Winchester-Cheltenham Science Symposium

This year’s Science Symposium at Winchester College, held on 24 November, brought together some 60 sixth-formers from Winchester and Cheltenham Ladies Colleges.

The event comprised two side-by-side events. The first was for upper sixth-formers and was a series of mock interviews where science students hoping to go to university were grilled by teachers from the other school. “When not being interviewed, the upper sixth pupils spent time in Science Library, preparing for the interviews and getting to know each other,” said Head of Science Chas McCaw.

The other event involved lower sixth-formers teaming up to research and give joint presentations and create posters. Topics ranged from the microbiology of mitochondria to schizophrenia to quantum mechanics.

“The Symposium was a great opportunity for us to go beyond exam syllabuses and to learn how science works outside of secondary school,” said Winchester pupil Carson White. “It also gave us the chance to meet new people and talk about topics that we are all interested in and passionate about. We were able to learn so much from other people's presentations as well.”

Carson and his partner from Cheltenham chose to research ion propulsion systems, which use electricity rather than jet fuel to produce thrust. “The symposium allowed us to explore how the concept of aeroplanes which take off silently with a faint blue glow from the engines is starting to become a reality,” he said.

Now in its eighth year, the event is held alternately at Winchester and Cheltenham.

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