The annual Durham University School’s Science Festival aims to stimulate interest and encourage wider participation in science, and to support the next generation of scientists from the local area. Students take part in a demanding programme of engineering projects including designing, building and testing, and a range of hands-on science and technology activities. This week 28 Year 9 students from Woodham Academy took part in the event held at the University’s Department of Biosciences. The students had the opportunity to take part in workshops researching wind turbines, exploring recycling, earthquakes or induction and investigating how galaxies form.
Student Liam Collingwood said “My favourite part of the visit was using the Galaxy Maker machine to make our own galaxy and then using the virtual reality goggles for a trip through the stars”. Ayron Brayley enjoyed “The interactive sessions about earthquakes and ‘Life is an illusion which were fun.’ Head of Science and former Woodham student, Andrew Jenkins, said he could remember visiting the Science Festival, which has been running for 22 years, when he was at school, “It is fantastic that the University still finds time to provide such excellent opportunities for local students. The quality of the events provided by their outreach team is second to none.”
