Science Fortnight

Science Fortnight at Mill Hill School celebrated Science across The Foundation with various events designed to inspire young minds.

Duckling eggs arrived on Monday morning, and we had hatched a few ducklings by Tuesday evening! All ten of the ducklings made their entrance before the weekend. A set of ducklings visited Dr Damberg’s, Head of Science home for the weekend whilst the other kept Miss Lilley, Assistant Housemistress in Ridgeway and pupils in Ridgeway House company. The ducklings enchanted pupils and staff alike, and their sweet peeping was a day brightener for everyone in the Science Department.

The first week of the celebration included a visit by Year 5 pupils from a local primary school and Keble Prep – a school in The Foundation. Pupils performed flame tests and were regaled with a rainbow fizz demonstration in Chemistry. They completed an escape room to earn a Science Week pencil and made solar system models in Physics. Next, pupils tested astronaut urine to determine whether they were healthy enough to enter space in Biology. Miss Lilley also held a special lunch dissection event where pupils dissected a sheep’s head and a bull’s eye and were amazed at the detail of anatomy they uncovered.

During the first week, Belmont Year 6 pupils visited Mill Hill School to celebrate Women in Science. They decoded names of famous Women Scientists, made lava lamps, experimented with optics and lenses, made bridges, observed cheek cells, and made DNA models from sweets.

Chemistry teachers and Sixth Form pupils visited the Grimsdell Reception class in the second week. The younger pupils enjoyed a rainbow fizz demonstration, made Easter bunnies using lemon juice and washed soda to change the colours of vegetable-dyed filter paper. The Grimsdell Year 2 pupils also visited the Physics Department to make battery-powered Robot bugs!

Lower School Science and Academic Scholars were treated to a Zoom discussion with Phillip Broadwith, Business Editor for Chemistry World Magazine; pupils found this unusual application of a science degree informative and engaging. The Sower Sixth Biologists attended a series of lectures on various Biology topics on Tuesday, and Chemists listen to a series of lectures on Wednesday. The Medic Society members attended the Old Millhillian Medical Professions meeting on Wednesday evening, where they were treated to a lecture by an American physician on his research into the use of stem cells for personalised medicine.

Belmont Year 5 pupils visited Mill Hill School and rotated through the Escape Room, rainbow fizz and flame tests and astronaut urine testing with the Physics, Chemistry and Biology Departments.

Dr Dusza, Head of Physics inspired Mill Hill School pupils by discussing his love of Quantum Physics during all four Chapel services throughout the week. Dr Damberg’s cat, Amy, proved to be the star of the show as she emerged unscathed from the ‘sealed’ box in a dramatic recreation of Schrödinger’s cat experiment, leaving everyone both amused and relieved. The Fortnight ended with a ‘Biology Bakes’ competition which Miss Lilley won with her anatomical cookies of the heart, brain, colon, liver and other organs.

Overall, Science Fortnight was a massive success, and it was wonderful to see pupils from our different schools come together for such engaging and informative sessions.

The Marketing Department has created the video below to give you a flavour of the scientific activities which took place across all seven schools in The Foundation!