Meet the Science Team: Wellington Science Week

With Science Week rapidly approaching, Wellington is gearing up for a week-long exploration of the scientific disciplines and how they affect our understanding of the wider world. In preparation for this exciting event, we throw the spotlight onto the teachers who will be leading this journey of discovery. Find out who they are, where they’ve been and what they’ll be getting up to during Science Week. Charles Debieux: Head of science Before Wellington: During my PHD I undertook molecular genetics work in relation to a childhood disease called spinal muscular atrophy. Afterwards I worked at Exeter University to genetically engineer algae to make biodiesel for Shell Oil. I even got to discover and name a new gene. Science inspires because: It enables us to go out into the real world and understand it more completely, leading us to make better choices. Science is intrinsically linked with everything we do, and every discovery leads to genius solutions to new problems. Favourite experiment: I really enjoyed my molecular biology and biochemistry A-level research projects on fermentation using different carbohydrates to affect the respiration of yeast. Favourite science-based movie/book: Bladerunner. I’ve been waiting about 30 years for the sequel! The idea of redefining social boundaries and bonding is a really interesting and relevant concept for today’s world where technology is rewriting many of the rules. During Science Week: I’ll be taking mostly an oversight role of the event. Science Week has grown every year, from PowerPoint posters and a couple of experiments, to the stage where every year group and every department is involved with activities running every day during both subject time and CCA time. It’s a great celebration of science in every form of learning that involves the whole college.   Man-Yee Coleman: Head of prep science Before Wellington: My first degree was in neuro-psychology followed by a masters in research science. I also worked as a senior buyer in the finance industry. Science inspires because: For younger children, the novelty factor of science can’t be underestimated. They are captivated by the idea of hands-on experiments where they can discover something new and amazing. However, the really inspiring thing about science is its ability to allow people to firmly understand the world around them, whereas before they may have only had an instinctive grasp of some things. For example, very early on in life we know about the effect of things like friction and gravity, but without truly understanding why. Science lets fully understand what we think we know, and what we definitely don’t! Favourite experiment: My first time exploring acids and alkalis with litmus paper in school was a real eye opener. It wasn’t anything too wild but seeing the paper change colour according to the PH level made me see how science could allow me to get a much deeper understanding of how everything works. Favourite science-based movie/book/TV series: Futurama, it’s hilarious and actually much of the science they discuss is bang-on! During Science Week: I’m leading the years 3, 4 and 5 science challenges, which are all at different levels. For the year 3 and 4 pupils they will be focusing on observation while the year 5s will produce a three-tier board about their science investigation and present the findings of their experiments. For year 7, I’m taking them on a trip to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum which has an excellent range of exhibitions. I’ll also be running balloon races with the pupils; they’ll get 100 Science Week dollars and they’ll have to design, budget and build a balloon-powered car to race.   Gareth Thomas: Head of computer science Before Wellington: After completing my degree in computer science I went on to work as the webmaster for one of the UK’s major banks. Science inspires because: New technologies are constantly changing our world and people of all ages and walks of life are eager to fully understand them. We’re now at a point in history where technology is ubiquitous; it’s everywhere and it’s moving at such a fast pace that there is always something new, relevant and interesting to every pupil. Practically every week I can pull up a real-world example of exciting and relevant technological advances to show in class. Favourite experiment: During my first term in university I wrote my first website. This was in 1996 when a lot of people didn’t know about the internet and I coded it on notepad in raw HTML, so to get that working and published online felt fantastic. For a singer, their favourite memory might be their first song they create, for me it was that first piece of code that went out into the world. Favourite science-based movie/book: Ex-machina. Even though its science fiction, it’s a reality that could be potentially be only a couple of years away, since we’re just on the cusp of a AI breakthrough that could make some huge changes to our world. During Science Week: I’ll be working with lower Prep pupils doing some games development using text-based coding. Those in upper Prep will be experimenting with LEGO Mindstorms kits to design and programme their own robots. Learning to write to code is becoming an integral part of the Wellington curriculum and will be fundamentally important to the future of our schools and workplaces, so it’s great that pupils are getting the chance to experiment with this now.   Kelly Zhang: Senior lab technician Before Wellington: I studied bio-engineering at Shanghai University. I then worked as a lab technician for four years before coming to Wellington. Science inspires because: Every day is a new discovery and a new challenge. Everything we learn can directly improve people’s daily lives in many different ways. Favourite experiment: In Biology, you often fail to produce the result you’re after, and you need to keep making regular adjustments in order to succeed. A great experiment that reminds me of this was during university when we had to recreate the correct conditions in an artificial womb with the correct growing medium capable of producing a fly. Favourite science-based movie/book/TV series: Dr Who, because it plays around with scientific ideas in a fun way and each episode is completely unique. During Science Week: I’ll be helping the teachers make their activities safe, fun and successful by preparing everything that they need to make sure that everything works and runs smoothly.   Beejesh Deva: Head of chemistry Before Wellington: I completed two degrees in cellular biology and then went to work in a medical testing facility testing protein cells. Science inspires because: We’re always asking “why” and “how” in order to get down to core of understanding the way things work. Everyone has their preconceptions as to why things happen, but studying science lets them build a much bigger and clearer picture in their head about the world we live in. Favourite experiment: I went to a lecture in university which was about limb growth in foetuses, which was just an incredible thing to witness and understand. Favourite science-based movie/book: Too many to count. Right now, I’m reading Philip Pullman and his books have plenty of solid scientific principles in them. I also love Philip K Dick for classic sci-fi, and Isaac Asimov’s books really grab people with their social and philosophical questions for the near future. During Science Week: Liquid nitrogen will be my big showpiece event. Basically, we’ll be putting loads of different things in liquid nitrogen and observing what happens to them. I’ll also be doing a “flashes and bangs” show for the seniors, where I make flash powder, methane bubbles and even a rudimentary flamethrower using flour and a heat source. All great fun!   