The ‘Group 4 Project’ is an interdisciplinary activity in which all Diploma Programme science students from the different Group 4 subjects (Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Systems and Societies) analyse a common topic or problem.
The emphasis is on the processes involved where students collaboratively work together on a scientific topic to ‘develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge’. This year’s topic was ‘Shanghai’.
Our students investigated a variety of different topics. Chinese cooking, water and air pollution, traffic congestion, natural fluorescent light sources and environmental effects on health, were just some of the topics displayed. There was a buzz and excitement throughout the 16 colourful stands as eager, sometimes nervous students explained their projects to the visitors.
During the evening ideas were exchanged, projects tested and questions asked. The high standards of presentation by the students showed how valuable The ‘Group 4 Project’ is in developing students’ abilities to work as a team, research a topic, present it and field questions; all important skills as they move forward with their studies.
- Corinna Graham, Deputy Head of Science