British Science Festival at UEL

As a part of British Science Festival, our A Level Physics and Maths and learners attended University East London to enjoy talks from the prestigious Award Lecture series.  

The British Science Association (BSA) invited innovative lecturers to deliver talks, recognised for cutting edge work in their field and a commitment to furthering the reach of their work to positively impact the public. 

Physics 

Our physics learners enjoyed a fascinating talk from Quantum physicist Nick Werren who is a Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University. The talk “making sense of nature’s mess” explored quantum mechanics in relation to biological systems. The speaker shared how photosynthesis, the most important chemical reaction for life on earth, is governed by quantum mechanical principles. Through his research, Nick demystified the myth of quantum mechanics in an interesting way as learners were able to relate to this complex topic through the familiarity of plant biology. Nick’s expertise not only fascinated our learners, but also supported them with the curriculum topics of ‘quantum physics’ and ‘work, energy and power’ on the physics course. As well as this talk supporting our learners’ understanding of this key curriculum area, they were also able to see how exciting and innovative the application of quantum mechanics can be.  

“Nick’s talk was so engaging as it challenged learners with complex and original ideas whilst also linking these ideas to the more familiar concept of photosynthesis. Our physics learners, through this engaging lecture, were able to experience how cutting edge and progressive a career in science can be!” Andy, teacher of Physics.  

Physics learner Fiona, who has ambitions to study computer science and physics at university, shared how Nick’s talk illuminated the quantum field for our learners, “Nick Werren had a very engaging way of presenting his research on quantum biology. The premise of his research is studying this specific type of bacteria found in desert environments that uses quantum mechanics within its chlorophyll to convert 90% of the sun’s energy into energy the plant can use. Werren would like to use the same method that bacteria use to increase the efficiency of our solar panels from 40% to the same 90% the bacteria can. This was very interesting for me and I even asked him at the end of the talk for a book recommendation on the subject which he kindly shared with me.”

Maths 

Our maths learners enjoyed a talk from Dr. Sophie Carr on “decoding the maths of society” which explored how Bayesian statistics is a part of everyday life and can be harnessed to deliver countless solutions. Whether it be perfecting spam filters, predicting the weather, analysing clinical trials or anything that shapes our society, statistics is at the heart of it. Dr. Sophie Carr’s lecture explored how we can utilise these statistics to influence better decision making in our world. This lecture consolidated learners’ understanding of statistics whilst also extending their understanding beyond the requirements of the curriculum by showcasing how Bayesian statistics can be used to drive change in our world. This talk also extended beyond the A level maths curriculum as it traversed the exciting intersect between mathematics and science whilst rooting all the content of the lecture in real world issues and concerns. As Dr. Sophie Carr showcased how she uses Bayesian statistics to deliver explainable data science solutions, we hope that one of our learners sitting in the audience of her talk will be inspired to one day go on to do the same!   

Reflecting on this session, learner Ayaan shared “most people think that statistics is just numbers and graphs but it gives you a whole new perspective on the way the world works. Using statistics to interpret the world is a vital tool for our society to advance.”  

Thanks to British Science Association, University of East London and Year of Science for partnering together to deliver such a great event. 
 
 

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