P7 pupils from Dunoon Primary School recently visited Glasgow Scientific Services as part of their Science Interdisciplinary Study. The pupils had been learning about radiation and the Chernobyl disaster. They recently had Mr Tom Henry, retired Environmental Health Officer, visit their classroom to talk about the radiation monitoring and sampling that he carried out as part of his job. All the samples that Mr Henry took were analysed in Glasgow Scientific Services and so he accompanied the class on their trip.














Along with a guided tour of the laboratory, the pupils got some hands on experience and carried out some analysis of their own. They tested some unknown samples for horse meat, were shown how to find the composition of an unknown substance using hi-tech equipment and also by burning substances in a flame. They also tested the velocity of a foam dart on toy gun and saw how the laboratory tested toys for safety. The pupils loved looking at insects under the microscopes and prepared their own slides of fibres, hairs and even mouse droppings to look at under the microscopes!













The trip ended with a visit to the Radiation department where the pupils learned how the scientists analysed samples for radiation.

Thank you to Duncan Scott and his staff at the laboratoryfor a most interesting and enjoyable day!