On Tuesday 8th November, 35 A-Level physics students went to A-Level Physics Live, where we heard five speakers talk about their fascinating research and work in different fields of physics.
Lower Sixth Student, Emma : “Dr Helen Czerski, an oceanographer, talked about her research into bubbles; both in waves during storms as well as in polar ice. Dr Jessica Wade then introduced us to the world of chiral materials and how they can be used in a variety of applications. Professor Jim Al-Khalili then spoke about the new field of quantum biology, and how living matter can make use of quantum mechanics, such as how quantum tunnelling may be a mechanism for mutations in DNA. Following that, Professor Lucie Green then spoke about her research into how coronal mass ejections on the sun happen, where the plasma on the sun’s surface erupts and can impact space weather and also near-earth satellites. Finally, Dr Simon Singh spoke about how the Big Bang Theory had evolved over time from its first conception to become the accepted model of how the universe began, as it is today.”
Upper Sixth student, Louis – “My favourite speaker was Professor Jim Al-Khalili because he talked about quantum mechanics and it was interesting to learn things like the involvement of quantum tunnelling in nuclear fusion and its potential involvement in DNA mutation. Dr Simon Singh’s talk on the big bang was also interesting as I felt I had a good understanding of almost all the concepts he used so I was able to follow his logic the whole way through. Dr Jessica Wade’s talk was interesting for the opposite reason and there were a lot of hard to grasp concepts introduced so it was challenging to keep up with progress of the talk however it was rewarding in the end as I felt I had learned the basics of a brand new area of physics.”
These engaging lectures introduced us to exciting new areas of physics and inspired us to think about how physics can change the way we see the world.
Mr Roland Chuter (Acting Head of Physics)