Why is the ground so white and bright?

With the addition of the new Bachillerato/IB building has come a new colour scheme for the walkways outside the laboratories and going down to the main gate. They say it is in keeping with the colour scheme of the new building, but is there a more environmental reason at play?

Students have said that the surface is too bright and they find it difficult to see. Students and teachers using these walkways have to squint on very sunny days making us all look a little more stressed than we would normally look.

So how is this surface having an environmental impact?

The fact that the surface is reflecting the light (hence very bright) it means that not as much light is being absorbed and converted to heat. The surface is therefore cooler meaning the air above is also cooler. This reflected light should hopefully head off into space and not affect the planet again. The previous surface was red in colour and used to absorb a lot of sunlight energy converting it to heat. This heat would be radiated as infra-red (IR) radiation that would heat the air making it warmer outside the labs. More importantly, this heat would also be trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and increase greenhouse effect and global warming which is a very serious problem we are currently facing. So is Oak House reducing global warming by painting its walkways a very light colour?

A test of the difference in the temperature of the surfaces is to check the light surface and red steps outside the labs. Come and feel the difference yourself to see!

First in Combined Science in Spain 2014

Adriana C. was awarded her certificate for achieving first place in the IGCSE Combined Science exam in Spain for June 2014. This is the third consecutive year that students have managed to achieve this accolade. Let’s see how this year’s group does.

Well done to Adriana! Another achievement to add to the long list!

Nobel de Física 2015

 Aquest mes s'ha donat a conèixer el premi Nobel de Física, i aquest any el comparteixen responsables de dos experiments relacionats amb els neutrins: Takaaki Kajita i Arthur B. McDonald, investigadors al Super-Kamiokande i al SNOLAB, respectivament. , 

Aquests físics s'afegeixen a una llarga tradició de donar premis Nobels de física a físics experimentals. Per algun motiu, els teòrics no són tan populars, i hi ha casos en que el Nobel el rep, no qui ha fet la teoria, si no qui l'ha confirmada. 

Aquests dos experiments investiguen els neutrins que arriben a la Terra de l'espai, però degut a la natura poc interactiva dels neutrins, ho fan sota terra. 

Els neutrins, tot i ser les partícules més abundants a l'Univers, possiblement siguin de les més desconegudes, si no tenim en compte la matèria fosca, de la que l'únic que sabem és el que no pot ser: res que conneguem.

Els neutrins són una de les partícules fonamentals del Model Standard, i fonamentals per la història de  l'Univers. 

Per si algú està interessat en saber més, a Symmetry Magazine hi ha un bon resum (i als articles que hi enllaça).  

Adriana C. and Joves i Ciència

Adriana C. is one of our students in IB1. Last May she was accepted to participate in the Joves i Ciència program along with Isabel Lammers (see last week’s newsletter). In July she went on a two week residential course and here is her account of what happened….

Joves i Ciència was a truly amazing and unique experience, probably one of the best in my life! I participated in the biomedicine project, and our objective was to modify an active agent found in lavender in order to get a possible drug for Alzheimer’s. The project was divided into two main parts: the first focused on the investigation and isolation of BACE-1, a protein involved in Alzheimer’s, and, once we had its three-dimensional structure, we passed on to the second part. This part was dedicated to the design of the drug and the study of its interaction with BACE-1, using computational biology in order to do so. Both parts were combined with theory lessons in order to understand what we were doing.

Although most of the time there was dedicated to science, we had plenty of time to socialise, play instruments and enjoy the beautiful surroundings! We did a whole day outing and had activities every evening. These included a star observation, a scientific comedy show and an orientation race where we all ended up being covered in mud! The people there were amazing and I made great friends.

When it comes to applying for Joves i Ciència, the first step is sending a written application, which includes a motivation letter saying why you chose the project and an answer to a question related to the project. Then, if you are accepted onto the second phase, you attend an interview. I personally didn’t prepare for it, but you can if that makes you feel more confident. Just keep in mind that they’re not interested in seeing how much you know, but how you can think out answers to questions you don’t know, so just show them all of your thinking! It’s true that it’s a competitive program to get into, but no one felt confident of getting in when they applied and it’s certainly worth giving it a try!

Adriana C. IB1

Joves i Ciència

Isabel Lammers (see previous post) had also been selected for the prestigious and select program “JOVES I CIÈNCIA” which runs over three years. Her first installment occurred at the start of July over two weeks and this is Isabel telling us what happened and what she did in order to be selected:

The Experience:

Going to Joves i Ciencia has been one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I chose the project on DNA, evolution and biodiversity. This first year we got to work in a laboratory in the Pyrennees using modern techniques like PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. We also had lessons taught by some brilliant researchers from the CRG (Centre de Regulació Genòmica). We learned how to track genetic diseases, extract and sequence DNA, check for genetically modified food and lots more including how to use cool lab equipment. But it wasn’t all work; we had lots of fun too! We played games at night, went on an excursion, made great friends, explored species of the Pyrenees, watched an exciting film and even had a hilarious scientific comedy show organised for us.

The Selection:

Since there is a long selection process and a low acceptance rate, I never thought I stood much of a chance of getting in. The first part is written and I had to write about my interests, the reason I wanted to go and answer a long question. Later on I got told I had passed onto the second selection process where in an interview lasting half an hour I had to talk about myself, answer some questions and carry out a simple experiment. I thought it went terribly but after an agonizingly long time I was told I’d been accepted. So I highly recommend anyone interested in science to give it a go!

