Google Science Fair

Elif Bilgin is an up-and-coming scientist. Check out what she discovered about banana peel in this video. Well done, Elif!

Preparation

Exercises

1. Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–h next to the numbers 1–8.
  1…….. starch                a. a liquid which can be used to make petrol, paraffin and diesel oil
  2…….. bioplastic            b. a mark showing damage on a fruit or vegetable
  3…….. to create             c. a carbohydrate found in vegetables, seeds and some fruits
  4…….. petroleum           d. the outer part of a banana
  5…….. a bruise             e. a type of plastic made from biological things such as plants
  6…….. banana peel          f. a small clear round dish
  7…….. the consequences   g. to make something new
  8…….. Petri dish              h. the outcome

2. Check your understanding: true or false
    Circle True or False for these sentences.
  1. Elif is sixteen years old and lives in Istanbul, Turkey.   True   False
  2. The Bosphorus is where Europe meets Asia.   True   False
  3. Petroleum-based plastics cause a small amount of pollution.   True   False
  4. Bioplastics are more expensive to make and recycle.   True   False
  5. Elif's project was to make plastic out of organic waste materials.   True   False
  6. She had to find equal-sized bananas which were all the same colour and didn't have any bruises.   True   False
  7. The process included dipping, boiling and frying the peel.   True   False
  8. The best part of the process was eating the banana cupcakes and banana splits.   True   False

Keys

1. 1. c 2. e 3. g 4. a 5. b 6. d 7. h 8. f 1.
2. 1. True 2. True 3. False 4. False 5. True 6. True 7. False 8. False

Transcript

Transcript for Google science fair Elif Bilgin:

My name is Elif, I’m sixteen years old and I live in Istanbul, Turkey. My favourite place to spend time is watching the view of the Bosphorus. It’s the point where Europe meets Asia and it’s beautiful. Istanbul is a city that never sleeps.

Because I live in a big city I face environmental problems like pollution on a daily basis. I found out that petroleum-based plastics are causing a vast amount of pollution and that bioplastic is a solution. It is cheaper to make, and recycles a waste material. Bioplastics can be made from potatoes because of the starch in them. So the aim of my project was to see if I could make plastic out of organic waste material. Bananas contain a lot of starch and are therefore a potential plastic material. I researched the current methods for creating bioplastics and I worked for two years developing my project. I had to seek out equal-sized bananas with no bruises and they all had to be of the same official colour index. I did encounter some strange looks when I was picking them!

The peel is something we throw away every day but little do we know that it could be put to much more use. The process includes dipping the peel in sodium metabisulphite solution, boiling and puréeing them. The paste is transferred to a Petri dish and baked. I had twelve attempts at making the plastic and all but the last two were unsuccessful. The best part of the process was the moment when I got my first successful result. The type of plastic I have created can have many uses, including cosmetic prosthetics and the insulation of cables. The method I designed is so simple, it’s possible to say you can actually make it at home. Anyone could use this plastic and our beautiful planet will be spared from the consequences of the production of plastics with petroleum derivatives. I can now say that I have perfected my recipe for banana cupcakes and I make an awesome banana split, and of course I’ve ended up eating a tonne of bananas!

Chinese New Year

Dragon dances, acrobats, fireworks, a parade ... London is buzzing with excitement at Chinese New Year. Find out what you can do to join in the excitement!

Preparation

The event

For London’s Chinese community (and everyone else who loves a party!), Chinese New Year is a huge event. Before Chinese New Year, people make sure their houses are clean and tidy, buy new clothes and have their hair cut, to bring good luck for the new year. London has the biggest celebrations outside of Asia. Hundreds of thousands of people go to watch the parade from the West End to Trafalgar Square, which includes Chinese acrobats, and traditional lion and dragon dances. 

Online safety UK

How do you make sure you stay safe online? Everyone who uses the internet needs to know how to use it safely. Read about online safety in the UK.

96% of young people in the UK regularly use the internet to communicate according to a survey of 24,000 British people aged 9-11. A report shows that only 40% of young people know that personal information shared online stays online forever. There are about 250 million tweets generated every day and around 800 million Facebook users - that means a lot of information is shared online. So are young people using the internet safely?

Private or public

Do you know how to change your privacy settings on social media? For example, you can click on the ‘flower’ icon or on ‘settings’ on Facebook to get to your privacy settings. Then you can decide who sees your posts and personal information: friends, friends of friends or everyone. Do you want everyone in the world to be able to see your email address or just friends?

What is space tourism?

Space tourism is the term used to describe space travel for recreational or leisure purposes. What was once only a dream - described in books such as Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey - is now becoming a reality.

Futurologists are scientists who attempt to develop predictions of what life will be like in the future. After the first man landed on the moon in 1969, they thought that hotels would be built on the moon by the year 2000. Futurologists also considered the possibility that, in the 21st century, families might go for a holiday on the moon. Neither of these predictions have come true yet - but the rapid development of technology may mean these predictions are a possibility in the years to come.

A postcard from Scotland

Read about Jenny's holiday in Scotland and do the exercises to practise and improve your writing skills.

Preparation

Pancake Day

Mmm ... did someone say pancakes?! Read about Pancake Day and learn how to make this delicious treat for yourself.

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is a special day celebrated in many countries around the world. It is celebrated in English-speaking countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada. In some countries, like France and the USA, it is called 'Mardi Gras' or 'Fat Tuesday'. In other countries, like Spain, Italy or Brazil, Shrove Tuesday is at the end of Carnival. On this day many people eat pancakes, a thin, flat cake made in a pan.

Pancake Day is always on a Tuesday in February or March. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days before Easter when people often give up or stop eating things that are bad for them like chocolate or fast food. At the end of Lent is Easter. Easter takes place on a different date each year because it depends on the moon. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Traditionally, during Lent, people didn’t eat rich foods like butter and eggs, so they made pancakes from these ingredients on Shrove Tuesday.

Mind maps

Mind maps help you remember because they are very visual.

• You can use mind maps for groups of words that are connected.
• Write the main word in a circle, e.g. fruit.
• Draw lines out of the circle and write words at the end of the lines, e.g. apple, banana, strawberry, cherry, pear, pineapple, etc