Bancrofts Insight Newsletter Autumn 2019 Final

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AC A D E M I C
6
UKMT Maths
Team Champions
On Monday 17 June, the Junior Maths team consisting of
Shivan Aggarwal, Zaki Lodhi, Shanuga Rubaraj and AnikaVijay
travelled to the Royal Horticultural Halls, inWestminster,
London with Mr Tse for the UKMT Maths Team Challenge
National Final. We competed against the 87 schools who
had won their regional heat, the heats each consisting of
approximately 30 schools. Some teams had travelled by
plane for the competition.
The day consisted of a poster competition, group circus round,
cross-number round, the shuttle round and the lost
only nine marks throughout the challenges and were very proud
of our score and our effort. After a long day of Maths and
what felt like an equally long time of waiting, the results were
announced.Westminster Under School, who had come first
three times in six years came third this time round. Eton College
came second. At this point, we were growing sceptical, because
City of London School hadn’t yet been announced, and they
had won in both 2013 and 2014. We had no reason to doubt
ourselves, however, as it was announced that Bancroft’s School
had come first, making us the best maths team of our age group
in the whole of the country!
All of us were very proud of our achievement, and we would
like to convey special thanks to Mr Tse, who diligently prepared
us for the competition, gave us several pep talks which boosted
our confidence and helped us perform on the day - we couldn’t
have done it without him.Thank you, Mr Tse, for a great day out!
Sixth Form Chemistry Research
Three other pupils,Aditi Rasal,Anusha Talukder,
Thajkera Khanom, and I were lucky enough to attend
The Institute of Research in Schools (IRIS) Scientific
Conference Day at Queen Mary University of London.
The day’s aim was to share the cutting-edge research
undertaken by students over the past year on the various
project schemes they offer, ranging in the disciplines of
mathematics to organic chemistry. We had chosen to
specialise in ‘Ionic Liquids’ and delved into trying to use
them to solve the issue of antibiotic resistance.
Collaboratively, hundreds of hours have gone into this project:
background research: understanding unfamiliar concepts; planning
investigations; synthesising the actual ionic liquids; carrying out
practicals and analysing then formally present our
findings to a multitude of scientists and other students was an
amazing opportunity. Our A1-sized poster received much attention
and we were met with great interest and enthusiasm from many,
including a Professor from Imperial College who liked how we
were applying the concept of Ionic Liquids into the medical field
to find novel solutions to the antibiotic resistance crisis.
In addition to presenting our findings and learning about
other students’ research, we attended a fantastic talk on
‘Gene-Engineered Immune Cells for the Treatment of Cancer’
which completed the day.
Aksaan Arif, U6S
Anika Vijay, L4S
In September, the U6th biologists embarked on a trip
to north Norfolk to investigate the biology of the terrain.
Our investigation of the area was very diverse; we were able
to research the rivers, the rocky shore, and the sand dunes.
Upon reaching theYouth Hostel in Sheringham, we conducted
preliminary research for our task. In pairs, for two days, we had
to complete different tasks: some groups had to investigate the
density of certain fucoid species, and others were to look at the
relationships between the abiotic factors and the distribution of
dog whelks. I was particularly interested by the variety of species
that we saw. On the fourth day we explored the woods for
the effects of woodland management, Our trip to the Holkham
reserve enabled us to look at gorgeous, colourful fields of flowers
such as heather, daffodils and poppies.
On the final day we presented our findings about the distribution
of species. It was a culmination of our efforts in using the different
media to research why we really saw different species in different
areas. Prior to our departure, we ascended to the peak of a cliff
to see beautiful marine and rural would like to thank
the Biology Department for taking us on such an interesting and
memorable trip.
U6th Biology Field Trip To
North Norfolk
Amrita Bhattacharyya, U6N