via the intended process; however, some odd – in some cases inexplicable – occurrences resulted in us giving up points on three more occasions. Wednesday began with the exhibition, where the teams and members of the public had a chance to view all of the safes and have a go at solving them in a more relaxed and friendly manner. This also provided the opportunity for us to discuss the Physics of the safes with their creators and to compare the experience of building them with people from a variety of different countries and cultures. Following this, the competitors all moved to the Wix auditorium for the prize-giving ceremony. Hopes were high but sadly Dulwich did not gain a place in the top ten. The top five safes really were the cream of the crop and included three offerings from Israel, one from Slovenia and one from Canada.
We travelled straight from the prize-giving to Jerusalem, where we were given a guided tour of the city. This really was a fascinating and humbling experience, and we could see how all of the various cultures and religions that have controlled this hotly disputed area of the world throughout history have left their mark on the city. On our final morning we managed to visit the old port town of Jaffa. Here we saw the beautiful Mediterranean coastline, historic architecture dating back to Egyptian, Greek and Roman times, and the bustling markets. After a bit more light interrogation, we boarded our flight home and though extremely tired, the entire team was feeling thankful for what was an amazing experience both in an academic and a cultural sense. Good luck to next year’s team.
Biology Week Dr Phil Cue F rom Monday 11th to Friday 15th November the Biology Department took over the Lower Hall to celebrate National Biology Week. The theme was ‘biodiversity’ and the aim was to increase the appreciation of Dulwich students for the huge variety of living things, as well as to show off some of the Biology department’s extensive collection of animals, which includes living, pickled and preserved specimens. There were also a number of practical activities in which, for example, boys could observe pond life under a microscope or examine their fingerprints to compare them to the three main types: arch, loop and whorl. We were even able to prove that identical twins have different fingerprints.
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