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2006
UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshop
Students' Report
Science, Surrey and a Set of Sensible Students (ehem)
This is taken from a much longer report in Japanese and English which you can download here (Word 264KB)
After we had finished our exams, broken up and forgotten as much science as possible, Mrs Ward took Sarah Bates, Sian Humphreys and Amanda Talhat, to Surrey University for a UK-Japan Science Workshop, to spend a week working on science projects with 9 other groups of English and Japanese students.
On arrival, we went through the routine of finding our rooms, seeing who was in the next room and playing with the internal phones. At the evening reception, the whole workshop gathered together for our first nervous meeting of Japanese and English. We were introduced to the people we would be working with for the next week. Our chosen projects were Water for Life, Sleep-clock Gene research and The Health and Ethics of Global Warming.
.jpg "Hard at work")
The
next morning, we worked together in an iLAB - it was brilliant! We drew on
the walls and put our ideas together. We are SO jealous of CCHS getting one,
they're great and there is something about being able to draw on a wall that
makes you think better; honest!
Apart from our projects, there was lots to do, including preparing for the Cultural Evening, practising our roles as UK's Patron Saints. By Tuesday, we were standing in the limelight, Amanda dressed in full Highland dress (very fine she looked too) and Saint George proclaiming manhood and bravery whilst dramatically stabbing members of the audience, much to the delight of everybody in the room. We learnt how to write in Japanese, make Origami cranes and spin tops properly, it was so hard!
.jpg "Rushing for Rounders")
Throughout
the week, we made some real friends. It was lovely to talk to people who came
from a different culture and find we could still work together, share ideas
and laugh out loud as we tried to beat each other at Rounders. After those
first awkward moments, we had fun, especially on our trip to Oxford, where
we attended lectures on Electron Microscopes and Biochemistry at Brasenose
College. Coming back, Mrs Ward discovered the true meaning of Pastoral care
as Amanda was sick on the seat. The coach driver (who was HUGE) began to crack
his knuckles but Mrs Ward saved the day, by smiling at him, as we ran for
our lives.
Friday came too soon. After a hectic morning finalising the group presentations we would perform in front of an audience, we were standing, once again in the limelight, speaking about our projects. Sarah found herself chairing and speaking Japanese during the links - her first try, in front of 100 people! That evening, we had our final, formal dinner, where the four of us arrived fashionably late and elegantly dressed in true CCHS style. It was fantastic. It seemed impossible that a week ago, our friends had been total strangers.
Saturday morning was bleary-eyed as we said "goodbye" to our departing friends and we headed home. The week was brilliant, better than that! We would like to thank you, Mrs Ward, for taking us, keeping us supplied with milk and sugar and for joining in with us having an amazing time!
Dr
Richard Pike, Secretary General and Chief Executive, The Royal Society of
Chemistry, and Ms Heidi Potter, Chief Executive, Japan 21 provided a summing
up following the Student Team Presentations.
Follow the links below for information about the five science workshops.
- Climate change, Health and Ethics
- Water for Life
- Global Monitoring by Satellite
- Exploring the Nanoworld
- Circadian Rhythms, Sleep and Jet Lag
- Cultural activities
- Students' Report
- Report from Japan (264KB Word Document in Japanese and English - opens in a new window)
We are grateful to all who have made contributions to these pages. To submit further contributions, images, or evaluations, please contact Lawrence Williams ( ) .
Clifton Scientific Trust gratefully acknowledges financial support for the Workshop from the DTI Office of Science and Innovation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and Japan 21, donations from Hinchley Wood School, Esher and Dartford Grammar School and support in kind from the University of Surrey. The Workshop is formally endorsed by the Embassy of Japan.
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