Woodrush Star June 2013 | Page 28

STEM Stem Club Great Bug Hunt On Thursday 6th June, 60 students from the Coppice Primary School came to Woodrush to take part in the Great Bug Hunt 2013, which is a national competition organised by the Association for Science Education. The aim of the competition is to find out what lives in the school grounds. Students had opportunities to pond dip, analyse soil samples, use quadrats and even use pooters to suck up some bugs! Students completed a booklet on the day and the best booklet has been entered to the competition. Well done t o Tom from Coppice who was the winner for the day! Miss Hollingworth Year 10 Science Fair On the 25th March, Mr Ellis, Mr Virdee and I took forty year 10 students to the Science Fair at Birmingham University. The aim of the day was to give our students an insight into student life and what it would be like to study science at university. The day involved different lectures on sports science, IT engineering and geology and also gave the students an opportunity to build robotic cars and then race against each other. 28 This year in stem club, our students are entering the first Lego League National Competition. At STEM club, students take of the roll of engineers and scientists to explore the awe-inspiring storms, quakes, waves and more that we call natural disasters. Students are currently forming teams to enter this years’ national Lego challenge ‘Nature’s Fury’. Teams will discover what can be done when intense natural events meet the places people live, work, and play. The teams are currently building, testing, and programing an autonomous robot using LEGO Robotics kits to solve a set of missions in the National Robot Games. Regional Tournaments are to take place between November and December 2013! As well as the possibility of entering a national competition with our robots, our students have also been eligible to apply for a CREST award. Universities, colleges and employers are looking for people who can problem solve, work hard and work well with other people. A CREST Award says ‘I can do this!’ CREST Awards are also endorsed by UCAS for use in personal statements. If you would like to become involved in STEM club, please see Mr Roberts in S6 or just turn up on the day! Every Tuesday from 2:50-3:50. The Biology Big Quiz On The 22nd March, Ten year 10 students entered the Biology Big Quiz at Birmingham University. The event was held in the Great Hall and was attended by over 25 Birmingham and Worcestershire schools. The event was hosted by two leading biologists at Birmingham University. There were rounds on adaptations, genetics, medicine and even a round in which the students had to make a model of any biological concept. Our teams created excellent models of evolution and of a food web. Unfortunately we did not win but we beat lots of other schools from the area. We even got a guided tour of the university and got to find out lots about student life. Facebug competition Congratulations To Mia, Harry And Maisy For Winning The Woodrush House Competition To Design A Facebook Page For A Microbe Of Their Choice. These Entries Received Certificates From the Microbiology in Schools Advisory Committee for their fantastic efforts. Well done! Biology Challenge 2013 Students in year 9 and 10 entered the biological society’s annual competition; the biology challenge. Students are set questions online that expect them to apply what they have learnt in science to weird and wonderful scenarios. In year 9 Lanchester were overall winners and in year 10 Cadbury students scored the most points and so put them top…….. Good luck to Brindley next year!