Abingdonian 2018

43 www.abingdon.org.uk Summer Term Cassiopeia, and the asterism the Plough, and made sketches, as well as noting key astronomical information, such as apparent ‘brightness’ or magnitude of stars, on a scale from 1 to 6 (the Antoniadi Scale) and the apparent colour of the star. Here I was able to successfully apply my theory work in the field. For my second observation I used a telescope to take accurate photos of the moon at different phases, which I then labelled with the key features that were visible at that time. I was lucky enough to snap a photo of the ‘Super Blue Blood Moon’ on the 31 January, which coincided with my aided observation work. In all photos the crater Tycho was clearly visible and identifiable, and I was able to use this as a reference point for directions. Naturally, there were many other observations available - some people chose to look at Cepheid Varible stars, or, where possible, use the school’s solar telescope to observe sunspots. The experience was made all the more rewarding because coursework observations made the link between theory and practice. As a student of Physics at A Level, I can see that what I have learned in Astronomy has helped my cosmology and astrophysics work, and tied up loose ends from Physics GCSE. For everyone involved it was an enjoyable and interesting experience, and it gave us and students from Larkmead and John Mason (who made up the majority of the class) the opportunity to take a subject that’s not usually offered. There were also many social opportunities and outings organised, an example of which was the telescope evening at Oxford University’s observatory. As such, I see the success of the Astronomy GCSE class as a model for how the ASP should run; a chance to link the pupils from various schools in an interactive and enjoyable scientific environment. Oliver Williams, 5TJD Genome Decoders Over the last year five Lower Sixth students have been working on a project to decode the genome of a whipworm as part of the science partnership programme along with John Mason and Fitzharrys (and 50 other UK schools). The project is run by the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS), with the aim to decode the genome of a whipworm that causes a less known tropical disease that leads to a large number of deaths in less developed countries mostly found in Africa. The disease caused by the whipworm has been the subject of minimal research and there are no current treatments. As part of the project we were given a section of the DNA and various types of data (such as RNA tracts and intron coverage) to help identify where the exact position of genes are in the worm’s genome. All the data had been collected and analysed by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and it has been our job to refine some of the predictions made by computer software on the specific position of genes. We are the first people to see and analyse this data as the scientists have used software to produce the DNA sequence. We have been able to work together as a group but then also work on the project in our own time either at home or school using software called APOLLO. Working in the small group has also allowed us to solve some often very challenging parts of the gene prediction! This project as well as being very enjoyable has given us a rare opportunity to contribute to one of the largest student citizen science projects in the UK which will provide information on new treatments to use against the whipworm. It has also helped us in our A Level studies when we come to genomics, DNA replication and protein synthesis in the syllabus. Noah Walker, 6RKJ Science Factor, Timepix, and Photonics What initially started off as playing around with some data from a Timepix radiation detector on a Wednesday afternoon has gradually turned in to us taking part in a novel and exciting experiment trying to turn light into matter. Our first breakthrough came when looking into the angular dependencies of this advanced radiation detector, where we found an interesting and inexplicable trend. We made a poster and attended conferences, and even got invited to one at the Royal Society (which was unfortunately cancelled due to snow). We then entered a competition for the new Timepix 3 detector, and based on our previous work and future plans, we won. Soon we will be the first school in the world to have access to this amazing piece of technology. All this work got us known in the IRIS (Institute of Research in Schools) community, and we were asked to help out a group of researchers at Imperial College who had used two Timepix detectors