Trips out and News
God and the Big Bang
An exciting event for young scientists was held at Rivington and Blackrod High School on Wednesday 14th November 2012, the theme of which was ‘God and the Big Bang’. The aim of the day was to enhance and enable students’ to question the compatibility of science and faith. Year 11, 12 and 13 students from Rivington and Blackrod High School were joined for the day by students from St Joseph’s High School and Westhoughton High School.
Leading Scientists, Dr Mike Clifford, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham; Dr Matt Pritchard, an award winning Magician, Comedian and Science Communicator and Oxford Graduate, Dr Rebecca Lowton who lives locally in Horwich delivered sessions including:
- Science and the Imagination
- Surprising Science
- Chemistry Cluedo
At the end of the day, students had the opportunity to put their questions to the panel in a question and answer session.
Nicola Robertson, Director of Science and Creative Design commented: “The day was a fantastic and exciting opportunity for students to work with leading scientists from across the country. It enabled students to debate science and faith and helped them to answer the questions that many of them ask every day. Thank you to all of the scientists who made thisday possible.”
Working with Slime
Science teachers, Louise Heyes and Kathryn Scholes took Year 11 Separate Science Students: Martha Blow, Sammie Yates, Bevan Summersgill and Rob Collier down to Claypool Primary school. They delivered a 'slime workshop' to year 3 and 4 students as part of science week. The slime workshop enabled pupils to produce their own slime and analyse its properties and uses.
Radionuclides for real
Year 12 and 13 Science Students experienced the latest technologies used by Medical Physicists in the fight against cancer. The vastly oversubscribed Christie Medical Physics and Engineering Open Evening included Lectures and Demonstrations focused on the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Radionuclide therapy and the use of UV and Lasers. These were presented by world experts in their field. The group were in awe of the attention to detail that is given to each patient's treatment in the pre-planning and delivery of their therapy.
Sweetloves Water Treatment Visit
Year 12 students recently paid a visit to Sweetloves Water Treatment Works as part of their Applied Science A Level course. They were shown around the works by Mr. Ian Cassidy and had the opportunity to take photographs of the various stages of water treatment. The photographs will be used to illustrate their coursework. Mr. Cassidy’s background knowledge and experiences of this industry enables the students to include relevant detail vital to access higher grades.
Gifted and Talented Trip to Keble College
During the Easter Holidays, six pupils from Year 10 joined other gifted and talented pupils from across Bolton for a 3 day trip to Keble College, Oxford. The pupils, Jennifer Fletcher, Megan Kelly, Grace Dean, Oliver Horan, Lydia Houghton and Sam Slater took part in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics workshops and also had time to take in the grand, magnificent surroundings of the college and nearby City Centre.
"It made science fun and interesting," said Jennifer Fletcher. The trip was also inspirational for the pupils. "I could hopefully see myself here one day," commented Sam Slater.
Science and Engineering Club
During March, pupils from the Science and Engineering Club were invited to attend the Association of Schools' Science and Engineering Club celebration event in Manchester. The event was for schools in the North West region that have science and engineering clubs. Students took part in a number of activities, and these included: bridge building, science busking and rocket building.
At the end of the day the pupils also attended a 'whizz bang' lecture. The students who represented Rivington and Blackrod High School were excellent and enjoyed collaborating with, and coaching, the primary schools that were involved. Josh Ward, Year 8 commented on how much he enjoyed the experience.
