Throughout last year a group of Year 13 Physics students participated in the IRIS ATLAS research project. After many hours of hard work after school, we concluded our research by presenting our results on three posters. We then attended an IRIS conference in Manchester and displayed our posters to fellow research teams and academics. Following our success in Manchester, we were proudly nominated for the Best Research Team Award, out of all UK schools who had participated in IRIS projects last year. We were kindly invited to attend the awards ceremony held at the Francis Crick Institute London.
Our short but action-packed trip began with an early morning flight to London. We then had to navigate the London Underground and busy streets, at the end of which we were happy to arrive at our hotel. We then made our way to the awards ceremony, with the aid of Google Maps! On arrival we enjoyed some canapes and drinks. Then the ceremony began, during which we were delighted to receive a Highly Commended Award for being one of the top 3 finalists. We are so proud of our team for earning this prestigious award and proving that hard work has its rewards. We were also given the opportunity to listen to an amazing keynote speaker, Dame Kate Bingham, who was a leader in the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination for the UK. It was inspiring to listen to an advocate for the importance of research in our world today. She reminded us that we are the future of scientific research and that we can make a difference.
Our second day began with another early rise in anticipation of a busy day of sightseeing around London. Our fast-paced tour, led by Mr Purcell, included some of the most famous landmarks in London, including Buckingham Palace, where we eagerly awaited the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Finally, we wrapped our trip up with some shopping on Oxford Street.
Everyone had an amazing time thanks to the generosity of IRIS, and the hard work from our teammates and teachers. It was most certainly a trip to remember!
