Science stars of the future take centre stage at Imperial

School students showed off their science busking skills in the Wohl Reach Out Lab last week.

The group of year seven students from Westminster Academy were given the challenge of developing posters and demonstrations to explain different scientific concepts, as part of an event organised by the Outreach team. The students then put their grasp of these concepts to the test, explaining what they had learnt to an inquisitive audience of Imperial staff and students in an hour of ‘science busking’.

The science busking showcase is an annual event which forms part of Imperial’s long-term engagement programme with Westminster Academy and its primary feeder schools, generously funded by The Exilarch's Foundation.

One of the school students taking part was Faisal Mohsen, aged 11. He said: “We had to pick two experiments to do. The coolest thing was the dry ice, it’s colder than snow and it can burn you if you hold it for too long. It’s been awesome; science is my favourite lesson at school. When I grow up I want to be a scientist or a doctor.”

The students demonstrated experiments such as putting out a tea light with a glass of carbon dioxide, and how to pick ground pepper off the surface of water, using washing up liquid applied to your fingers.

Lucy Lahai, aged 11, said: “It’s really fun. The best thing was being shown how a car engine works with a piece of pipe, a ball and deodorant. I love science. When I grow up I want to be a doctor or a midwife so I can help people.”

Dr Melanie Bottrill, Outreach STEM Programmes Manager at the College, said: “It was fantastic to have all the students from Westminster Academy taking part in our science busking day, getting their hands dirty and getting stuck into the practical experiments. They learn best when they’re engaged and it was exciting to see what they could do.”