Having entered the "Big Bang" Science competition for the first time, Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School not only had a particularly large number of groups entered into the finals, but we also left having won a national award!  Two Year 10 students have shared their experience of the process below.

QUEEN ELIZABETH’S GIRLS’ SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH TO UK FINAL OF THE BIG BANG COMPETITION

23 Year 10 students from Queen Elizabeth’s Girl’s in Barnet are through to the UK final of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition after wowing judges at the regional heats.

Year 10 Students Niamh Quinn, 14, Kirstie Harrison Dunne, 14, Sophie De Naeyer, 15, Zara Ahmadzai, 14, Muna Badiudeen, 15,  Nima Nor, 14, Zahrah Khan,  14, Loraine Benedict, 14, Paris Baheer, 14, Scarlett Schulz, 14, Sophie Peerless, 14, Akua Asare, 15, Anna Mason, 14, Ana McKenna-Ochoa, 15, Anna Campiani, 15, Emily Siu, 15, Rebecca Rajapakse, 15, Rosalind Cross, 14, Olivia Smith, 14, Maricar Armodia, 14, Ilia Sediq, 14, Dilan Cekin, 14, Afia Antwi, 14 and Riona Mustafa, 14 impressed the judges with their studies into:

·       Mars: Is it Possible?

·       Hydro Electricity

·       City Venture- The Future Of City Journeys

·       Research into the different types of bionics

·       Smart Materials, can they help medicine, transport and infrastructure in the future?

·       The possibility of inserting solar panels on the moon to provide a green source of electricity on the Earth.​

·       An app to help people contact each other without using the Internet after a natural disaster

They will go on to join over 200 other project teams from across the UK in the finals, which take place during The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair at the Birmingham NEC, in mid March 2017.

The Big Bang Competition is an annual contest designed to recognise and reward young people's achievements in all areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), as well as helping them build skills and confidence in project-based work.

The competition is open to 11-18 year olds, and gives participants the chance to compete for top prizes such as international experiences worth over £50,000 and prestigious awards such as UK Young Scientist and UK Young Engineer of the Year.

Commenting on Niamh, Kirstie, Sophie, Zara, Muna, Nima, Zahrah, Loraine, Paris, Scarlett, Sophie, Akua, Anna, Ana, Emily, Rebecca, Rosalind, Olivia, Maricar, Ilia, Dilan, Afia and Riona’s success, Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, which organises The Competition said:

“This year’s entries to The Big Bang Competition highlight how talented the UK’s young scientists and engineers are. It’s easy to see why this project has secured a place at the national finals. We’re now excited about seeing all the finalists come together at The Fair in March, where they will have the chance to impress the judges and inspire other young visitors.”

“Congratulations to Niamh, Kirstie, Sophie, Zara, Muna,  Nima, Zahrah, Loraine,Paris, Scarlett, Sophie, Akua, Anna, Ana, Emily, Rebecca, Rosalind, Olivia, Maricar, Ilia, Dilan, Afia, Riona and good luck for March.”

 

Mr S Randhawa, from Queen Elizabeth’s Girl’s, said:

“Having the opportunity to put theory into practice has been great fun and has given the girls an idea of just how interesting a career in the sciences could be. The project has also helped the students develop technical skills and learn how to work well together as a team. To be through to the national final is the icing on the cake – the girls can’t wait to show off their projects again and hope to come back from the UK finals in March with an award!"

For more information visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/competition

During half term, three members of the English Department visited Copenhagen with 29 of our wonderful sixth form students. A review of this study visit can be found below.

We set out at 3.30am from school and arrived bleary eyed in Copenhagen by 10.00am to settle in to our welcoming hostel, The Generator. The first day was spent recovering from a lack of sleep, exploring a brand new city and reassuring ourselves that the wi-fi worked and that Dominoes and TGIs were open. On the second day, we embarked on the main reason for our visit, the trip to Kronberg Castle, the inspiration for Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. We enjoyed a breath-taking guided tour of the castle with the ‘real’ Horatio and speculated as to whether Shakespeare actually visited the castle in his younger life – it looked increasingly likely and pleased us to think so. The third day was spent in Copenhagen. A group of our students enjoyed a bus tour of the city, some intrepid girls ventured out on bikes and the rest of us walked around the city, visiting attractions like the Design Museum and the Little Mermaid. We had lunch in ‘Paper Island’, a wonderful venue full of street food and warmed ourselves on the braziers outside. We left our hopes and dreams on the trees within the art work of Yoko Ono. Never have teenagers walked this far without complaint! The final day was time for final sight seeing, shopping and eating as many pastries as possible.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip spent in the company of our fantastic girls; as always they were a credit to the school, themselves and their families.  Special credit to Ms Kenney Dwyer and those who had to stay for an extra day, coping wonderfully with this unexpected challenge.