Day two began with a tour of the universe, again with Dr Maggie. I should mention that she has been awarded an MBE by the Queen but – I’m sure you will agree – the fact she has a Blue Peter badge is much more impressive! Her talk involved building a rocket from baking powder and vinegar, a great Blue Peter make!

In the afternoon I went along to see ‘The new IQ: Working memory’ lecture delivered by Tracy Alloway from the University of Stirling. She presented us with her research into working memory, comparing our working memory to a post-it note -some people have bigger post-it notes than others. Her work shows that there is a strong connection between the size of someone’s working memory and their level of academic achievement. Her belief is that a measure of someone’s working memory is a very accurate portrait of intelligence – even better than IQ.

My evening finished with a debate on ‘Does Darwin have a future?’ delivered by three subject experts. I learned more about the history of Darwin’s theory and how it has stood the test of time.

Emma

Continue to Day 3