Last summer two of our S6 students, Cara Glen and Sarah Graham, took part in a Nuffield Research Placement.  Applications are now open for summer 2024. Nuffield Research Placements are an excellent opportunity for S5 students to gain hands-on research experience with a STEM employer or university. Placements last 2-3 weeks between mid-June and August 2024, with a Celebration Event in September. They are ideal for students with an interest in physics/computing/engineering. There will be an online Information session on 29 November for teachers and S5 students who meet the eligibility criteria. Register for this at https://bit.ly/47ew8GB

More information on Nuffield Placements can be found at https://bit.ly/3R9GmCE

Our S4 physics pupils enjoyed a trip to the seaside this week, with a visit to Scotland’s last nuclear power station near Dunbar.  As well as a tour of the site, the pupils had a challenging STEM activity where they built a working robot droid.  They also got to talk to the armed police who guard the site.  We weren’t allowed to take photos in the power station, but here are some of the successful droid builders:

Our Young STEM ambassadors did a fantastic job last night at the Open Evening for P7 pupils.  Well done to Lucy, Lucy, Kaitlin, Kris, Megan and Ellie.  You showed a real enthusiasm and passion for science and made it so exciting for the young pupils.

Well done to our S2 pupils who attended this year’s “Step into STEM” event at the Motherwell campus of New College Lanarkshire today.  The college staff were impressed at the behaviour and enthusiasm of the Coltness pupils.

Our S4 physics pupils are going to visit Scotland’s last working power station on 30th October. There will be a guided tour of the power station and a range of activities in the visitor centre. The school is subsidising the cost so that the trip is free to pupils. Permission forms should be returned to Mr Bryson or Mr Miller as soon as possible.

https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/torness

Higher and Advanced Higher biology pupils recently enjoyed a trip to the biology labs at Strathclyde University. They took part in a workshop on Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. They also found out about the latest DNA technology, and got to meet some real scientists to discuss their careers.

Mrs Philip and Mr Caul have now left Coltness for new schools, and we wish them the very best for the future.

We are delighted to welcome Miss Symington to the biology department.

Also joining us is our new science technician Mr Gilbey.

Well done to these star S1 pupils who had a great time at Strathclyde University recently.  The three-day “Science@Strathclyde” program introduced pupils to the different departments of the Science Faculty (Computer & Information Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics, Pure & Applied Chemistry and the Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences). They took part in fun, interactive sessions that demonstrated how science is used in the real world. The pupils also met some real scientists and had a tour of the university buildings. Their favourite part was making slime in Chemistry!

Miss St. John took some senior biology pupils to an open night at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre last week.

https://www.beatson.scot.nhs.uk/

They found out about the latest cancer treatments and toured their laboratories.  The pupils loved the microscopes, and got to look through one that cost half a million pounds!

Are you interested in engineering? These free online courses at the University of Glasgow look great. Speak to Mr Miller or Mr Bryson if you want any advice.

Physics for Engineers Flyer April 2023

eng fundamentals March23