As part of our Years 7&8 Lecture Series, we were thrilled to welcome Paul Rickard, Head of Science @woldinghamsch to The Prep. Mr Rickard delivered a captivating and interactive lecture, ‘Gold, Stars, and Secrets: The Periodic Table’s Greatest Stories’, exploring how the elements shape our world.
Our pupils were fascinated to learn that we are, quite literally, made of stardust. Mr Rickard introduced the periodic table, highlighting the brilliance of Dmitri Mendeleev, whose groundbreaking work led to the naming of the element ‘Mendelevium’ in his honour.
He then took our pupils through some of his favourite elements, including hydrogen, carbon, gold and phosphorus, explaining how they were discovered and some of their key properties. Our pupils particularly enjoyed the practical demonstrations – from exploding hydrogen balloons to experiencing the weight of gold.
A huge thank you to Mr Rickard for bringing chemistry to life, inspiring our young scientists to keep asking ‘why’ and to keep exploring.
