International Baccalaureate biology students from The Royal Harbour Academy have been involved in several trips recently.
The first was a trip to Monkton Nature Reserve to investigate biodiversity and ecology in a local habitat. As part of the trip they carried out pond dipping and a transect investigation.
Biology teacher Mrs Holmes said: “The students used techniques and procedures to study the environment which are the same as those used by scientists all over the world, and were able to observe some rare local species such as bee orchids and the great crested newt. It was fantastic for well-being and mental health to have that time spent in such a peaceful natural setting.”
The students also took part in a project with University of Kent which involved three trips to the university to work in their biosciences lab to purify and modify a genetically engineered antibody fragment and then carry out an ELISA (a technique designed for detecting and quantifying soluble substances such as peptides, proteins, antibodies, and hormones) to determine the presence of it.
“These are similar techniques to how vaccines are developed and how diseases like covid can be diagnosed.
Sixth Form biology student, Verity, said: “The sessions were challenging but really interesting. I learnt a lot of new techniques and feel inspired to study biology at university.”