National Science Competition

Local Teenagers Highly Commended in National Science Competition

Eleven Thomas Telford School students attended the Finals of the National Science and Engineering Competition held at the Big Bang Centre in Manchester recently and came away with two out of the five top prizes.

The four teams of 13 and 14 year old students exhibited their projects, two of which – ‘Bacteria Blasters’ and ‘Credit Crunch Creams’ - were judged to be in the top five in the Junior (11-14 year old) category.

As part of the annual TTS Science Fair, the students had spent six weeks designing and carrying out an investigation of their choice. Four of the winning teams then submitted their projects for consideration in this national competition.

Bacteria Blasters - William Hughes from Muxton, Jake Needle (Sutton Hill) and Thomas Foster (Wolverhampton) - investigated the effect of ultra violet radiation on bacteria by exposing agar plates to a UV lamp.

For Credit Crunch Creams, Victoria Palin (Wellington), Charlotte Cadman and Lauren Compton (both Wolverhampton) tested popular sun creams to see which was the most effective. The girls shone UV light through samples of the cream, measuring the amount that went through. They then weighed their effectiveness against the cost of the creams. Surprisingly, they found that a supermarket own brand was very nearly as good as the most expensive cream they tested.

John Luke Harris (Arleston), Connor Roberts (St Georges) and Nathan Wilkes (Wolverhampton) investigated the ‘Science of Sound’, using software that captured and displayed sound waves graphically. They looked at the characteristic tones of different musical instruments playing the same note.

In a project they named ‘Acid Abominators’, Kelly Thompson (Stirchley) and Megan Evans (Ketley Bank) were looking for the best household product to neutralise stomach acid and cure indigestion.

Science Teacher, Mr Richard Lees, said: “The students had a great time at the event. As well as presenting their projects to judges and the public, they were able to take part in a wide variety of activities and see some of the latest science applications in industry and research which provided an excellent insight into the many career opportunities available to science students. Thomas Telford School was well represented, winning two of the top five junior science projects in the 11-14 age group. The winning groups were delighted to come away with £100 each!”