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2008 proved to be another successful and progressive year for the Science Department. Exam results for AS, A2 and IGCSE were excellent for all three sciences. We are particularly proud of two of our physicists who have offers to read Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge.

Both Mason and Harold used all sorts of basic materials, including a stacking cup holder, to design and build a wind tunnel which they were able to discuss at their university interviews. In addition to this they could share their experiences from their visit to CERN last year.

Unfortunately, this year the Sixth Form trip to CERN was postponed due to the scientists turning the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) on and trying to recreate the “God particle”. How inconsiderate of them!
However, whilst “Mohammed “ could not go to the “mountain”, the “mountain came to Mohammed” in the form of Dr Licia Verde, one of the CERN scientists. Dr Verde, who looked nothing like a “mad scientist” gave a fascinating talk about the ‘Dark Side of the Universe’.

Some of the questions she was faced with were very thought provoking, but my favourite question was from Jeroen in Year 8 who asked her, “Well . . . after all this . . . what if you’re all wrong?!” Her reply was, “Well, who knows, we may be!”

In the Autumn Term the Year 11 and KS3 trips went well. Science week was another success. However, next year we are going to move Science Week to March to be in line with National Science and Engineering Week in the UK.

This year saw the departure of Miss Irina Feraru as she went back to Romania. I’d like to thank Mr Varley for stepping in and being so fantastic with all the classes. We will be very sorry to see him go but hope he and his wife enjoy travelling around the USA.

Finally, I’d like to thank my entire department for all their hard work in making this year a success.

Alison Williams

WHAT IS CHEMISTRY?

The impact of Chemistry cannot be overstated. Every single material thing in the universe is a chemical. Chemistry is the science of the materials that make up our physical world. Chemistry is everywhere, and we use it all the time in our daily lives, probably without knowing it. The life processes of all organisms involve chemical changes.
One of the main functions of the chemist is to rearrange the atoms of known substances to produce new products.
Chemists play a key role in the development of drugs, which are helping to cure and alleviate diseases and prolong life span.

Chemists are also at the forefront of developing fields such as nanotechnology. They are actively involved in environmental issues and are helping to tap new sources of energy.

Here are some things that wouldn’t be possible without the field of chemistry.

• No plastic. That’s no plastic bags, no CDs or DVDs, no iPods, or plastic cups and plates.
• No gasoline. No driving fancy cars!
• No pharmaceuticals. Modern medicine wouldn’t exist. No aspirin, no pain killers!
• No water purification. Drinking water would make you sick half the time. Most of the sewage treatment is done using chemistry.
• No synthetic fertilizers. Farming and food production wouldn’t be nearly as productive and starvation would be a massive problem.
• No paint.
• No cosmetics.
• No processed foods.
• No air conditioning.
• No refrigeration.
• No soap and cleaning products.
• No photography.
• No televisions.
• No radios.
• No computers.
• No glue.
• No batteries.
• No electricity in your house.

Year 10, 11 and 12 are hopefully experiencing the importance and impact of Chemistry through their IGCSE and AS studies.

My Year 10 is currently putting together a Science in the News publication called “Reaction!” This really shows the diversity of Science.

My Year 11 has worked incredibly hard this year and I wish them every success with their exams, hopefully we will see them in Year 12 pursuing Chemical careers.

My Year 12 is the first cohort for the new specification of AS Chemistry. This has proved to be a year of discovery. They have worked hard and we’ve had some fun along the way . . . playing with balloons and making model shapes with them, making water dance and all sorts of other interesting things!

Alison Williams

Biology

This year has been a very busy one mainly due to the introduction of the new A level syllabus. This syllabus is very challenging and extremely up to date, covering such cutting edge topics as gene therapy. In addition, the course really encourages students to explore the scientific method in more detail and to critically analyse scientific research data. Although this new approach is difficult, and requires very different skills than those traditionally associated with school Biology, I do believe that our students are well equipped to meet the challenge thanks to the preparation they receive at IGCSE and KS3.

