The Geography department took the First Form to visit the Scott Polar Research Museum in Cambridge to learn more about the Antarctic and Arctic, which they are studying during their lessons this Term.
They looked at a collection of artefacts associated with expeditions to Antarctica, as well as the lives of nomadic Arctic populations. Among the items on display, they spotted a fossilised leaf that had been discovered by Old Oundelian Hartley Travers Ferrar (School House 1898), who was a geologist on board the 1901 Discovery expedition with Sir Robert Falcon Scott. The glacier on which Ferrar found many of the fossils provided evidence for continental drift theory, and was named in his honour.
Pupils had fun trying to find the most interesting fact and made lots of notes on the lives of explorers to the Antarctic. The pupils also visited the Botanic Gardens where they met with Old Oundelian Kate Dillon (Dryden 2008) who spoke to them about her very recent experiences living on Antarctica and working as a medical doctor. Kate’s talk was fascinating, and the pupils particularly enjoyed the competition element introduced at the end to imitate an adelie penguin.
The British Antarctic Survey had kindly lent Kate expedition equipment for the pupils to try on, and provided lots of leaflets that the pupils could take away. The pupils have been inspired to aim far and wide when it comes to considering their future careers!
