21st November 23
“What drives scientists is the same thing that drives students like you – curiosity.” – Sir Paul Nurse
Yesterday, we welcomed Sir Paul Nurse to officially open our STEAM room. After an insightful and inspiring talk from Sir Paul, students from both Kensington Wade and Melcombe Primary School presented the findings of scientific experiments they have been working on in class.
The Kensington Wade STEAM room facility is designed to enhance creativity, innovation, and collaborative learning, providing students with an exciting environment for exploring science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Pupils and teachers shared results of parallel experiments with microorganisms with Sir Paul, discussing the importance of replication of results in a scientific investigation. Sir Paul told the students that “science is also about challenging yourself and being honest: only by testing and critiquing your ideas can you find out if your idea really is a good one.”
Sir Paul addressed pupils from Kensington Wade and Melcombe Primary School during the event, highlighting the importance of science and collaboration in education, and the importance of working with China. Sir Paul told the students “I have just arrived from Shanghai where I have been promoting connections between the UK and China in science. Which is why I am so pleased to be here, where students are learning Mandarin, which will be very important as we develop our relationship with China in the coming years.”
Our Headmaster, Huw May said “it is a privilege for our pupils to meet and be inspired by a scientist of Sir Paul’s stature. His work around the world, including extensive collaboration with Chinese colleagues, has real significance for our pupils as they explore science and think about the global future for which we prepare them”.
As one of the UK’s most distinguished scientists and a passionate advocate for science communication, Sir Paul Nurse’s visit provided students at Kensington Wade with the opportunity of talking to a Nobel Prize winner and leading figure in the scientific community.