GCSE ‘Science Live’
On 27th February, a group of Year 10 students went to Symphony Hall and heard a serious of lectures about different science topics. There was also a lecture given by a Senior Examiner who told us the correct way to answer questions and what the command words mean in a question.
The first lecture was given by Dr. Kate Lancaster. She is a physicist who works with laser driven fusion. Her lecture was about how nuclear fusion works, and how it could solve the energy crisis. Fusion is the process which powers stars. On earth, by fusing two types of hydrogen called tritium and deuterium, we get the products of helium, neutrons and a lot of energy. However, for them to fuse, they need to be heated to 100 million kelvin. This temperature causes the fuel to turn into plasma, a 4th state of matter. The problem with this is that this process of fusion needs to be done without touching it. There are two ways to effect this: Magnetic Confinement Fusion, where the plasma ‘levitates’ in a donut shaped chamber called a Tokamak. There is also Inertial Confinement Fusion, which uses high power lasers to compress the hydrogen into a high-density pellet. Some advantages of fusion are no emissions, fuel is abundant and there are no long lived radioactive waste.
The second lecture was given by Professor Steve Jones. He is a Professor of Genetics at University College London. He talked about the human characteristics and whether they are effected by the environment or whether we are born with them. He explained that in the past, we used to be killed by external agents i.e. filthy air, starvation, etc. We are now commonly killed by internal agents like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. They are all heritable (passed down from genes) which are made up of DNA. There is enough DNA in one single human to stretch to the moon and back 8,000 times. He gave the example of obesity, a threat to humans in the modern world. Fat people may reduce weight by going on a diet, an environmental effect to get a normal body weight. But people may be born with too much of a hormone called leptin, leading them not to ever be fat, a genetic effect. He talked about the concept of ‘Nature vs. Nurture’, a concept relating to this example.
The third lecture was given by Professor Lord Robert Winston. He is a biologist and studies reproductive and developmental biology, and pioneered IVF treatment. He talked about the reproductive system and how fertility occurs. He showed the path of an egg and how it travels through the fallopian tubes and the defences it uses to ward off external threats, including sperm cells. He also talked about the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, which is when you examine an embryo and remove any disorders it may have. He is now studying trans genetic technology, which uses equipment to alter the genome of a species and make it better.
The fourth lecture was by an examiner and he told us how the GCSEs of 2018 have changed and what the examiner is looking for when they mark your paper. He explained there is slightly less emphasis on recall and more on application, more work on practical work and longer papers with more marks as there is now no coursework. It was also explained on how to revise with some techniques. You should discipline yourself by making a timetable and not to procrastinate. Be ready to adapt. Use past papers constantly. Get enough sleep and rest. The day before the exam, we should check what equipment is needed, relax and not revise all night.
The fifth lecture was given by Professor Lucie Green. She is a solar researcher and studies the sun at University College London. Her lecture was about the sun and the atmosphere around the sun.
The sixth and last lecture was by Professor Andrea Sella, a synthetic chemist from UCL. In his lecture, he showed that ice floats in water, and is the only substance to do so. The density of ice is actually lower than liquid ice (water). He explained that the reason we put ice in drinks is not to cool it down, but to actually maintain a constant temperature while you drink. The ice absorbs the energy from the drink and does not let it warm up to room temperature. He then talked about the melting point of water, and that it changes depending on pressure. On the surface of the earth, where the pressure is 1 atmosphere, the melting point would be 0oC. But as you increase altitude, the pressure would decrease, changing the melting point. This can be seen by the graph below.
Andrea finally explained how ice on earth found at the poles and mountains should be contained. This is because it keeps the temperature of the earth constant, and if the ice was to melt, the earth would not only have higher sea levels, but will warm up quicker.
Syed Ali, Year 10
