View Spring '14 Issue 26
Olympian efforts
‘Question-Time’ Debate on Energy
This exciting event on 21 March was one of the highlights of the STEM Calendar for 2014. A panel of experts answered a wide range of questions such as ‘As old power stations are turned off, what will replace them?’ and ‘Will the UK invest in wind, nuclear or shale gas technology?’ The panel included Stephen Williams (MP for Bristol West), Alec Beardsell (Wind Turbine Engineer from DNV GL Energy), Alex Murley (RWE Innogy – one of Europe’s leading renewable energy companies), Anne Lawrence (EDF Site Controls Manager for Hinkley Point C Construction Project), Alastair Evans (Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Nuclear Industry Association) and
Philosothon U K On 21 January King’s College Taunton hosted the UK’s first Philosothon. This is a competition in which students are judged on their ability to influence a group of eight others in the discussion of a text which raises several philosophical questions. Philosothons began seven years ago in Australia and Singapore where hundreds of schools are now involved in the event and the teacher of the 2013 Australasia winning team was present in Taunton to award the first UK
Professor Mike Kendall (University of Bristol, Department of Earth Science and an expert on matters concerning the extraction of shale gas).
trophy. The BGS team, comprising eleven students from Year 9 to Upper Sixth, had a most interesting evening of discussions on topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence and the Mind-Brain problem, through to the morality of governments using secret surveillance. We were very pleased to be awarded second place behind Wells Cathedral School and also to have Ben win the prize for the Year 9 Philosopher of the Evening. Congratulations to all involved!
Every year, BGS students take part in Olympiads – subjectspecific competitions which see students from across the UK tackling some truly challenging questions and problems.
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We are delighted to report that once again BGS students have achieved some impressive results. In the British Physics Olympiad there were more than 1,900 entries from the very best students in over 200 schools. Well done to all who took part, especially Jonathan (Gold), Navid and Calum (Silver), Qays (Bronze I) and Sonny (Bronze II), and the nine students who received a commendation. Twenty-six students from the Lower and Upper Sixth were amongst the more than 5,000 nationally who took part in the British Biology Olympiad. Congratulations to James (Gold), Samuel (Silver), Tom Ben Amy Rhiannon and Grace (Bronze) and to the thirteen students awarded highly commended or commended certificates. In the British Mathematical Olympiad fifteen students received the results of the papers they sat in December. Particular congratulations go to Michael (Year 11), who performed exceptionally in the BMO1 paper, gaining the top mark in the School and qualifying automatically for the follow-on BMO2 round. He receives a certificate of distinction, which is awarded to those in the top 25% of BMO1 entrants nationally. Three Upper-sixth Further Mathematics students – Qays Navid and Jae Been – also gained excellent results and took up the opportunity of tackling the challenging BMO2 paper.
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