Whodunnit? Year 10 scientists turn detectives
Stockport Grammar School played host to forty Year 10 scientists from local high schools this July, challenging them to put their scientific brains to the test with a ‘Whodunit’ style competition.
The young scientists competed in groups of four, with each team taking the name of a famous scientist renowned for their historical contributions to the fields of forensics, pathology, medicine and toxicology to complete hour-long tasks in each of the sciences.
On arrival the scientists were met with the breaking news of a major theft at Stopford General Hospital’s Pharmacy, where a number of medications had been stolen.
Police had apprehended eight suspects, with their forensics teams having gathered the crime scene evidence. However, police labs were experiencing a backlog of cases, so the teams were asked to help process the evidence to bring the case to a quick close.
Did you know that even identical twins have unique fingerprints! Pupils’ first challenge was to identify characteristics and patterns of fingerprints to narrow down their suspect list by matching samples to those taken from the scene.
In Biology, crime scene forensics had discovered from samples taken at the scene that the suspects were diabetic. The teams’ task was to test fresh samples to identify a match.
Police theory is that a strong electromagnet was used to override the security system on the pharmacy door, the Physics department had the teams battling it out to construct the strongest electromagnet – creative thinking and learning from trial and error were key attributes here.
Chemistry challenged pupils’ knowledge with new equipment and methodology to identify which medications found on the suspects matched the specific chemical makeup of those taken from the pharmacy.
The level of competition was high and the results were very close. Overall victors were Team ‘Marie Maynard Daly’ from St James’ Catholic High School. Team ‘Johann Ludwig Casper’ from St Anne’s RC High School finished second and Team ‘Mathieu Orfila’ from Parrs Wood High School were third.
The competition aimed to inspire and challenge pupils who have a passion for science with the opportunity to use advanced lab equipment and to engage in science beyond the curriculum.
Head of Physics Mrs Heather Fenton commented: “Like detectives, scientists learn from clues that we find through experiments, then figure out how the clues piece together. The more we learn, the more questions we find to ask! Science requires us to continually challenge the status quo, to hypothesise and then to back up these ideas with experimental evidence. The competitors displayed exemplary teamworking skills to carry out their experiments with accuracy.
“It was a pleasure to host such an enthusiastic and inquisitive group of scientists. A number of our SGS Lower Sixth Form scientists were on hand in the sessions to assist with the use of equipment and it was nice to see the sharing of knowledge and interest.”
