SCIENCE DEPARTMENT’S FIRST MURRAY CENTRE RESIDENCY

During the week of 15 November 2021, the Science Department hosted their first Murray Centre Residency; it was a fantastic week of activities and quizzes, fun and wonder for students – all in the name of science!

The week was kicked off by the superb Dr Helen Czerski as she delivered a Medley Lecture, ‘The Ocean at the Top of the World’. We were lucky to learn about Dr Czerski’s exciting work investigating bubbles during the time she spent on an icebreaker near the north pole. It was a fascinating and engaging evening and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Dr Helen Czerski is a well-known scientist and scientific communicator, and it was fantastic to be able to welcome her to Downe House.

Dr Jones and Mrs Maspero started off the weekly lunchtime slots with some chemistry fun; the classic Elephant’s toothpaste and investigating dry ice. We also had some Origami Organs with Mrs Harrop and Miss Pugsley and ‘tightrope walking fruit’ with Mr Smith; sadly we cannot promise that no fruit or veg were harmed during the making of this balancing act!

It was great to see so many of the students getting invovled with the exciting activities on offer during the week. We had daily recommendations throuhgout the week, and in case you missed them, here they are again (opposite):

Listen to Physics in all its glory with Dr Helen Czerski: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/ m000p6dl

Watch Dr Helen Czerski discuss why Calcium is her favourite element: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=EMNuYOEBOWI Read Storm in a Teacup, or Bubbles. Or a fiction book – The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is about a hen called Sprout who is no longer content laying eggs on demand, only to have them carted off to the market the very next day.

Listen to Crowd Science discuss Do Plants Have Immune Systems? https://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/w3ct1pr0 Watch 25 Chemistry Experiments in 15 Minutes | Andrew Szydlo | TEDxNewcastle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOuEJf8Dr_4 Read 39 Ways to Save the Planet by Tom Heap, and The Everyday Journeys of Ordinary Things by Libby Deutsch. Or a fiction book – In the Key of Code, where music, code and poetry are combined in Emmy’s world.

Listen to Mrs Evans’ favourite podcast Stuff You Should Know | Podcast on Spotify

Watch the excellent Jim Al-Khalili explain the double slit experiment. I love the thought of atoms listening to us! https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=A9tKncAdlHQ

Read For older students, consider picking up No Time to Lose; A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses by Peter Piot; it is a fascinating book for anyone, but particularly for those interested in Medicine and Biology. If you are lower down the school, then have a look at 100 Things to Know About Saving the Planet. Or a fiction book – Before the Coffee Gets Cold is an interesting and emotional book that involves time travelling from a café in Tokyo.

Listen to the awesome Andrea Sella and guests discuss their favourite elements https://www.bbc. co.uk/sounds/brand/b08p6q4r

Watch the video clip about the vampires of Wolf Island in the Galapagos! https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LHP5ZiIPGb0 Read Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry, or Factfulness. Or a fiction book – Klara and the Sun. You get to see the world from the perspective of Klara, a companion and ‘artificial friend’ of a young human girl.

Listen to BBC Sounds Science in Action; there is so much to choose from! https://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/p002vsnb/episodes/player

Watch Peter Wothers detonating a dry compound with a light touch https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=H7oZafSywow Read What if? by Randall Munroe and How to Win a Nobel Prize by Barry Marshall. Or a fiction book; The Bees by Laline Paull, and I am sure you will enjoy following Flora and her exploits in the hive!