Category Archives: Science

Shetland Science Fair 2025

Science

Whalsay school returned to the Shetland Science Fair at the Clickimin Leisure Complex at the beginning of term 2. S1 and S2 pupils attended to participate in a mixture of different activities to capture the interest of learners, presented by various groups within Shetland and by some visiting guests. As well as learning new information in the workshops, the pupils were using problem solving skills and taking part in groupwork throughout.

 

The Exploring Energyscapes workshop gave an insight into archaeology, run by Archaeology Scotland. Pupils learned about the use of Magnetometers, and how a dig site is chosen.  Pupils then learned about mills found in the Quendale area and got to design and test their own water mill design. Pupils were also shown artefacts of archaeological finds from Shetland and Orkney.

 

Dynamic Earth returned to Shetland with their Portable Planetarium to deliver a stargazing show in our local sky, sharing some seasonal celestial highlights and space news. Many pupils reported that they enjoyed learning about space within the portable planetarium and that “they don’t know what some of the sky looks like and it’s names.”

 

The session from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh highlighted the diverse careers at the Botanics and learners used hands-on activities to explore the varied skills and jobs that help improve biodiversity and combat climate change.

 

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland ran an session involving a series of fun games and activities which included exploring artefacts they brought. The experts shared stories of local and global conservation, learning about our amazing animals, the issues they face, the actions their charity takes and what we can do as individuals to help them. Learners enjoyed learning about animals, specifically where a snail breathing hole is located – we wouldn’t want to mix that fact up…

 

The Dundee Science Centre ran an engineering workshop which focused on renewable energy. This workshop discussed electrical principles and the machines that use them, linking the learning to career pathways in electrical engineers and electricians. Pupils were involved in making a simple battery, setting up electrical circuits, and discussing energy transfer and storage. Pupils were highly engaged in this session, reporting that they learned “how to make electricity in different ways” and “that potatoes can make energy.”

 

Science Skills Academy launched an air pressure rockets session! Pupils worked together to build rockets which they launched indoors with an air-pressure rocket launcher. Competition was fierce to see whose rocket launched fastest!

 

Members of the SIC Climate Change Strategy Team ran hands on experiments for learners which focused on ocean acidification using sea shells and vinegar, an experiment involving albedo to demonstrate different heating qualities, and sea level rise using water and ice to show the effects of ice caps melting.

 

UHI Shetland ran two exhibits: The Marine Sector VR experience and A Day in the Life exhibition. The Marine Sector VR allowed users to experience typical workplace tasks from the aquaculture and fish processing industries in several scenarios. A Day in the Life was an interactive exhibition stand where learners explored what it’s like to work in the seafood industry. They explored microscopy, fish health checks and cage site tasks relevant to salmon farming. Pupils also had the chance to speak to Arnold Goodlad, an experienced fisherman from Burra.  Arnold enjoyed meeting the Whalsay bairns and knew a lot of their Grandas.  He shared stories and photographs about the progression of fishing over the years. This session was very popular among pupils!

 

Overall, the Shetland Science Fair was once again a huge success which was thoroughly enjoyed by all attending staff and pupils from Whalsay school. We were delighted to have the opportunity to experience relatable learning within the community from knowledgeable and experienced members in their respective fields. The pupils represented their school positively throughout and engaged with each of the exhibitions they attended. When asked if they would recommend the Science Fair to a friend they responded with “I would 100% recommend it to a friend because it was a very fun experience” and “it’s really interesting, it has lots of activities and lots of topics.” “We learned so much but we especially enjoyed learning about the renewable energy.” Everybody agreed they’d had a great time and when asked if they felt this visit was worth the journey and effort, the answer was a resounding YES!!

 

STEM visit – Drones

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S1 and S2 were visited recently by Emma Chittick from Skills Development Scotland, who delivered a Drones Workshop to engage pupils in STEM subjects by applying them to the world of work. S2 pupils commented that “we learned teamwork/communication skills and being observant along with being able to drive the drone” and learned “what jobs were involved with drones.”

All participants thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the challenges and activities! Most of the pupils had never tried flying a drone before and all agreed they’d definitely like to do it again. An S1 pupil commented “my brother has a drone and I’m going to ask if I can have a go flying that now”. Another said “I really enjoyed it, it was so cool especially when we got the drone to do flips”.

An S2 pupil commented that “We learned what drones can be used for, and how they help us.” After the session the classes had a discussion imagining all kinds of handy uses for drones in the future – the most popular one being the delivery of Chinese take-aways to Whalsay!

Special thank you to Emma for visiting with the drones and delivering a fun and engaging lesson to promote STEM skills and careers.

Shetland Science Fair 2024

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For the first time since 2009, the Shetland Science Fair returned to the Clickimin Leisure Centre! S3 and S2 pupils from all Shetland schools were invited to participate in a mixture of different activities to capture the interest of learners, presented by various groups within Shetland and by some visiting guests.

