Extended Project Qualification Presentation Evening - The ...

Extended Project Qualification
                               Presentation Evening
                 Tuesday 15th & Thursday 17th March 2016
                              Lecture Theatre 6.00 pm start.

                        Welcome to the sixth Perse School EPQ Presentation Evening.

         The EPQ is a very different qualification from other AS subjects (and indeed A levels) in that there is no
specification to be followed. Each student chooses a topic area to research and then manages his or her own
progress from outset to completion. Students are required to formulate a suitable title, undertake extensive
research, and write a report of up to 5,000 words. In some cases an artefact or performance may be produced,
accompanied by a report.
         Students are also required to keep a detailed log of the research and writing process, and to make use
of expert help in their subject area, in many cases going beyond School to do so. They are also assessed on their
ability to present their research verbally to a live audience and answer questions from the audience on it: you
are invited to pose suitable questions this evening as part of that process. Finally, the students have to write a
critical reflection on their research. All this means that the EPQ develops and tests a range of academic and
other valuable skills that go way beyond those required for most AS and A levels.
         The range of projects is diverse and ambitious, and a list of titles, abstracts and posters follow. We have
had a very enjoyable year helping the students through the process, and hope you enjoy this evening of
presentations. If you are currently a lower sixth student you may well consider taking the EPQ next year and if
you are taking the HPQ we look forward to seeing you in the near future.
         There is a poster presentation of each project around the stage area in the lecture theatre for you to
preview before the evening begins, during break, and after the presentations have ended.

D J Clarke EPQ Coordinator
CN Anderson, CA Deadman, S Dickens, MJ Fox & PJC Hicks, EPQ project supervisors.

EPQ Programme
                            Tuesday 15th March
6.00 Tristan Alphey:   To what extent was ‘chivalry’ a reality, rather than merely an
                       ideological phenomenon, in Western Europe during the
                       medieval period?

6.20 Millie Kearton:   The war the Spanish have tried to forget: Why is the memory of
                       the Spanish civil war still so contentious?

6.40 Ben Browning:     How did Hannibal lose the Second Punic War and could
                       Carthage have won it?

7.00 Break

7.15 Bradley Young:    How can the use of innovative materials and metallurgy
                       improve the racing performance of skis?

7.35 Tom Anderson:     What are the likely effects of climate change on the polar jet
                       stream?

7.55 Adam Hughes:      To what extent should ethics be considered in the genetic
                       engineering of GM crops.

                           Thursday 17th March
6.00 John Busher:      To what extent was Luddism a political protest?

6.20: Jia Gu:          Suspended animation: science fiction or near reality?

6.40 Amy McCarthy:     To what extent do websites which give information and advice
                       regarding medical issues benefit the General Practice system?

7.00 Break

7.15 Marcus Tuchel:    What is the best battery technology for the future of electric
                       cars?

7.35 Dominic Payne:    Is the gothic a feminist genre?

Tuesday 6.00 Tristan Alphey
To what extent was ‘chivalry’ a reality, rather than merely an
ideological phenomenon, in Western Europe during the
medieval period?
‘Chivalry’, as a concept, is one often misapplied in a modern world. This
project explores the realities of early Medieval European chivalry, casting
aside our romanticised remembrance, while highlighting the role of
literature and idealisation in perverting its image. By highlighting three
traditional pinnacles of chivalry (Richard I, Roland, and William Marshall),
and by cross referencing such men to the actual delineations of the
contemporary ideology, a degree of actual subscription to ‘chivalry’ may
be deemed. Ultimately, such is a question as to whether ‘chivalry’ can ever
be deemed to extend beyond the realms of an idealised way of thought,
to an applicable regulatory body.

