EPQ Presentation Evening :)

On the 17th February, i attended the Upper Sixth EPQ Presentation Evening.  This was a great opportunity to see what I am aiming towards to conclude my EPQ project.  I attended the presentations on:

• Whether the affection a child receives in their early years can have a lasting effect on the brain (Naomi Bell)
• How climate change has affected the spread of Bluetongue and possible solutions to the problem (Beth Hodgeson)
• Whether UK water supplies should be fluoridated to prevent tooth decay (Ryan Homfrey-Jones)
• Eco-tourism in South Africa and how it can be sustainable (Lauren Holmes)
• Whether or not sea water can be desalinated to provide a source of water for LEDCs (Ellie Stamer)

During the evening, i learnt that I need to choose a topic as soon as possible because many of the students answered, upon being asked what they would change if they could redo their project, that they would have found a specific question to research earlier on than they actually did.  I also found out that one of the best starting points for the research was to ask experts because they are very willing to help and are well read in their subject.

I was very impressed with the presentations I saw, in particular Lauren’s and Ellie’s.  Lauren’s seemed unbelievably polished and I was really impressed by that.  What I really liked about these presentations was that I understood them because there were not many complicated medical words etc…  they obviously knew what they were talking about well and were able to ensure the audience understood them, even in Ellie’s case when she was discussing some complicated chemical processes.  I was very impressed with Naomi’s because she was discussing parts of the brain and I was not confused once, even though medical terms and ideas can be confusing to me as I am not an expert.  Ryan did not seem to have a script which I thought was great because it meant he could really engage with the audience and I felt he really knew what he was talking about.  I found they all knew a lot about their subjects and were able to answer the questions put to them well, even in the case of Ellie when she was asked a question from a person who seemed to be an expert in her subject! My favourite answer though, was Ryan’ when, upon being asked whether water would taste any different after it had been fluoridated, he responded that the amount they would put in would be so small that it would be like counting one second (the fluoride in the water) and then counting the seconds for the next thirteen days – that was how little was in the water. 

What I thought was very good, was that many of the students used PowerPoint presentations to help their own presentation.  This was very useful, especially in Naomi’s brain presentation when I was trying to understand the different medical terms.  I noticed this technique in the other presentations but it was particularly useful in Naomi’s presentation.    

This experience has helped me with my EPQ already because, although I know the topic I would like to research into, I do not know exactly what I would like to research.  As previously stated on my blog, I am researching population in Germany.  However, that has already changed and I am now just going to research some aspect of population.  This means that I need to get a move on and decide what I would like to research so I am ready to get started, without it being too late into the process.