Year 9 Science showcase
15 Sep 2016
In Term 3, Year 9 worked on Individual Science Research Projects, where they researched a topic of their choice that related to science.
These culminated in an end-of-term showcase in September. But the 36 selected works had to first pass a preliminary round of judging before being exhibited and judged by an external panel.
The projects were divided into six categories – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Creative, Useful Application and Effective Communication – with a winner for each group.
Amelia’s biology project, ‘How Does Concentration Levels of Fertiliser Affect Plant Growth’ was selected for exhibition and won a highly commended.
For her experiment, she set up six plants, adding fertilizer from 0 per cent to 175 per cent of the recommended dosage to see how the plants would respond.
“They grew more and more until they passed 100 per cent, when they started to die because the salt content had poisoned the roots,” Amelia explained.
She was thrilled with her award considering the “really smart and complicated” experiments on show. “I think the showcase is a way of showing work without the pressure and stress of getting a mark,” she said.
“The range and standard of projects were excellent and the judges were extremely impressed with the students, their understanding and their communication skills,” said Head of Science Mrs Jackie Horsham.
She thanked judges, Professor William Rawlinson, Dr Alex Bannigan, Dr Leanne Armand, Dr Michael Taplin, Mrs Danielle Moore and Mrs Sharon Hodgson for their time, enthusiasm and love of science.