The Extended Essay was introduced for all boys in the Upper School in 2006, and now forms a key component of the Dulwich Diploma. Each pupil, with the aid of a subject expert from the staff, selects a research area of their choice, and over the summer holiday at the end of Year 12 writes an undergraduate–type essay of about 2,000 words. Boys have produced some outstanding work, and in anticipation of the opening of ‘The Laboratory’ later this year, some of the abstracts from the best scientific essays from the 2013 leavers are reproduced here.
How are models of explosive performance best utilised in academic and industrial environments? While new explosive compounds are regularly synthesised, in many ways it seems like progress in the field is slower than it could be. One easily overlooked tool available for scientists working in this area is the computer model. It can serve as a useful aid to empirical investigation, saving the time required to run an experiment, or revealing details of the explosion process that would not be easily obtained by experiment. However, with a bewilderingly large selection of different techniques available, choosing the one that is most applicable is often challenging. This research essay serves to establish the advantages and drawbacks of a variety of modelling paradigms, and come to a conclusion about how they can best be applied, and when experimentation is the optimum solution. Sean Burton reached the final round of the British Chemistry Olympiad, and was part of the final selection to represent the UK in Washington as part of a team of four.
To what extent has new Trans Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) technology changed the way patients suffering from aortic stenosis are managed? Open heart surgery has evolved into a very safe and important procedure in medicine. It is a valuable treatment offered by the NHS and continues to improve lives today. Aortic stenosis is one of the heart diseases that is treated in this way. The condition leaves the valve in the aorta calcified and stiff, reducing blood flow and impairing heart function. The valve can be replaced during open heart surgery, but cardiac surgeons are now moving away from the invasive nature of heart surgery, and favouring a new, innovative technology, TAVI. Trans Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a minimally invasive procedure, using wires, catheters and balloons, to replace the faulty valve. This new technique has led to improvements in patients’ well being, as well as having great advantages for the NHS. I will be looking at the improvements that TAVI has bought, and discussing why surgeons believe that TAVI is the way forward. Daniel Beese is now studying Medicine.
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