Five students and their Biology teacher from St Benedict College’s Girls Secondary School, Tarxien, recently took part in a science tour in Bristol after they placed first in the Biology theme and second in the 2013 School Contest for Young Scientists organised by the National Student Travel Foundation (NSTF).
The students – Christina Bonnici, Elenia Farrugia, Alexia Formosa, Carmen Galea and Vincienne Inguanez – and their teacher Angela Vella visited the Science Centre and planetarium @Bristol where they took part in various hands-on experiments in this interactive centre to better understand key science concepts.
The students also visited Bristol University’s Chemistry Department where they toured the research laboratories and conducted an experiment to extract caffeine from teabags, under the guidance of Outreach director Tim Harrison.
The students spent a day at the Bristol Zoo, which keeps animals on the verge of extinction due to the destruction of their natural habitat, including the leatherback sea turtle, monk seal, gorilla, Spix’s macaw, pygmy hippopotamus, lemurs and okapi. The students also visited Bristol aquarium, which is home to a great variety of cnidarians, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
The educational science tour was supported by the Malta Council for Science and Technology and the Office of the Prime Minister.
To participate in this year’s edition of the School Contest for Young Scientists visit www.nstfmalta.eu or e-mail science@nstfmalta.eu.