Transitus enter world of scientific wonders
“Thoroughly enriching” and “eye-opening” were just two of the superlatives used by UCS Year 12 pupils to describe their trip to the New Scientist Live show in East London.
Five stages, 56 main talks, 80 exhibitors – and one group of UCS Transitus pupils who made their way expectantly to the ExCeL London exhibition centre over the weekend of 8/9 October. Their destination was New Scientist Live 2022, a three-day festival comprising thought-provoking talks, ground-breaking experiences, hands-on activities, workshops and performances.
The UCS pupils, thoroughly self-motivated to further their scientific understanding, engaged with talks on all five stages at the show – namely, the main stage and those themed as ‘Mind and Body’, ‘The Universe’, ‘Our Planet’ and ‘The Future’.
Pupils attended lectures and visited stands run by universities, charities and companies. Speakers showcased everything Science has to offer, from mind-bending Maths puzzles to the wonders of nature. Students also met exhibitors and saw the range of careers available within STEM.
Charlotte Goodgame and Samir Rahman were thrilled to hear Turi King, a renowned geneticist who played a part in the discovery of King Richard III’s remains, lecture on ‘DNA Family Secrets’. “It was a privilege to have the opportunity to listen to such a knowledgeable scientist on this subject,” Charlotte said.
‘Mind and Body’ captured the imagination of Joshua Fidler. “I found the lecture titled ‘The Secret Body’ about immunology, biochemistry and protein localisation mapping particularly fascinating,” he said.
‘Our Planet’ was the stage for everything environmental, and here Manar Awadh took in a lecture on marine biology which explained how, and why, 70% of organisms in the midnight zone of the oceans are bioluminescent, producing and emitting light.
‘The Future’, meanwhile, was where you could discover how Science would shape the coming decades. Maruf Samad and Oliver Shaw really enjoyed the ‘Hospital of the Future’ exhibit put on by King’s College London, which illustrated emerging technologies and their usage in Modern Medicine, including surgical robots and VR.
Maruf concluded that the event was “extremely worth attending and will definitely give you an edge for university applications, as well as being an extremely enjoyable.”
