WOW! It's Paperclip Science

On Tuesday evening an amazing 18 teams of enthusiastic, lively and thoroughly-focused girls from the L4-L5 competed in the Science department’s annual ‘Paperclip Science’ event. They had prepared themselves to present demonstrations of scientific phenomena ranging from static electricity, through a number of colourful and spectacular chemical reactions, to centres of gravity and the enigmatic behaviour of materials.

The winning team of ‘V-amp Lava Lamp’ gave a spectacular demonstration of how lava lamps work using cooking oil, coloured water and Alka-Seltzer tablets with a clear and confident commentary. The second-placed team – ‘Egg-cellent’ – used hard-boiled eggs to demonstrate atmospheric pressure. Two teams – ‘VST Winners’ and ‘Rainbow’ shared third place. The common feature of all the winning teams was the ‘Wow!’ factor which had the audience gasping in amazement.

Organising teacher, Martin Crabtree, said, ‘The response to the competition was almost overwhelming this year with so many girls eager to be involved. This competition gives them the opportunity to look into some fun, everyday aspects of science and to develop their curiosity as well as their presentation and teamworking skills. It was both entertaining and very satisfying to see them at work.’

Paperclip Science challenges students to demonstrate an aspect of science using everyday household items and materials, requiring ingenuity, initiative, and some original thinking. It is part of the school’s ‘Eureka!’ programme, which aims to raise students’ awareness of science and illustrate how it can be applied to everyday life and the world around them.