Tuesday 6.20 Millie Kearton
The war the Spanish have tried to forget: why is the memory of the Spanish civil war still
so contentious?
Franco, unlike other European dictators of the 20th century, was on the
winning side of the Spanish Civil War; there was no pressure for Spain to
‘demonise him’ or to convict his supporters of war crimes. Nationalist heroes
were remembered in the vast Valley of the Fallen whereas the Republican
dead were denied any memorial at all. Following Franco’s death in 1975,
the leading political parties signed ‘The Pact of Forgetting’ which allowed
Spain to move on from the violence of the past and make a swift transition
into democracy. However, many today feel that in order to achieve this
peace, justice had to be sacrificed, and now it is important for the future
stability of the country for this legacy to be addressed. Others disagree,
fearing that the process of remembering could re-open old wounds. This
project will examine why the memory of the Civil War is still so contentious
both in Spain and abroad. It will touch on the horrors of the war which tore
an already divided country apart, the repression of Franco’s rule, and the
impact of the Pact of Forgetting on today’s politics. In the words of the
novelist Cercas, “This is the past that has not passed. The civil war is still
here.”

Tuesday 6.40 Ben Browning
How did Hannibal lose the Second Punic War and could Carthage have won it?
This project evaluates the main causes for Carthage’s failure to win
the Second Punic War against Rome, focusing specifically upon the
war in Italy as well as evaluating the effectiveness of Hannibal’s, and
indeed Carthage’s, overarching military strategy. Through the use of
a combination of both contemporary and more modern sources I will
seek to explain how a General that remained undefeated in set
piece battle for fifteen years finished a member of the defeated side,
and without straying too far into counterfactual history I will seek to
answer whether there was anything more that could have been
done to attain victory, or whether the clear contrasts in culture
between the nations made this result almost inevitable.

Tuesday 7.15 Bradley Young
How can the use of innovative materials and metallurgy improve the racing performance
of skis?
With races won or lost over hundredths of seconds, ‘marginal
gains’ is an important topic within ski racing. With such in mind,
this project explores the different aspects of the ski to decide
which area would be most beneficial to develop for the racing
skier. Once such aspects have been identified the project
explores the ways in which innovative materials science and
metallurgy could be used to enhance the performance of this
area of design within the ski. With almost all sports having moved
away from the use of wood in their equipment in favour of more
modern composites, is this ancient material still the most effective
for the skiing industry?

Tuesday 7.35 Tom Anderson
What are the likely effects of climate change on the
polar jet stream?
Jet streams are high speed currents of winds that many of us hear
about regularly through weather forecasts. They affect our lives
on a daily basis through a number of means: transatlantic flights
for instance can “hitch a ride” on the jet, cutting down the time
it takes to fly from New York to London by up to two hours.
However, the complex processes and forces that go on behind
the scenes are less well understood, and the aim of this project is
to explain some of the implications climate change (specifically,
rapid warming at the poles) will have on these unique forces of
nature in the future.

Tuesday 7.55 Adam Hughes
To what extent should ethics be considered in the genetic engineering of GM crops.
The regulation of genetically modified crops differs from country
to country around the world. The aim of this project is to highlight
differences in regulation in order to understand positions held by
some countries over the controversial topic of these plants, their
real uses and what they represent.

Thursday 6.00 John Busher
To what extent was Luddism a political protest?
The cause of the Luddites, people who in the years 1811 to 1817 embarked
on a concerted campaign of machine breaking in the teeth of Britain’s
nascent industrial revolution, has today become synonymous with a
philosophy that criticises unconstrained technological progress. However,
the actual aims and motivations of these figures were, in fact,
considerably more diverse. The government, for example, treated the
disturbances as a serious threat to its power and was forced to divert
significant numbers of troops from the Napoleonic Wars to crush the
unrest. What little survives of Luddite writings, meanwhile, displays a wide
variety of political, economic and social opinions and goals, leading to
doubts about the exact nature and intention of the revolts. Through
analysis of primary and secondary documents, alongside communicating
with respected authorities on the subject, I have attempted to establish
the extent to which Luddism was a revolutionary movement as well as an
economic one. This question is of the highest contemporary importance
as, depending on the answer, the period 1811-1812 may have been the
closest Britain has ever come to a genuine popular revolution.

