Today our students were very lucky to have a visit from a real scientist!! Dr. Michelle Hennigan is a Chemist and is Technical Operations API Team Lead at AbbVie in County Sligo. She came to our school today and started off with a fun experiment in the Junior Room. The Junior Room experimented with cornstarch and its properties. When mixed with water, it looks like a liquid. When being poured and handled gently it acts like a liquid, but acts like a solid when a force is acting on it. We had such fun grabbing it and letting it ooze out of our hands. We also enjoyed hitting it and not getting stuck in it!

Michelle also spoke to us about being a scientist, what her job entails and how science is a part of our everyday lives. She reminded us that when we ask questions we are just like scientists, wondering, investigating, experimenting and reasoning. 
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Michelle then facilitated an experiment in the Senior Room. The experiment involved creating a coating for a tablet and then testing its durability. Michelle discussed the importance of coating tablets, the purpose of doing so and how it affects the release of important medicine into the human body through the digestive system. Designing the coating for a tablet involves science, technology, engineering and math to formulate the ingredients to make the coating, design it, test it and then produce it in bulk amounts. 

Each group were given the same ingredients and objective of developing a pill coating that could withstand the churning actions and acidic environment of the stomach. Each team created wonderful coatings and experimented with how different ingredients affected the properties of their coating. They then coated their tablets (Murray mints). All teams tested their coating’s durability by dropping their tablets into a cup of 7up which was used to simulate stomach acid. We were all amazed with the results of each tablet and discussed the effects size, texture, taste and thickness of the coating have for patients taking the tablets as a source of medicine.

All at Cloonlyon thoroughly enjoyed having Michelle visit us today. We would like to thank her for a wonderful morning and hope to see her again soon for some more amazing experiments. Happy Science Week!

Today 5th and 6th class created their very own paper gliders using card, a straw, a pair of scissors and some tape. Using the card they cut two strips of card and taped the ends of each strip together creating a nice round shape once taped. They created one large hoop and one small hoop taping each one at opposite ends of the straw. Then then held the straw in the middle with the hoops on top and threw their gliders into the air, similar to how you might throw a paper plane, angled slightly up.

They were surprised to discover that their gliders flew surprisingly well. The two sizes of hoops help to keep the straw balanced as it flies. The big hoop creates “drag” (or air resistance) which helps keep the straw level while the smaller hoop in at the front keeps the glider from turning off course.
 
5th and 6th Class discussed how the placement of the hoops on the straw might affect its flight distance and if more hoops would help the glider to fly better. We analysed how the weight of the card might affect how it lands. We discovered, despite many attempts, that the gliders will not turn over because the card hoops are heavier than the straw. Since objects of different weight generally fall at the same speed, the hoop will keep its “upright” position. 

With their plans completed, the children set about constructing their towers. There were some issues and great discussions were had along the way. Each table completed the task of creating a tower that could support it's own weight and was more than 1 level. 

With the towers created, it was time for one last test! The Mr McGuire Earthquake! Thankfully all buildings survived. 

As part of Science Week 2019 the middle room completed a task on designing and making bridges using just blu-tac and lollipop sticks. The key skills in this lesson were creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. 

To start off the children were allowed to explore the materials and discuss in their groups how they could build their bridge. From exploring and creating their designs the children all noted some problems with strength at the joints of the lollipop sticks!

By talking through some of the issues the children worked together to come up with different way they could help to strengthen the joints of their bridges so that their bridges would not collapse!

Back to the drawing board!
Following theses discussion, each group went back to redesign their bridge and apply the different building techniques they had picked up from other children. Each group worked together and this time success!

Each group created a bridge that not only could support their own weight but also Mr McGuire's water bottle when placed on top of the bridge.  A fantastic lesson where children really worked together in their groups to support each other and work together to problem solve. ​

Well done to all the children who produced such fantastic bridges and experiencing how fun science can be.