On Monday 29^th January, all of Year 10 from the Royal High School along with other schools across Bath and Bristol went to the Colston Hall in Bristol to hear from five inspirational scientists and a GCSE examiner. This is a really great event which helps to prepare Year 10 and 11 students for their science GCSEs. The day was made up of lectures from the scientists, all talking about their particular interests which fascinated both them and us, followed by the GCSE examiner giving us useful tips on how to best answer questions and how to get all the top marks.

The first scientist was Professor Steve Jones, who talked to all of us about genetics and even super mice which can run for up to 6 hours, compared to normal mice which can run for less than an hour. It was a really fun talk, and the combination of humour and intellect intrigued us all. Next we got another great talk from Lord Robert Winston, all about screening embryos and fertility, as well as modifying embryos before they become implanted to prevent genetically inherited diseases; a truly fascinating topic! Lord Winston encouraged all girls to consider careers in Science – many of the researchers in his lab carrying out ground-breaking research are female scientists.

Next, we had a talk from Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who started her talk with an announcement of her passion for Star Trek by revealing her Star Trek costume. She quickly captivated the audience with her stories of the massive telescopes she had visited and her dreams of going to space. Even though she has dyslexia, she encouraged us to literally “reach for the stars”.

We had two talks from the examiner who told us about what examiners were looking for in exams, and what would score high marks - everyone found these really useful!

After lunch, Jim Al-Khalili engaged everyone in a fascinating speech about time travel, and whether it was possible within the laws of physics. He introduced us to the concept of travelling forward in time, by flying to another planet, where time is slower, then returning to earth in ‘the future’. He also told us how space could be bent, making wormholes, allowing you to travel back in time. This session was definitely very popular sparking many audience questions.

The final talk of the day was given by Dr Andrea Sella, who talked about ‘Strange Ice’ and how the solid form of water floats in its liquid, a familiar theory to everyone who had ever had an iced drink. He explained to us how unusual this is and how there is no other example of an element with these properties. He ended with a literal ‘Bang’, and encouraged us to step up to the problem of ice disappearing, solving environmental problems in the world.

Overall, the trip was very interesting and extremely useful, especially with the exam tips that will provide beneficial when taking our exams. On behalf of Year 10, we would like to thank all the Science teachers who organised the trip to Colston Hall, especially Mrs Parr.

By Mathura, Darcy and Katie, Year 10