'Scientrific' Fun
his term Forms V, VI and VII were fortunate enough to visit the marvellous Catalyst Museum in Widnes.
On arrival, we went to the main gallery to look at all sorts of phenomena such as solar-powered planes, the formation of polymers and different types of beautiful crystals. Meanwhile, another group had a taste of what it’s like to be a forensic scientist as they tried to deduce who was the perpetrator of a ‘crime’. This involved the use of processes such as fingerprint analysis, chromatography and DNA testing.
After a delicious packed lunch, we went to the theatre to watch an amazing light show. We experienced many effects, for example, using infra-red cameras to see people’s footsteps and bending lasers through glass objects. In addition to this, we marvelled at the beauty of bioluminescence.
Following the light show, we went to one of the studios and built our own thirteen-metre-long cable-stayed bridge, which we could walk across!
To wrap it all up, we went up a seemingly never-ending flight of stairs into the observatory, where we looked through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the many types of bridges crossing the River Mersey.
All in all, we had a marvellous experience and it allowed the upper forms to learn a lot about science, the fun way! (by DV & SH)
