If there is one thing I have learnt in my classes is that science requires persistence. Not just in terms of spending a long time in the lab, but also in terms of giving yourself enough time to interpret results – which can be surprising more often than not. Compared to back home, this is a tremendous improvement because rather than just learning about science, I get to experience what being a scientist is like, to a certain extent. I remember spending entire afternoons working on my Internal Assessment. This new practical approach satisfies our curiosity about real life, while at the same time equipping us with practical skills and critical viewpoints. I don’t just learn the properties of acids and bases by heart; I observe them in a lab setting. More than that, working with students that take different science subjects for my Group 4 Project has made me realize that scientific disciplines do not work separately, but rather complement one another. Having a chemist, a physicist and a biologist in the same room analyzing a phenomenon enhances our understanding of the concepts by providing points of view that build on one another like the bricks of a house.
In many ways science here at the College does not end outside the classroom. Thanks to a committed and enthusiastic science department, among the numerous activities offered to students we have had the chance to visit the University of Trieste where we saw how modern analytical techniques operate. It is important to step outside the classroom in order to see that what we learn in class is truly connected and relevant to real life. More than that, it is important that we apply our knowledge, so that we reinforce it, add to it, and ultimately see its value.
Getting back to my pointabout science extending beyond the classroom: two examples are lecturers visiting the College and our weekly science dissemination activity with children. We are lucky enough to be located in an area where there are many scientific institutions around us. As such opportunities to invite lecturers are ample. Last year we even had Ali Hassanali, a researcher from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) come and talk to us about hydrogen bonding in our TEDx Conference.
Furthermore, every Thursday, the labs are filled with children from our local community. Together with us students they discuss scientific topics in a lighthearted, entertaining way. This has had a tremendous impact, showing that children are just as capable of understanding science as adults. They really have their own way of processing information about science. The College students involved are often quite in awe of how fast the children are able to grasp a concept, which reflects how far-reaching science is. Furthermore, by opening up the labs to the local community, the children are given a chance to satisfy their curiosity, making science even more enjoyable. We students also benefit from this social service in many ways. It is a chance to strengthen our knowledge, as we are the “teachers” of each session. It is a chance to present seemingly simple topics in a creative and fun way and encourages us to think outside the box.
This brings me to something that is actually a leitmotif in my journey into science: thinking outside the box. This has been emphasized in my course, was reiterated in my work for my Internal Assessment and through many activities of the Science Department. Several have combined art with science, as a powerful tool to investigate reality from different angles, which often intersect. Many believe art to be separate from science, but this couldn’t be more wrong. Artists and scientists have always worked together, influencing, inspiring and developing each other’s ideas. At the College we recently had an activity on the periodic table, where poetry was used to reflect the nature and properties of several elements. Mole Day is another example of the fact that science is not separate from art: the two join to provide the pieces needed to complete the puzzle of real life.
Studying science has been challenging, but incredibly rewarding as well. I believe it will prove even more rewarding as we move on to university. Indeed, whether I continue to study science or not the lessons I have learnt by studying science at the College have taught me how to think critically. I have learned to be skeptical of my preconceptions, how to interpret results accurately, how to be informed and beware of questionable facts. My journey into science has helped me develop a a meticulous work ethic, making me always critical, ready to form hypotheses, to question and to interpret facts. It is a work ethic that has made me value failure just as much as success. In my teacher’s words: “Science is never about right or wrong results. It demands results, but in the end nothing matters more than what you make of them.”
Close tap. No drop. No swirl. End of experiment.
