NEWTON COLLEGE INTERSCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR 2023
Every year, Newton College organises a fair dedicated to science and technology in which the pupils of the school learn through different workshops and activities. On 28th April 2023, the 3rd edition of this essential annual event took place, the Interschool Science Fair, an event for dissemination and coexistence between secondary schools, vocational training centers, universities in the province and other entities that promote scientific knowledge and learning.
The participating students entered two different categories: “Marie Curie” (from 6th Primary to 3rd ESO) and “Einstein” (4th ESO and 1st Baccalaureate). In both categories they can submit projects on any scientific, social, technical or environmental topic. For example, space, the brain and neuroscience or sustainable energy.
These themes are supported by subjects currently taught at school, such as Biology, Chemistry or Physics; and include the use of other subjects to develop their projects, such as Technology, Art or Mathematics.
In this year’s edition, projects as surprising as “Vita-Gialla”, “Electric Water” or “Biodiversity Conservation with In Vitro Fertilisation” have stood out. According to Newton College, each year it is more difficult for the jury to choose the winner, as the quality of the projects is increasing year after year.
A new feature this year was the Bridge Building Competition. The pupils who took part built a structure that complied with certain dimensions and could support the maximum possible weight. The bridge had to be built with only ice-cream sticks and hot-melt glue, supported on a plywood base. A total of seven bridges took part, and each group had to decide by how much weight they were able to lift with 10, 15, 20 and 25 kg discs. The winning bridge was able to hold 105 kilograms before breaking.
A day to share
The Science Fair, as well as promoting an appreciation of creativity, inventiveness and an intimate relationship with the students’ environment, is also a day for sharing experiences with other students. In this edition the participating schools were: Muntori Private School (Castalla), Sagrada Familia School (Elda), IES La Canal (Petrer), Salesianos School (Elche), IES Vicente Verdú (Elche) and Newton College (Elche).
Workshops and activities
Another fundamental component of the event are the informative stands run by the collaborating entities. The University of Alicante, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and Ciencia en Acción offered more than 14 different workshops in a total of 60 sessions. Some of the most curious were “Solving the case of the stolen painting: A forensic chemistry adventure”, “Engineering for the circular economy” or “Artificial intelligence and robotics” on behalf of the UA; “Discover your blood group”, “Democracy in your hands” or “Inclusive sport” on behalf of the UMH and the artefacts to explain concepts of physics by Antonio Serrano, a classic at the fair, were also very well received by Ciencia en Acción.
All the teachers involved agreed that this type of event is “an extra motivation, very necessary for our students, as it is a recognition of the effort they make in the classroom”. They also emphasised that the participating students left with a smile on their faces and with new ideas for the next edition that “they are not willing to miss”, in their own words.
