John Dunn worked for 48 years as a Marine Biologist at the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen. As Polar Ambassador to 2 primary schools in the North of Scotland he was able to share his own experiences of life on board research vessels.
Millbank Primary embraced the life of a Polar Explorer, learning many aspects of the science, technology and engineering used in Polar regions. The pupils loved making their own designs of ice breakers and gained an understanding of life and work on a research vessel. They developed their knowledge and understanding of climate change and became aware of what small changes in everyday life they could make to reduce the effect. To celebrate and showcase their learning they held an open afternoon to share with parents and community partners all they had achieved, including their plans and calculations for a trip to Antarctica.
P4/5 class at New Elgin Primary really embraced the programme enthusiastically and learned about the wildlife of Antarctica and the scientific research being carried out there. Using a hair dryer to replicate repeatable strong winds, they designed and assembled structures that could withstand these. They also made brochures about clothing which could be used by polar workers. An open afternoon was held at which pupils shared a series of experiments and the excitement and depth of knowledge was incredible. The pupils also really enjoyed the opportunity to work with and explain the experiments to the P1 class who visited their classroom.