Paul Lloyd: Head of physics Before Wellington: I studied physics in Scotland before coming to live in Shanghai for the past 11 years. Science inspires because: The knowledge of how the world works is just pure discovery that anyone can quickly come to appreciate. Favourite experiment: Playing around with lasers! That was the basis of my undergraduate degree and I got involved in a project to blow up some concrete with one pretty powerful laser. Favourite science-based movie/book: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, it’s been fantastic for popularising science and getting people interested in it. During Science Week: I’ll be leading a crime scene investigation of a staged murder. Pupils will be running a range of experiments analysing blood, fingerprints and so on to find out the identity of the killer.   Stella Zhang: Lab technician Before Wellington: I studied at Shanghai Ocean University before working in the British International School Shanghai as a lab technician. Science inspires because: It’s so practical and logical, but also so exciting because it’s constantly answering new questions and unlocking mysteries. Favourite experiment: Back in high school we did an experiment to see how plant cells are affected by sugar and salt solutions. It’s a simple experiment but this is why I chose to get involved in biology, because it can show us the most incredible things about life and its inner workings. Favourite science-based movie/book: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, it’s an amazing science fiction book that explores how humans might react when and if we ever discover alien life. During Science Week: As lab technicians we’ll be supporting the teachers and pupils to make sure that they have everything they need to enjoy the week and be successful in their activities.   Ryan Briggs: Sports science teacher Before Wellington: I studied sports technology at the University of Bath in the UK before getting into teaching in London, Chelmsford and most recently Bali. Science inspires because: In sport sciences, athletes are constantly breaking new boundaries in terms of performance. It’s exciting to be on that edge of continual improvement that’s being driven by scientific discovery. Favourite science-based movie/book: Back to the Future, because it shows the fun side of science where you can mess around with different ideas and just let your imagination run wild. During Science Week: We’ll be doing VO2 multi-stage fitness tests to see if Wellington’s pupils are fitter than the teachers! Those carrying out the tests can even compare their performance against top international athletes, which will demonstrate what’s possible with the right training and the correct scientific approach to things like diet, mentality and so on.   Thomas Carter: Chemistry teacher Before Wellington: I obtained a Bachelor of Medical Science before going on to the University of Exeter where I was awarded a PGCE in secondary science with chemistry. I was involved in medical research and had a few years as a ski instructor in Canada which was my first taste of teaching. Science inspires because: It shows you how everything fits together. It relates to everything and anything that happens in our daily lives and allows us to make sense of the world. Favourite science-based movie/book: Wall-E, the Pixar film. Even though it’s very funny, it also has so many hard-hitting scenes with a warning about abusing technology and how we need to conserve what we have. During Science Week: I’m joining in with the reception and nursery to put together the week-long programme of science activities that will hopefully encourage our younger pupils to get excited about science and instil an interest in it that will continue throughout their school years. I’m also running a project with year 9 to create a full scientific investigation of their own devising.   Nishanthi Palakrishnan: Biology teacher Before Wellington: I went to Brighton University to study biological sciences before working in the histopathology lab in King’s College London understanding how diseases occur by identifying abnormalities in cells and tissue. Science inspires because: As humans we naturally want to know how things work, even from a young age. Children always ask “why?”. In science we have the opportunity and the resources to give them the insight into the questions they want to find answers to and allows them to explore them further. Favourite experiment: Dissection always sparked my curiosity because it’s literally peeling back what’s on the surface and discovering the inner workings of things. Favourite science-based movie/book: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre is a must-read because it goes after all the myths and pseudoscience that we all buy into but is completely wrong. The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doige is also amazing for explaining why we act in certain ways so frequently, and the science is fascinating while still being accessible. During Science Week: I’m running a dissection lab where we’ll be looking at the anatomy of a pig, dissecting each part from the digestive system to the heart, lungs and eyeballs. For the younger years, they’re looking at the circus in their curriculum, so we’ll be investigating forces and how they are relevant to circus performers in terms of how they move and interact with each other.   Stefanie Abbot: Science teacher Before Wellington: I studied Biological sciences at Coventry University and I worked as a pharmacy dispensing assistant before getting into teaching. Science inspires because: It lets pupils to take their knowledge that is based in common sense and apply scientific principles to fully understand how and why it works the way it does. It’s those lightbulb moments that can happen at any time that make science so engaging and keeps us asking more questions. Favourite experiment: At university I loved microbiology and genetics experiments involving growing mould and testing their properties. I got to see some very cool stuff that really brought home the complexities of the living world. Favourite science-based movie/book/TV series: I’m a big fan of Grey’s Anatomy! During Science Week: I’m running the house science competition which will involve a “cahoots” style setup; an online science-based multiple-choice quiz where 20 teams across the different houses compete to complete it as quickly and accurately as they can. Of course, the questions will all be related to what they’ve been learning throughout Science Week. I’ll also be making stalactites and stalagmites out of mineral salts, as well as the infamous bath bombs, which were incredibly messy last year! But that’s what science is about: making a mess, putting things together and seeing what happens.