At FHS, we look to provide an inspiring education in a community which empowers girls to become the leaders, thinkers, innovators, designers, entrepreneurs, and game-changers in fast-changing technological world. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) forms a fundamental part of this, and it has been amazing to see a plethora of unique projects in this area develop over the last few years, in turn helping the girls to put their 7 Cs (commitment, craftsmanship, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, communication and confidence) into practice.

Next in the pipeline is a series of “Lunch and Learn” talks, launching in September, where we are hoping to invite speakers from academia, pioneering STEAM focused businesses and creative enterprises, and would like to encourage any FHS parents to get involved! Please contact STEAM Champion Dr Price (Claire.Price@fhs-sw1.org.uk) for further information. Dr Price has summarised some of our most exciting current projects below:

Mini-Attenborough Magic

Ms Vyas and I are running a project with years 7 and 8 to build a large-scale model of a Savannah biome. The construction has involved a great deal of craftsmanship; blow-torching high-density foam (safely!) to create a realistic landscape and rendering the surface with plaster before painting it. An electrostatic flocking device was used to create grassed areas. Scale models of desert trees were fashioned from twig branches and moss. The girls drilled holes to embed the trees into the model structure themselves. They are currently trialling stop/go animation apps to film short scenes around the watering hole, which they have scripted for their handmade plasticine animals. Think Wallace and Gromit meets David Attenborough!

High Altitude Helium Balloon

I am running a STEAM project as a sixth form enrichment elective to launch a high-altitude helium balloon to the stratosphere. It is a genuine technical challenge that has afforded curious participants an opportunity to research Atmospheric Physics, Meteorology, Flight Path Prediction, Helium Balloon Pressure Calculations, GPS tracking, Radiosonde tracking with a raspberry pi and Datalogger evaluation. The probe has two onboard cameras, one of which will be trained on an array of test-tubes with student experiments inside, against the pitch black of space. The other 360 degrees camera should capture the balloon burst at 30000m and visualize the Earth as a globe surrounded by its fragile blue atmosphere. Other onboard experiments include a cosmic ray detector donated to us by UKHAS. We also plan to add small latex balloons to the suspension cord filled with messages of hope (written by every girl in the school on biodegradable paper) that will flutter back to Earth. The main balloon should ascend to three times the height of a commercial airliner, POP and slowly descend back to Earth via parachute! We will then chase it and, in the best-case scenario, find it in an accessible location somewhere outside the M25.

The launch window is currently 19^th-28^th June from Vincent Square. A Westminster School teacher with vast experience of this type of launch has generously offered their site and his expertise for our maiden launch – it is sure to be an awesome experience. 

Awesome Aeroponics and Aquaponics

Dr Bourne and I are running a club that is focused on looking at ways to produce large and consistent quantities and quality of food using revolutionary vertical farming methods. We are asking the question does indoor farming offer enough advantages to make it the future of modern agriculture?

The first prototype built was an aquaponic ebb and flow system, which uses nutrients provided by fish to sustain plant growth in a grow bed, under LED lighting. This system worked well producing a healthy basil crop. The students critically evaluated the prototype and with an engineering mindset adjusted the design to improve it. They are fully committed to building and testing a different creative solution, which features a dual aquaponic ebb and flow system, which will enable them to run controlled experiments for crop optimization. We are also trialling the aeroponic way of growing plants, a method first developed by NASA as a potential way to feed settlers living on a Moon base. It works by suspending plant roots and spraying them over with a fine, nutrient-rich mist. This technique has generated produce at an incredibly fast rate, with aromatic and high-quality mixed leaves and herbs, that  fed students and staff at the school canteen’s Italian Day! The club’s vision is to actively investigate possible advancements in food production that are pesticide free, low food miles (and hence low CO₂ emissions), minimize water usage, are energy efficient and space saving.

Rogue Robotics

Mr Connolly is running a thriving Robotics club that has revived the EV3 Lego Mindstorms robots. The girls are designing, building and programming the robots to complete a range of different tasks.

Cool CAD and 3D Modelling

 Ms Riaz has our new Ultimaker 3-D printers printing designs that the students have created using the 3-D design software TinkerCAD.

F1 in Schools

Miss Ballie-Whyte is offering students a chance to take part in F1 in schools, an international STEM competition for school children, in which groups of 3–6 students design and manufacture a miniature car out of the official F1 Model Block using CAD/CAM design tools. The cars are powered by CO₂ cartridges and are attached to a track by a nylon wire. Once the car design is finalized, the 3D printers can be used to print bespoke parts.

Science Book Club and Website

As well as running the F1 competition, Ms Ballie-Whyte is also running two clubs related to science communication: a science book club, (we’re currently reading Longitude by Dava Sobel) and a science website which will be part of the GSA competition Female Pioneers in Science.

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition

Year 12 students Andrea Johnson and Prisha Malhotra are running a lunchtime club for girls interested in code breaking to collaborate on a weekly problem. The Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge is an annual school’s challenge for math’s puzzles & cipher lovers.

Wow! Thank you so much to the Science Department for their creativity and dedication, and to the girls for their enthusiastic involvement. Watch this space!