Academy Life
Posted on December 18th 2024
Biology Trip
During October, biology students went on a 3- day trip to Juniper Hall in Surrey. Juniper Hall is a historic 17th century country house with beautiful views, amazing rivers and neverending grasslands. While there, we learnt lots about ecology and biodiversity, and how important it is for different ecosystems.
Throughout our stay, we learnt about what biodiversity meant. We investigated why different habitats have different species of plants and used random sampling to compare two different habitats (woodland and grassland) available to us on-site. We then spent a whole day learning about succession (which is oneway ecosystems change overtime) and analysing the data we collected on the abundance and distribution of different species to see how they were affected by succession. Finally, we conducted our own investigation, using the skills we learnt in the course to collect, process and analyse our own data and concluded the investigation.
While on this trip, I know my classmates and I learnt a lot of new information. We practised how to plan and carry out an ecological investigation, how to carry out a t-test (which showed if there was a significant difference between this data and how they’re related), different types of sampling and when to use them, etc. Additionally, students developed many skills: communication, leadership, observation, resilience.
Overall, the trip was an amazing experience for the biology students that attended and we’re very grateful that we were able to go on such an educational and excellent trip.
By Chyna-Chae Q, Year 12 Student