Science Group

At the September meeting we started with a presentation about the very early days of coal mining with its hard physical labour and long working hours.

Bob Gow was on hand to explain about the difference mechanisation made to productivity and associated improvements in safety.

We then considered how coal and oil were formed and how both products were not only used as fuel but as the starting point for a range of fuel types and products e.g. plastics.

After the break we revisited the theme of ‘fast fashion waste.’

Discarded material and clothing can be recycled or reformed as something else.

Science member Sue Naylor recycles and remakes with discarded material, using it to make ‘drain bags’. She showed some examples of the ‘drain bags’ she makes for both Kings Mill and the City Hospital. The bags help with patient dignity as the actual drain bag they are attached to fits into Sue’s cloth bag. She would welcome any surplus material you may have – it must be washable and cotton/polycotton is ideal. Old duvet covers, curtains, sheets etc are ideal.

Sue amazingly has made 3500 since 2017 – and her husband David has ironed 3500 since 2017.

If you have any suitable material to spare please contact Sue and Dave at:

dave.naylor@talktalk.net

To end the meeting members selected a named scientist from a list of 41 scientists who have made valuable contributions to science and society. Their homework is to prepare a short presentation about what they achieved.

Science Group – Dementia Event

*An opportunity for all members:*

A presentation about aspects of Dementia

Dementia is a syndrome of brain decline that affects memory, thinking, language, mood and behaviour.

Different types of dementia can affect people differently, and everyone will experience symptoms in their own way.

Many of us have experienced it to some degree through its effect on family and friends.

This is an open invitation to come along to the Science group meeting on

 Friday 20th September from 10am to approx 11.15am in the main hall at JGC.

 We are delighted to host a presentation from Dr Alison Cowley and Dr Collins about their current research and clinical work around aspects of Dementia.

If you are not a science group member and wish to join this meeting please send a brief email to:

davidrose98835@gmail.com

Science Group

There was no meeting in August.

Our September meeting is on Friday 20th September from 10am.

 We are delighted to host a presentation from Dr Alison Cowley and Dr Collins about their current research and clinical work around aspects of Dementia.

For more details please see the additional information in this newsletter.

Science Group

At our July meeting members of the group arrived with their homework which was to create an image using an early photographic technique called Cyanotype.

The image is formed on light sensitive thin card and the results varied due to differing qualities of the cards purchased for the activity.

More of the better quality was made available at the meeting for members to try again and some of the results are shown below.

Creating more images was only part of a practical session to discover things about magnets, mirrors, lenses, gyroscopes and diffraction spectrum by looking through diffraction spectacles.

We finished with an end of term quiz won by the ‘Berrill Catering’ team.

There is no meeting in August our next meeting is on Friday 20th September. 

Science Group

At our June meeting Terry Hill summarised the importance of the work of the late Sir Peter Higgs of Higgs Boson fame.

He made a fantastic job of explaining the very challenging concept of how the Higgs boson was proposed in 1964 by Peter Higgs, François Englert, and four other theorists to explain why certain particles have mass.

Scientists confirmed its existence in 2012 through experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland. This discovery led to the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded to Higgs and Englert.

After Terry’s talk we had an attempt to produce a cyanotype image using light sensitive paper. Members were given their own paper to try this at home; the resulting images will be displayed at a later date.

Last year a topic we covered was about sustainability in fashion. Much of today’s ‘fast fashion’ ends in landfill rather than being recycled. Science member Christine Vincent has a particular interest in this field and modelled a very creative colourful dress she has made from old ties.

Next Meeting

Friday 19th July 10.00am – 11.45am, JGC- please bring your cyanotype results.

16th August – No meeting as we are away.

We will reconvene on Friday 20th September.