Science Week 2025: A Celebration of Curiosity and Discovery
From thrilling competitions and hands-on experiments to thought-provoking talks and scientific showcases, Science Week 2025 was a captivating journey of discovery. Students put their knowledge to the test in intense University Challenges, tackled real-world survival scenarios, and explored cutting-edge science through fascinating lectures and interactive exhibits.
Kicking off in spectacular fashion with brain-bending challenges, the Five-Sciences Challenge had students cracking codes, identifying rocks, and unravelling scientific mysteries, all in the name of victory. Meanwhile, the Middle School University Challenge brought intense competition, with Carey House snatching a win. Sasha and Oliver were unstoppable, nailing eight starter questions. A seriously impressive showcase of quick thinking and encyclopedic knowledge!
The Senior House University Challenge the following day saw Chalmers House winning, with Adam and Cyrus forming an unbeatable duo. The questions covered everything from deep space to deep-sea chemistry, and the competition was fierce!
Wednesday’s Survival Competition had House Families putting their instincts and teamwork to the test, who knew a day at school could feel like a Bear Grylls adventure?
Thursday was a bumper day for Science Week, where Sports Science joined the festivities with an enlightening talk entitled “Perfectionism: Conquering the Fear of Failure.”
Some fundamental psychological principles were covered that transcend sport and enter the realm of performance. The students were given highly transferable skills that will stand them in good stead whether they wish to continue with competitive sport or focus their talents elsewhere.
Zoolab was a huge hit with the Year 7s, showcasing a variety of animals, including large snakes, tarantulas, and even giant hissing cockroaches. As ever, key scientific points were explained, such as their life cycles and adaptations.
The Sykes-Farmer Magazine 2025 was launched by the current Sykes-Farmer Presidents, Alex and Amy. The society is run by the Sixth Formers, who organise a series of talks covering amazing topics that stretch far beyond the curriculum in all areas of Science, such as chromosomal diseases, ion thruster engines, aircraft wing design, piezoelectricity, particle accelerators, and the biochemistry of poisons and venoms, to name but a few. Sixth Formers who are interested in studying Science beyond school regularly attend the sessions after school on Wednesday. The magazine includes a collection of articles following the talks presented at Sykes-Farmer Society this year, all written by students, and is a terrific showcase of how far they stretch themselves academically.
The assemblies this week were all given by the students—fourteen Sixth Formers are attending the “Speaking for Tomorrow” competition at Imperial College this Saturday, where they have to propose a solution to the problem of “how to achieve clean air.” They are judged not just on the scientific merit of their solution but also on its practicality, both economically and politically; a great example of how Science can be used to benefit society. The Sixth Form assembly featured Athena explaining the Biochemistry of venoms and poisons, a lighter version of her Sykes-Farmer presentation.
Throughout lunchtime, Central Hall was the location of a number of showcases of student work: some amazing product designs by the DT department, puzzle-type safe contraptions by Sixth Form Physicists, and a range of challenges by Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Geology, where students were put through their paces.
Today, Sports Science took over Central Hall with a range of cutting-edge equipment, showing how scientifically collected data is used to provide key indicators of sporting performance. Students explored metrics such as power, explosiveness, and vertical jump height, demonstrating the real-world applications of Sports Science.
The finale of the week was the highly anticipated Pi Recital, where students showcased their memorisation skills—some impressively reciting over 100 digits of pi!
The excitement continues on Monday, 17th March, when Dr Andrew Szydlo will present a series of lectures, taking pupils and parents alike on a journey through the world of chemical transformations. Complete with live demonstrations, these lectures will showcase reactions that shaped history and experiments that continue to amaze!
