This week, Year 12 Biology students and I took an icy cold plunge into ice baths to investigate homoeostasis – in particular, the body’s response to a cold environment.

The students measured pulse, blood pressure, skin appearance and mental ability and then reflected on their results and experimental design.

Click here to see a slide show of the ice baths.

Next term, our Year 12 Biology students will perform their final extended experimental investigation, looking at various aspects of human physiology in the context of sport. They each will choose their own topic to investigate, which may include such questions as:

• What is the best sports drink for rehydration or recovery?
• Do Skins actually work?
• Do ice vests improve athletic performance? or
• What are the factors that affect the body’s response to cold temperatures?

I look forward to reviewing lots of interesting experiments next term.

Dr Sawyer
Head of Science Department