Our current Year 11 is a fantastic year and for the first time all our Biology students have been entered for the extended paper. They have worked very hard, have been cheerful throughout and I truly hope they achieve the grades they deserve. I have particularly enjoyed the good-natured banter between Mr Hogan’s group and my own. As many are continuing on to AS level next year, I am truly looking forward to a vibrant Sixth Form class.

As I have said, we have introduced a new syllabus this year and the Year 12 class have had quite a challenging year. In order to aid the delivery of this highly detailed and complex syllabus, the class have been using a virtual learning environment (VLE) to receive assignments, complete online quizzes and gain access to my resources and recommended videos. Once again, the students rose to the challenge and managed this new style of course delivery very well indeed. This will be of great benefit to them as most universities now use the internet and VLEs to deliver their courses. So well done Year 12!

The Year 13 biologists are a delight to teach and to get to know as young adults. Elin is now pursuing her dream of becoming an architect. I do think her interest in Biology will continue, however, as I have noticed that many of her designs appear to be inspired by natural forms. Zach will, after a gap year, proceed to study Computing, although I think he intends to widen his horizons and include Maths, Bioinformatics, Genetics and anything else that draws his attention and to which he can adapt his skills. His article on bioinformatics is soon to be published in a textbook and I have it on order already. Sven has held firm in his vocation to be a doctor and I am delighted at his amazing offers. I believe Sven will be an exceptional doctor as his passion for the job is very evident. This class has been truly inspirational and I have enjoyed our many lively discussions on topical issues and ethics. I wish them lots of luck in the future and do hope they will come back and visit.

As part of the course, Mr Hogan arranged several field trips this year and I went along with both Year 12 and 13 biologists to Doñana to explore issues associated with conservation. It was an excellent trip and even the midnight walk in the cold, looking for lynx (and only finding one lynx poo!) was great fun. The highlight for me was Domingo and Pipo spotting the glowing worms and Sven doing a presentation on a “moving plant that hides from humans” with a totally straight face. All the students were exhausted after the visit and slept like logs the whole way back, they looked so cute!

Our up and coming exam classes in Year 10 and Year 9 have a lot to live up to but I am very confident that they will rise to the challenge and continue to both enjoy and achieve in Biology.

Well done everyone, once again, a great year!

Allison Gardner

Chemistry

Chemistry is a “ FUN SCIENCE “ in spite of how students feel about the subject at IGCSE, AS and A level. One has to only look at the joy on the faces of students when they successfully carry out tests for hydrogen or oxygen or when they observe Group 1 metals like sodium or potassium as they are added to water in a trough.

The word “Chemistry” conjures images of explosions and mad scientists. I often get asked if we can make a bomb in the classroom. Although there are many interesting explosive types of experiments that can be done in the classroom most of the time they are not appropriate as teaching tools.

Personally, I feel that if we instigate an interest in the subject by doing small experiments to answer questions that arise in the classroom, we have the children hooked on the subject for life. Mr Lawrence, who is often asked to come and take photographs, is a witness to some weird and wonderful experiments that children enjoy doing in the classroom. I am also very keen to make the children aware of the part that Chemistry plays in our daily lives and the impact that its advances have on society as a whole.

Pollution, its causes, its effects on us and the environment, have always been a part of the Chemistry syllabus both at IGCSE and A level. However, the Edexcel board has included a whole section on “ GREEN CHEMISTRY “ in the new specifications for AS and A levels. Students have to learn all aspects of this topic which include knowing the meanings of terms like “carbon neutrality”, “carbon capture”, “carbon footprint”, “fuel efficiency” and “sustainability”.

I love science and I like to think that I convey some of this enthusiasm for the subject to my students. I take this opportunity to wish all the students who are leaving us the very best in the future.

