Students present climate change findings to Royal Society

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Four students from One have followed in the footsteps of some of the brightest scientific minds in the world by presenting their work to The Royal Society in London.

The students were invited to the oldest national scientific society in the world to discuss their findings in relation to a project on climate change. Previous scientists who have presented at The Royal Society include Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.

Last year, the students took part in a research project as part of a partnership grant between the Royal Society, the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex and One.

The aim was to look at two types of crop plants (maize and French beans) and find out which one grows best in drought conditions. (Maize was seen to be the most effective crop plant in this experiment).

As a result of this initial study, four students from One were chosen to take part in the annual Royal Society student conference in Pall Mall that was attended by the current president (of The Royal Society) and Nobel prize winner, Professor Venki Ramakrishnan.

Whilst at this conference, the students presented their findings and demonstrated their knowledge in front of academics, professors, society members and other UK based students.

17-year-old Matthew Lawrence from Ipswich said, "Climate change is happening, the population is increasing, the need for food is becoming more challenging – therefore this study was a useful project for us to be involved in."

17-year-old Lottie Robinson from Bury St Edmunds said, "It was a good opportunity to meet some professors at the prestigious Royal Society and find out what research scientists do."

17-year-old Rosie Fault from Sudbury said, "I enjoyed meeting the Fellows, listening to the talks and seeing how science works at that level."

17-year-old George Russell from Ipswich said, "It was inspiring to meet scientists who were so respected in their field and my confidence improved throughout the whole process."

Director of Curriculum and research lead at One, Tanja Hofmann, said, "This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our science students to rub shoulders with some current greats and follow in the footsteps of some historical scientists who have helped shape the world.  They were superb ambassadors for One and it was a proud day for all of us."