My good colleague and fellow herbalist has written a great article on how we can all safely return to some sort of normality following huge disruptions and changes to our lives. It is perhaps a good time to look at how we approach dis-ease and wellness from a refreshed perspective. I believe that we all have the ability to manage our health in a more natural and sustainable way, using holistic methods which are mostly easy to do and these practices give us a better physical and emotional connection with our own healthcare. You can read the full article here

Varndean College is celebrating the success of four of its recently qualified A Level Biology students who have all been awarded CREST
Awards by the British Science Association.

CREST is a national scheme to help inspire young people to become independent and reflective learners, in which an award is given in recognition of them meeting the assessment criteria for an individualised science project they have led and carried out. In the 16+ age category, the project must take a minimum of 70 hours, contribute to a STEM field of study, whilst working with an external mentor from their chosen field of study. https://varndean.ac.uk/news/crest 

Yaso Shan, Biology Tutor at Varndean College who organised and administered the Awards commented: “This is a particularly noteworthy achievement as students were able to experience scientific research and investigations under the guidance and expertise of university professors which represents a fantastic opportunity for A Level students. It is  remarkable that our students have been able to undertake, complete and succeed on a project of this scale in such unprecedented circumstances in
addition to securing A Level success and university places.”

Biology News                                                                                 

So proud of my ex-student Nick Porter who graduates from the University of Surrey with a First Class Honours in Medicinal Chemistry. It’s good to see talent in our youngsters and exciting challenges ahead of him in this field. He’s currently a Placement Student at the British Geological Survey which is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and is its principal supplier of national capability in geoscience. It advances understanding of the structure, properties and processes of the solid Earth system through interdisciplinary surveys, monitoring and research for the benefit of society.

 

Varndean College staged a physically-distanced celebration on Monday, as IB students received outstanding results yet again, with students securing places at prestigious universities including Bristol, Cambridge, York, Leeds, UCL, Warwick and Imperial College, London to read subjects ranging from Fine Art to Philosophy, and Midwifery to Medicine and Marine Biology.

Siva Kumari, IB Director General said: “An IB education has always been about more than results and, this year, students have had to deal with a level of global disruption that has never been experienced before. We know that the IB has prepared them to be better learners for life—to be better, more critical thinkers, better at formulating excellent questions and finding the answers, and better suited to adapting to our ever-changing world.”

https://varndean.ac.uk/news/ib_results2020 

 

Sir David Attenborough said the RSB could be “one of the most important learned societies in the country” as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Society’s 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner.

Receiving the honour in front of over 300 guests at London’s Science Museum, the broadcaster and naturalist spoke about the importance of bioscience in raising awareness of the myriad threats facing the natural world. Read more……