By Mrs Gethins (Head of Science)

I had the privilege of attending the IRIS Conference with five students from BGS: three from the Lower Sixth, Eva Blake, Mitali Misra and Shazmin Rijal, and two from Year 8, Charlotte Holden and Jenna Mistry.

Although Mrs Smart (Science Teacher) was unable to attend the trip itself, she played a key role in supporting and guiding the students throughout their projects this year, helping to prepare them for this national event.

The programme for the Conference included student presentations on the stage. Charlotte Holden and Jenna Mistry were outstanding in their Lightning Talk about their Wonky Vegetables project.

All five students engaged well with the delegates as they answered questions about their investigations during the poster presentations. I was very impressed by the high level of scientific knowledge and understanding in all the projects; the students had become experts in their chosen fields.

The Conference also included a keynote speech from an astronomer, as well as a panel of scientists who were interviewed about their careers. All of them had taken different routes through education to reach their goals.

Shazmin Rijal (Lower Sixth) reflected: “Taking part in IRIS was such an amazing experience for me, it pushed me to research independently a topic that I wouldn't normally have learnt through school, and I was able to confidently explain my findings to others. I had a huge sense of confidence after presenting a 10/10 experience I would recommend for more people to do it!”

Mitali Misra (Lower Sixth) added: “Participating in the IRIS conference was an incredible experience. It was really interesting to take part in a scientific event; presenting our work, learning about what everyone else had researched, and hearing from academics in the working world were all inspiring. I’ve really enjoyed this insight into scientific research and am excited to continue working on my project.”

Charlotte Holden (Year 8) said: “The IRIS conference was fantastic. I had a great time there. I learnt about new sciences, like cosmic mining and future flight. We also got to see projects that other school groups had taken part in. It was a fascinating day and would highly recommend the experience for anyone interested in research.” 

Jenna Mistry (Year 8) commented: I am extremely thankful to have been given this opportunity to present my research at this conference. I had a wonderful time, everyone was so kind and welcoming.  I even got to see other people’s presentations and talk to them about their goals and ideas which was very interesting. This is something that I will definitely do again!

Overall, it was a thought-provoking experience for both the students and teachers.