Science Week in the Senior School is a hands-on exercise in observation and experimentation

What do you get if you combine two tablespoons of warm water, two pinches of xanthan gum, two tablespoons of cornflour and two drops of food colouring?

Or how about some cooking oil mixed with a few drops of food colouring, some water and half an Alka-Selzer? 

And do you know your central pocket loop from your plain arch, and which are the most common and uncommon fingerprints?

These are just some of the investigative practicals carried out during Science Week by St Mary’s students to celebrate science and spark enthusiasm with some real hands-on experimentation. 

It was a whole school affair, with the younger years being aided by those in the Sixth Form who have already decided on a career in STEM and who enjoy giving something back to the science department.

Gabby M. in Year 12 is studying Physics and Chemistry at A level and also regularly helps at Chemistry Club because:

'I enjoy spending time with the younger students because of the fun, laughs and learning we have along the way. This interaction also forms part of my STEMM award, which is designed to encourage and support engagement and development in subjects like science and maths, and it is something I can include in my university application.

'I want to study chemical engineering and focus on aspects like biodegradable plastics, or clean energy. I want to help drive the environmentally focused side of chemical engineering forward.'

Florence M, in Year 7, (main picture) had great success with making slime, using the properties of xanthan, a polysaccharide, to create a stretchy material that has interesting properties while being a whole lot of fun.

Pearl M. prepared an oil and water mix with the indigestion tablet while Issie H-W. explained the science behind the rise and fall of the coloured globules in their hand-made lava lamp:

'The oil is heavier than water, so it sinks to the bottom of the container. The bubbles (of carbon dioxide) from the tablet rise, creating currents in the water which make the oil rise.'

Other practicals included extracting a white stringy substance from strawberries which, while we couldn't see the double helix with the naked eye, we knew was strawberry DNA.

As Tapasya P. explained:

'This experiment with strawberries really highlighted the range of things - everything really - that contains DNA.'

Another fascinating and popular experiment with our young scientists used crushed apple mixed with an enzyme to digest the pectin in the apple cell walls. By using a consistent amount of apple pulp each time, students were able to assess which varieties of apple held the most juice.

The girls all agreed science is huge fun, it offers a great opportunity to learn a lot, and if you just love interesting facts, then you are going to love science!