YEAR 11 PHYSICS TRIP

James C, Year 11 writes...

I was excited to have attended the Year 11 Physics trip to The Francis Crick Institute and the Wellcome Collection, as part of our IGCSE Physics course. This trip was to enhance our knowledge about ‘Modern Science’ and to better understand the scientific research involving all three sciences as well as literature, art, history, and philosophy.

I feel that both exhibitions have challenged our minds, whilst engaging in various activities.

We first arrived at the Francis Crick Institute, which displayed several science posters around the building. The main purpose of this institute was ‘Outwitting Cancer’ which, in my opinion, is an utterly urgent matter to deal with. These remarkable scientists, with cutting-edge labs at the Crick, are attempting to reverse the effects of cancer and treat patients.

After entering the Institute, we were assigned to different groups with a teacher to guide us through the exhibits. Luckily, I was amongst the first groups to watch a short film representing the different stages in life and the causes of cancer. This film was interesting since it conveyed all the information from certain perspectives, such as the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing lung disease. Whilst watching the film, it was important to jot down some concepts to prevent the transmission of diseases.

Afterward, we walked around multiple sections explaining the effects of cancer and how to treat or prevent them from getting worse. One section highlighted types of cancer, such as cervical cancer which happens in the cervix, and bowel cancer which appears in the large intestine.

Another was how scientists were treating cancer. Blood cancer was investigated by Dominique Bonnet, who uses her expertise on how white blood cells are made in the bone marrow to pinpoint what exactly goes wrong in the process. Furthermore, a woman named Henrietta Lacks was mentioned in both exhibitions, since she possessed advanced cervical cancer which made it difficult to treat.

Finally, near the end of the exhibit, scientists found that plants were a key ingredient to prevent cancer as they contained medicine exclusively for these purposes. It was extremely knowledgeable to attend this exhibition and I would personally recommend it to anyone interested in ‘Modern Science’.

Another exhibition we attended was The Wellcome Collection, which mainly focused on health. This was split into three different sections: Objects in Stereo, Being Human, and In Plain Sight.

The first section was ‘Objects in Stereo’ which was made by British photographer, Jim Naughten, who collects historical artifacts in a combination of stereoscopic and large-scale photography. This exhibition dives deeper into different perspectives and the significance of such objects in modern society, encouraging the relationship between seeing and understanding.

The most interesting part of this was looking at others while holding the stereoscopic viewer. From a certain point of perspective, I could see objects in 3D, when in reality it’s in 2D. This was very interesting considering such objects can convince our brains into seeing something completely peculiar.

The next exhibit was ‘Being Human’, which explores the nature of human beings while reflecting on our hopes and fears about advanced medical knowledge, and the relationship between us and others. “What does it mean to be human?”, this was a truly mysterious question that had many complicated answers to ‘Being Human’.

Their programme helped culturally, socially, and politically, as different perspectives help to answer the question about ‘Being Human’. There are multiple problems with the human race and identifying them is the first step to solving the biggest challenges. In addition, Henrietta Lacks was also represented in this section since she is trying to cope with her fear of her own disease.

The final exhibit was ‘In Plain Sight,’ which highlighted the different ways we see, and are seen, by others. In society, this is extremely problematic, as we experience different opinions depending on how we see the bigger picture. This was to symbolize the different connections the eyes interpret every day as we value seeing, but don’t always appreciate it.

When first entering, raised stripes and spots were on the floor for people who were colour blind. Interestingly, objects around the exhibit represented a subject, forcing us to think outside the box and understand the purpose of displaying such objects.

The whole experience was really enjoyable and I would consider revisiting both exhibitions to gain a better understanding of ‘Modern Science’ and contribute towards assisting in future projects.