Dr Maria Sutcliffe

Physics

On Friday 18th July 2008, I taught my last lesson, delivered my retirement speech and dreamt about touring Europe in my motorhome. It came as something of a surprise to be standing in front of a group of Year 10 pupils on Wednesday 7th January 2009 in sunny Spain. I’d answered an advert in the Times Educational Supplement on the day my wife retired to spend more time with me and here we were, at EIC, waving goodbye to each other every morning once again.

As the term draws to an end, I need to think about the memories I shall take back to England, and to share them with my acquaintances. The purpose-built science labs have tiles everywhere, in common with much of Spain. How good these are, offering impervious surfaces which are almost vandal proof (not that there are too many vandals at this school!). The trip to CERN was postponed, but Mr Griffin acquired a lecture on cosmology from Professor Licia Verde, which was enthusiastically received by all who attended. Many of my pupils were “characters”; those not mentioned here will still be recalled when I look back at my photos.

Year 13 (Harold, Josh, Xav, and after Easter, Mason) were very impressive with their determination to achieve excellent grades. Year 12 were an interesting mix, with Fares, Marion, Pehjmon and Ryan being (moderately) quietly studious, whilst Chris, Clayton, Connor and Kim would regularly hurl abuse at each other, but always in a well-meaning manner. Domingo and Jonathan usually just got on with their work to the best of their ability. One experiment which I have carried out every year is to fire an elastic band vertically upwards, then, by using a number of physics concepts, including the Conservation of Energy, to derive a value for the height of the ceiling. Past answers have ranged from 2cm to 8km, but one EIC student goes into my record book with 7000km!

My Year 11 classes were initially worried about their ‘mock’ results (Year 10 - start revising NOW!) but they gradually impressed with their range of knowledge, whilst still panicking just before the real exams. Sean accused me of being patronising when I told him he would do better than in his mocks; I hope I will be proved correct. After every lesson, Morgan and Bilal had an arm wrestle. Ollie missed several lessons to practice the music for Grease, but still answered questions with ease. Alicia, Sam and Georgia shared a carton of soup with me. Nick tried to impress me by taking a Physics textbook whenever he sunbathed by our pool. I look forward to seeing their results.

I had to feel some sympathy for the Year 10 classes. I made them study the same topics as Year 11, thus reducing preparation time for myself and the technician, John Liley. The difficult area of electromagnetic induction was covered with a variety of theory and practical work, whilst the other difficult topic of radioactivity relied mainly on text-based information from books and the internet. Jan was very excited when the electric motor he had built worked at the first attempt; Yasmeen was perpetually asking for greater explanations. James worked quietly and got the best results in the exam; Lucy was happy whenever there were calculations to be done; Koen and Karim produced excellent presentations about the structure of atoms and Alex loved her practical work. Every one of them has the potential to go on and be successful in Physics, and many could continue to A level and beyond.

So now I can return to running courses for teachers in the UK. Next year Mr Birch will pilot the good ship “Physics” through the waters of EIC: I hope he has as smooth a trip as I have had and I know pupils, parents and staff will benefit from his experience, knowledge and interests. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into overseas and independent education.

Gordon Varley

KS3 Science

This year our students visited the Wolf Park near Antequera. There they had a chance to see a number of species of wolves and learn something about their behaviour and biology.

This visit completes a series of three such trips which we offer to our Key Stage 3 students. The other two are a “Mediterranean Day” involving dolphin watching from a boat and followed by a visit to the Sealife Centre in Benalmádena, and a “Bird Day” dedicated to learning about birds which includes a cable car visit to a mountaintop bird display.

The students enjoy these trips greatly and I hope they help to remind them, or perhaps to make them aware, of the extraordinarily diverse wildlife we have here in Spain and in its coastal waters.

I hope that these visits make our students appreciate diverse habitats and the animals that they support, not only because of their inherent interest and educational value, but because it might ensure that in the future they may be more committed to taking any measures, large or small, to preserve them for the future.

Paul Hogan