School students present scientific research at London conference

Two groups of students from an Abingdon school were in London earlier this week to share their scientific research at a conference.

Students across the Midlands and South of England presented research on June 25 at the Institute for Research in Schools Student Conferences.

This included two groups from Fitzharrys School in Abingdon who unveiled findings on password strength and carbon footprint.

Joel, a Year 10 student at Fitzharrys School (Image: Fitzharrys School)

One of the school's groups identified several potential weaknesses in passwords and found the school’s password security was a cause for concern.

They are now urging students to follow good password practice, and have designed posters and developed a guide.

Another group from Fitzharrys assessed the school's annual carbon footprint, as part of its ambition to become a net zero school.

Their study found the school produced 94.74 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the student school run and 24.5 tonnes from staff transport.

Joel, a Year 10 student at Fitzharrys School (Image: Fitzharrys School)

Dr Jo Foster, director, Institute for Research in Schools said: “Once again we’ve all been so impressed by the high standard and quality of the real-world research carried out by all the young scientists.

"We love seeing that spark of interest light up in students as they explain how they made their fascinating discoveries.

"The work they do is genuinely valuable and in many cases helps real scientists in their current research.

"The whole experience can often lead to a fantastic career in science at a time when we have so many vacancies in the UK in science and technology.”

Dame Kate Bingham DBE, patron, Institute for Research in Schools, said: “It’s great to see students’ genuine interest in their research.

"Their ability to talk about their work so knowledgeably and passionately is impressive and I’m keen to see how these young scientists develop."

Professor Alan Barr, professor of particle physics, Oxford University, added: “These students are doing really well-motivated work, using advanced and appropriate methods and tools, most familiar only to those at graduate level.”

Joel, a Year 10 student at Fitzharrys School (Image: Fitzharrys School)

Other school's research included measuring the levels of radiation in Brazil nuts using an MX-10 detector, assessing how energy-saving measures could save thousands of pounds on a school’s heating bill

Meanwhile, three teams of students from William Perkin Church of England High School, in Ealing, London looked into the effect of mental and physical activities on the brainwave patterns of pupils in Years 7-9.

The students used a laptop, MyndBand EEG device and MyndPlayer Pro software for their research and analysis.

They say their research could be useful for educators to find out what activities help students to focus students and to improve behaviour in class.