds Good at GCSE
Amazing demonstrations of the effects of sound waves (in air, water and fire!) will give students a new insight into the physics of sound and what it can do. A wide range of phenomenon will be studied including ultrasonic and hypersonic effects, and demonstrating what can happen when a wine glass resonates! This session will revise key points from GCSE and introducing some incredible concepts from more advanced physics.
Maths – Geometry & Topology
The symmetry and aesthetic beauty of platonic solids have made them a favourite subject among geometers for hundreds of years. Students will investigate the properties of these wonderful shapes, in an attempt to derive Euler’s Equation (which relates the number of vertices, edges and faces) and its implications for football! These ideas will then be extended into the more abstract branch of Topology. Topology is a fascinating branch of Mathematics beyond what you will normally cover at secondary school. It is like geometry except shapes can be stretched and squashed around as much as you like; so a square is topologically the same as a circle, and a donut is the same as a coffee mug!
Personal Effectiveness
All students will take part in a personal effectiveness workshop which will cover aspects of self motivation, time management, goal setting, communication & presentation skills, self-confidence, university applications.