Well done to Isabel and we look forward to seeing how she develops within this program!

If you are a student or parent and are interested in pursuing any of these programs, please feel free to contact the Science Department at r.troy@oakhouseschool.com or a.raig@oakhouseschool.com or leave a comment below.

Cosmo Caixa Explainers

Maybe of our students pursue extracurricular activities that extend their school studies and one such student is Isabel Lammers.

Isabel had recently applied and been accepted for the youth program “EXPLAINERS” run by Cosmo Caixa, the Science Museum here in Barcelona.

Explainers are, and I quote:  “students, chosen for their enthusiasm, knowledge and diversity, who will explain exhibits on the museum floor and answer questions from visitors”.

The program recognizes a dual purpose in having secondary students work with the public:

• ·         to serve the museum by providing an enthusiastic face to visitors and staff;
• ·         to provide a first professional experience to participants who might not otherwise consider a career in the sciences or museum related fields.

 As part of this program, Isabel will have classes, in  a Business school, in public relations, (a very useful skill to have). She will also be getting a tour of the labs in the IQS (Institut Quimic de Sarria) which is a fantastically equipped third level educational institution.

Isabel is very lucky to get an opportunity like this. Watch this space to see how she got on!

A contented Isabel skiving off from her IB1 Chemistry class.

Welcome back!!

Welcome back to the third year of Oak House Science department blog!

What will be different you ask?

More articles written by students about articles they have read and things they are doing that relate to Science and the environment both inside and outside the school.

Our students in ESO (educación secundaria obligatoria: obligational secondary education as a rough translation) take one afternoon a week to take part in an enrichment program. Various activities are arranged including running, debate and of course a Science club. In these clubs, students have the chance to work on topics that interest them and experiment in a more relaxed environment. At the end of each term, these groups will present their findings to their peers and to you via this blog. Keep your eye out for this in November.

The Environment is of concern to many people in the world. We plan to run a number of initiatives both in primary and secondary that will be reported here in this blog.

Also we plan to show you more of what we do as teachers to help our students to achieve success in the areas of Science.

Finally we ask you, whoever you may be, student, teacher, parent or just generally interested Science enthusiast to send your articles to us for possible publication. 

Send them to r.troy@oakhouseschool.com

Thank you for supporting us and let us know what you think via the comments section.

What message would you send?

SETI: the search for extraterrestrial intelligence has been operating for the last sixty years Scientists have been using radio telescopes and searching  space for any form of intelligible radio communication that could be coming from an alien species on a far distant exo-planet. Finding money and telescope time to do this have not been easy. Lately SETI have received a massive investment from a Russian billionaire and are now embarking on a program called “Breakthrough Initiatives”. With this will come more hours to search the heavens and more of the sky to track. Also now that the existence and position of a large number of exo-planets are known, telescopes can now be focused on these points with the hope of a signal.

One new aspect that was being considered, but which will for the moment be rejected, is the sending of our own signal into space which may well be detected by an alien race. But what could we say?

What message could you send that would represent the human race and the fragile planet we live upon? Would you send an accurate picture of the interhuman tensions and total destruction of the planet or a more soft focused view? Should we reveal information about our vulnerabilities to a possibly hostile alien race? Or should we bother as it would take so long to get there and so long for a return signal that humans will no longer exist?

What would you do? Send a message? And if so, what would you say?

To find out more go to here!

Plutó

Plutó era el darrer dels antics planetes que faltava per tenir una visita directa d'una sonda espacial. Finalment la sonda New Horizons el 14 de Juliol ha fet una passada entre Plutó i una de les seves llunes Caront i ara ja fa camí cap al cinturó de Kuiper. Els propers dies les imatges que disposem d'aquest sistema - de moment a més de Plutó i Caront hi ha quatre llunes més - s'afegiran a totes les que ja tenim de les altres missions a la resta de planetes.

Plutó és un dels planetes nans, i era un dels objectes del sistema solar menys conegut. Com han repetit vàries vegades els membres de l'equip de la missió, en un dia es passarà de tenir només una pàgina d'informació sobre Plutó a poder escriure un llibre de text.

No és el primer planeta nan que visitem, la sonda Dawn ha visitat aquest any Ceres, un planeta nan del cinturó d'asteroides. 

La imatge del sistema solar s'ha anat fent cada cop més complexa, i cada planeta té la seva imatge més coneguda, de moment sembla que Plutó, que deu el seu nom al déu de l'inframón, té un gran cor, i és força fotogènic.

La investigació dels sistemes planetaris viu un gran moment: a més de les informacions directes que tenim degut a les missions que estan orbitant planetes, les visites a planetes nans i les sondes que estan sobre cometes o planetes, tenim la informació d'altres sistemes estel·lars en formació o de planetes que fan voltes a altres estrelles. En qualsevol cas, els propers dies descobrirem un nou món.

What is happening in the Science world?

Science students in primary and secondary education may think that science is something that has happened already and everything has been discovered or worked out. But this is so far from the truth...!

Listen to any Science podcast read the news in paper or online and you will see there are many things happening on many fronts.

Who would like to train for a one-way trip to Mars?

How would you deflect an asteroid on a collision course for Earth?

How can we feed 7 billion plus people on the planet and not use up all its resources and cause mass extinction?

These are some of the many issues that today's scientists are tackling and you too could be a part of it!

Watch this space for more news!

Science rocks!