Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the theme for 2021 is focused on Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

Meet our Head Girl Merlin. Merlin is currently in Year 13 studying Biology, Chemistry and Psychology with the aspiration to study medicine at university.

“I decided to study Biology, Chemistry and Psychology not only because they were required for my university course but because I truly enjoy learning and discovering about the world around us. Throughout primary school, I always thought that I was average. My ambition when I was little was nothing like what it is now. I never really did any science until I came to secondary school but after our Transfer Day in year 6, I knew that science was going to be a subject that I would go on to love.

The best thing about science is that so much can come from just one idea. Even if it may be one piece of a large puzzle, that one piece may be the foundation of a new theory, discovery or treatment. For example, Marie Curie’s legacy in Science came from just one element, Polonium, which then branched into a whole new phenomenon which we now know as radioactivity. Marie curie has inspired me a lot through her works. 

Most recently I have been inspired by Gitanjali Rao who has been titled ‘Kid of the Year 2020’ at the age of just fifteen! She used science in order to create a small, mobile device that tests for lead in drinking water. This just demonstrates how you don’t need to be old and in a white coat to be called a scientist, the world is waiting for new and amazing inventions to be discovered.

In science, we explore a whole range of things from Ecology to the kidneys in Biology, to individual atoms to anti-cancer drugs in chemistry. But this is just what we are taught in lessons, I believe science is more than just sitting and memorising pages from a textbook, it’s when you take the theoretical material you’ve learnt and place a practical value on it. For example, learning about the ways of producing painkillers and why we produce them in the way we do is all well but when you are able to actually take that knowledge to produce your own Aspirin for example and maybe even go onto discover new drugs and treatments is when you are starting to understand the topic in a more experimental level.

I 100% encourage more girls to take up A level science. I can tell you that it isn’t all experimental and behind these accomplishments from the incredible women I’ve mentioned there have been many hours of careful observation and hard work. But despite all that, science really does open many doors for you, giving you the opportunity to work in a way that could potentially change the world! My advice to you would be to never give up.

Remember that when one puzzle piece doesn’t fit you always pick up another one and try again.”

Here at St Edward’s, we encourage our students to engage with our science subjects by making them exciting, relevant and challenging. We offer Chemistry and Biology at both GCSE and A level and both of these subjects are incredibly popular. You can find out more by visiting our subject page here.