Young scientists share research at Tonbridge’s Annual Science Conference
More than 100 students from schools across the UK came together to present and share their research at Tonbridge’s Annual Science Conference on Friday 10 March.
The full programme included a total of 50 student presentation sessions, display stands created by pupils from as far away as Los Altos High School in California, and powerful keynote speeches from three leading scientists.
Keynote speakers were Professor Lev Sarkisov, Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester; Sophie Harker, Assistant Chief Engineer of Electric Products at BAE Systems; and Professor Sir Jim Smith, Director of Science at the Wellcome Trust and visiting Fellow of the Crick Institute.
Professor Sarkisov delivered a thought-provoking speech on “The future of Chemical Engineering with AI”. He presented real-word examples of how artificial intelligence and machine learning are accelerating the rate of discovery and learning in the world of chemical engineering, emphasising how important an understanding of coding will be to aspiring scientists.
Sophie Harker described her unlikely journey into aerospace engineering, which was inspired by a chance meeting with Britain’s first female astronaut, Dr Helen Sharman. Titled “Engineering the future of flight”, her speech elaborated on the complex engineering challenges her team face in the pursuit of safety, efficiency and sustainability, whilst looking at some of the fascinating aircraft projects she has been involved with, from spaceplanes to hypersonic and electric aircraft.
Professor Sir Jim Smith’s keynote speech, “Lessons from frogs help mend a broken heart”, demonstrated the potential for discovery science to improve people’s lives. He described how his team’s study of frog embryos is providing new insights into developmental disorders and diseases, as well as potentially leading to new ways to create replacement tissues or organs for repair or transplantation.
Schools taking part, in addition to Tonbridge, included Sevenoaks, Woldingham, Harrow, Tonbridge Grammar, Benenden, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar, King’s Canterbury, Winchester, The Judd School, Westminster, Weald of Kent and Skinners’ Kent Academy.
Student presentations, based on a ‘share and discuss’ format, covered areas as diverse as artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics and the influence of the internet on global democracy.
In his closing address, Tonbridge’s Headmaster, James Priory, thanked students for contributing to “a tremendous community of thought, ideas and insight”. He drew the conference’s attention to the anniversary of the birth of Scottish mathematician and geologist, John Playfair, who was the first to propose that a river cuts its own valley.
“Throughout the day, we’ve seen curiosity, creativity, the importance of divergent thinking. We’ve also seen the value of patience, determination, persistence,” Mr Priory said. “Determination with hope will be important as you go onto your further studies and careers. Hold onto that idea: that the river cuts through the valley, thanks not to its power, but its persistence.”