Thursday 6.20 Jia Gu
Suspended animation: science fiction or near reality?
Science fiction writers have always been captivated by the concept of suspended animation - preserving
humans in a reversible state between life and death. In fictional stories, one can simply be put to “sleep” with
the flick of a switch, going through millenniums of interstellar travel
only to be woken up unaffected by the passing of time. For
decades, the idea seemed to be far-fetched in the scientific
world. In my presentation, I will discuss the current research into
pausing the biological clock in order to buy time for the critically
injured or for other medical reasons. Other terms such as
cryptobiosis, hibernation and quiescene torpor all represent
varying degrees of suspended animation which is often
characterized by both reduction of energy production and
lowering of cellular metabolism. Humans can’t control their
biological clock any more than they can stop breathing without causing severe hypoxic damage. However,
with recent research, a way to forcibly induce suspended animation may have been discovered using a gas
that was essential for survival 55 million years ago. If the method is proven viable, then science fiction might
just become a little closer to becoming reality.

Thursday 6.40 Amy McCarthy
To what extent do websites which give information and advice regarding medical issues
benefit the General Practice system?
During the process of applying to medical school, I undertook
many clinical work experience placements. Throughout these
periods I became aware that patients were frequently
researching health concerns online. The purpose of this project
was to determine the extent that internet research into medical
issues is beneficial, with a specific focus on its effects to the
general practice system. I conducted a survey to investigate
which websites people visited for medical advice and crucially
why they choose to use them. NHS direct and Web MD were by
far the most popular sites and the majority of people used them
to increase awareness of symptoms or to diagnose a condition.

Existing literature highlighted that much of the information available online is unreliable, however more than
half the people surveyed said they trusted the information they found online. A focus group reinforced that
internet sites are most often used to check symptoms and diagnose conditions but interestingly most of the
participants would research online in conjunction with consulting a health care professional. Interviewed GP’s
all said that patient research was common prior to a consultation. Furthermore, providing patients are willing
to accept when their information is incorrect, health research by patients is helpful as it results in a more
informed and receptive patient. Additionally the GP’s said they would recommend internet research to
patients in specific cases.

Thursday 7.15 Marcus Tuchel
What is the best battery technology for the future of electric cars?
Electric cars are the future. They have better efficiency, are more reliable, have faster acceleration and
decreased running costs when compared to conventional petrol car.
However, they only account for 0.001% of all road cars. Why is this?
Research shows that the main reason for this is clear: it is the batteries
used as they contribute to the cost and range of the car which, from my
survey, I found to be the top two considerations taken into account
when buying an electric car. For my project I am comparing three
energy storage methods to find which technology is the most promising
to be able to increase the range of electric cars and also lower the price
so that in the future electric cars will be the majority of cars on the road.
My research revealed that there were two ways in which the
effectiveness of batteries can be compared and contrasted. These were
‘technological fact’s’ and ‘what consumers want’. In researching
technologies, I contacted Andrew Morris, a researcher at the University
of Cambridge. Through conversations with him I drew conclusions about
the three very different forms of battery being used: Lithium air batteries,
Lithium-Sulphur batteries and the ‘3d’ battery from the company Prieto.
In relation to ‘what consumers want’, it is simply low cost and long range.
From my research I concluded that all the technologies have their
advantages and disadvantages but that the Lithium-Sulphur battery is the most promising as it is only a few
years away from being a reality and is also half the price of current batteries.

Thursday 7.35 Dominic Payne
Is the gothic a feminist genre?

This project examines the gothic genre, specifically the male gothic
tradition, which has previously been viewed as sexist. Through the
analysis of five texts spanning a century and a half, alongside feminist
criticism, I will evaluate whether the texts support a feminist
interpretation, or instead mirror the period’s repression of women. This
project presents the idea that, through the depiction of the gothic
heroine and her relationship with other characters, the genre empowers
women to subvert the oppressive patriarchy, advocating social and
cultural reform.