STEM Ambassadors Visit for Science Activities and Animal Handling
On Tuesday 31 January, STEM Ambassadors from Park Community School joined us for a series of science activities.
Algae Exploration
The first session began with the pupils creating slides and using microscopes in the lab to identify different species of algae. The samples were taken from our biology pond, or cultivated by our Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow, Eve Cavey, in preparation for the pupils. Once the species was identified the students immobilised their algae by trapping the cells in jelly balls made of sodium alginate and calcium chloride solution. The algae then continued to photosynthesise within the jelly, allowing the pupils to take their creations back to their school for experimentation in their own biology lessons.
Evolution and Adaptation
The second session included a workshop on evolution and adaptation. This involved studying many of the specimens in the College's natural history collection, including deer skulls, pinned insects that were collected in Victorian times, and fossils including teeth from a Megalodon shark.
Meeting Dyson
To end the day's activities, the pupils interacted with our living collection. They were introduced to Dyson the carpet python and studied features of snake biology, and were able to hold and compare two different species of tortoise, and met our resident African pygmy hedgehog.
Head back to stories