JG18 trip to the National Science Museum.

On the 23rd of October, the JG18 cohort went on an exciting trip to the National Science Museum. We spent the day visiting, exploring and learning from many exhibitions such as the Winton Gallery, a surprisingly interesting and beautiful mathematics exhibition, and exploring space, a popular and inspiring gallery all about space and its history.

Our focus on the day was mainly to obtain and retain as much information as possible at each exhibition due to the fact that we were aware that we would have to create a presentation on one of them in the month following the visit. As a result, camera rolls were filled with hundreds of pictures and notes frantically scribbled down. We did have a breakthrough and enjoyed a meal at a local pizzeria and a quick visit to the, slightly overpriced, national museum gift shop.

Two months later, as promised by our programme manager, Leanna Dixon, we were put into groups of about 4-3 people and assigned an exhibition and then left to our own devices to organize ourselves and come up with a 10-minute long presentation to present on the 16th of January. The exhibition my group was assigned to was “Top Secret” an exhibition by GCHQ which explores a century’s worth of intelligence through unseen artefacts, anecdotes, and the rich personal and technological stories that underpin GCHQ’s role at the heart of the nation’s security.

On the 16th, after school, we traveled to Imperial College London to present to a panel of experienced judges. Including Samantha Frances, Teddy, David Barreto Ian, Dr Annalisa Alexandra and Dr Fred Wilson. There was a wide variety of interesting topics presented from climate change to driverless cars. At the end, after some deliberation, the judges declared the winner exhibition: Top Secret!

Overall this experience was very enriching. Both visiting the exhibitions and presenting at Imperial College London were both so enjoyable and beneficial. I improved my time management and teamwork skills whilst simultaneously learning many new facts, appreciating how science and maths are used in the real world and were used throughout history, and getting a cool new NASA badge from the Science Museum gift shop. I would like to thank Leanna Dixon and all the organizers and judges who enabled this amazing opportunity.