 

S3 travelled to Clickimin to meet in with other learners from throughout Shetland for the first day of the event. The Whalsay pupils were split into two groups and joined Sandwick JHS pupils in working through some of the different workshops. As well as learning new information in the workshops, the pupils were using problem solving skills and taking part in groupwork throughout.

S2 travelled to Clickimin on the second day of the event and joined learners from Baltasound JHS and Mid Yell JHS in working through the different workshops. These are all faces they will come across again in the Hostel in a few years time, if they continue into further eduction at AHS.

 

In the Activity Zone, learners were split into smaller groups rotating around different stations. Pupils learned about peat restoration and excavation from the Nature Scot Peatland Action group, which included learners having the opportunity to operate a realistic simulator to practice their excavator skills. UHi Shetland provided a Blue Sector VR experience, which allowed users to experience typical workplace tasks from the aquaculture and fish processing industries. Pupils also demonstrated their creative engineering skills in a Lego challenge, aiming to build the fastest wind powered vehicle.

Glasgow Science Centre provided a Spacejunk workshop where pupils explored their potential future in Scotland’s space industry. Pupils used their coding skills to safely navigate a satellite’s trajectory through space, avoiding space junk and other satellites along its journey. They also learned about the diverse careers available in the space industry, from engineers and programmers to mission controllers. Pupils really enjoyed this workshop!

In the Fit Lab, Glasgow Science Centre provided a range of fun, interactive exhibits, which tested reactions, balance, measured heart rates, brain focus, flexibility and loads more. The pupils (and staff) were fully engaged for the whole session. There as even an “Aw” when time was up!

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh ran the Fieldwork and Biodiversity Workshop. Learners discovered the importance of fieldwork in understanding and protecting plant biodiversity. Pupils had the opportunity to enhance their practical biology fieldwork skills, exploring real-world contexts to learn about the RBGE and find out some ways to take action against biodiversity loss.

Laura Moss Education ran the Wilderness Survival Workshop, providing a hands-on experience into the science of survival! Pupils learned how to purify water using only materials found in the wild by creating their own water filtration system. They then were taught how to safely whittle wood with a knife to make a peg or hook. All learners were highly focused during this task, acting responsibly for the safety of themselves and others.

Glasgow Science Centre also ran the Powering the Future Exhibit. They provided a range of engaging energy-themed exhibits to address topics related to energy supply and environmental sustainability. Pupils learned how we can be smarter with our use of energy by exploring different forms of renewable power, including an excellent demonstration of nuclear power using table tennis balls and mousetraps!

The Exploring Energyscapes workshop gave an insight into archaeology, run by Archaeology Scotland. Pupils learned about the use of Magnetometers, and how a dig site is chosen.  Pupils then learned about mills found in the Quendale area and got to design and test their own water mill design. Pupils were also shown artefacts of archaeological finds from Shetland and Orkney.

 

All attending staff and pupils from Whalsay school reported that the event was a huge success, and that they were delighted to have the opportunity to experience relatable learning within the community from knowledgeable and experienced members in their respective fields.

Feedback from the organisers was that the willingness to participate and the good behaviour of the Whalsay pupils had been noted. Everybody agreed they’d had a great time and when asked if they felt this visit was worth the journey and effort, the answer was a resounding YES!!

S3 trip – Young People in Aviation event (DYW)

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On Thursday 19th September, S3 took part in an event organised by Developing the Young Workforce – Shetland. The ‘Young People in Aviation’ event took place in Brae Community Hall, where pupils were split into groups mixing with pupils from Brae High School and Aith Junior High School.

The groups rotated around 8 stations based on different companies who work at the airport. Pupils were involved in taking part in fun activities and challenges at each station while listening to the advice from experts in their fields. Stations included Coastguard Search & Rescue, Air traffic control, Fire service, Security, and the MT department.

Pupils were introduced to the reality behind the scenes within an airport, including all the different roles and responsibilities of the wide members of staff working together for our safety and security. Pupils reported that it was interesting learning about all the different jobs, routes into these posts and learning transferrable skills into different posts. They particularly enjoyed learning about the circuit work in electrical engineering and listening to stories about the physically demanding and high-pressured role as a coastguard.

Thank you to Julie Anderson for accompanying the class, DYW – Shetland for arranging the event and providing transport, and to the airport staff contributing to the different stations.

Pupils quotes from the event:

“Really fun, interesting, cool, and entertaining, really enjoyed learning the phonetic alphabet.”

“Good, useful and interesting learning how many different jobs there are at Sumburgh Airport.”

“It was fun trying on the dry suit and fire suit and realising how heavy it was.”

“I liked learning how to open up an airway and what to do to become a paramedic at the coastguard station.”

“I liked scanning for security – surprising which items could go through in hold luggage and enjoyed searching scans for items in hand luggage.”

“It was surprising learning what airport firemen do as it was a lot different to normal firemen.”