SCIENCE FOCUS WEEK – March 2018
Plastics and Recycling
In March during British Science Week everyone in Yavneh College took part in a ‘Bring your Own Bottle’ Day! The aim was to encourage all pupils to bring in their own re-usable water bottles whilst educating everyone that all cold water taps at Yavneh are clean drinking water.
In the main foyer there were large bins to place empty recyclable water bottles in to. At the end of the week it was Orah that had managed to recycle the largest number of water bottles. Reducing and recycling plastic is very much in the news at the moment and every form had the opportunity to watch a video on the effects of waste plastics on the environment – particularly the marine environment. As a result of the campaign and an increased awareness we hope more pupils are bringing in their own refillable water bottles, and are continuing to recycle all types of plastic.
KS3 and Year 12 Workshops with the Sea Cadets
During British Science Week, some year 7 and 8 pupils were incredibly fortunate to take part in the Marine Engineering Pathway workshop, delivered by The Sea Cadets. The Sea Cadets are a vibrant national charity, delivering life changing nautical adventure, as well as providing advice for those interested undertaking a career in Marine Engineering. The workshops were fun and hands-on and taught pupils about the principles of engineering through team challenges. Using real-life scenarios, pupils were tasked with designing an engineering solution for building a ship. The workshop supported Science curricula and developed pupils’ application and communication skills as they had to present their design.
In addition, our year 12 Physics students took part in a workshop in a Marine Engineering Pod, fully equipped with both a working and a cross-sectional marine engine. This hands-on, immersive experience was fantastic to further students’ interest in engineering.
The Cancer Sniffing Nose
On 5 March, Mrs Kent and ten of our 6th formers had the pleasure of attending the Ron Arad lecture hosted by Technion UK. This annual lecture brings cutting edge researchers from the Technion University, Israel, to the UK to present their work in a public lecture. In the past, we have heard from Nobel laureate Professor Dan Shechtman about his work or crystal structure and from Dr Qanta Ahmed about her work as a journalist, sleep researcher, and Muslim supporter of Israel. The lectures are always inspiring and informative, as they provide an insight into the challenges and rewards of science as a career.
This year’s speaker was Professor Hossam Haick, who has developed an “electronic nose” which can “sniff out” cancer and 17 specific diseases based on molecules found in a person’s breath. He explained that his drive is to find ways to identify diseases before people begin to show symptoms, which will significantly reduce health care costs and improve the lives of millions of people. The technology he has developed is not limited to the “electronic nose” but his research team is also working on wearable patches, embedding the sensors in fabrics, and even an ink which can indicate if you have a disease by breathing on it.
This was an excellent experience for all of us and an enjoyable evening was had by all.
