That’s a wrap on the British Science Week 2023 poster competition, we have our winners!
We received so many fantastic posters this year on such a diverse range of subjects related to connections, and we’re fascinated by how the children and young people behind them come up with their ideas! So, this year we have interviewed Jessica, the winner of the senior category, about how she came up with her idea and how she researched her wonderfully detailed poster on the Wood Wide Web.
What inspired you to create a poster about how trees communicate?
I find the natural world so interesting, and had previously heard about the “Wood Wide Web”. I think that it really suits the theme of “Connections”.
Can you tell me more about the theme?
There are so many ways in which everything is connected. The forest floor is a great example as we often forget to think about what’s going on under our feet, as well as above ground around us.
Has entering the poster competition made you more interested in science?
I’ve always loved science and learning new things, and this competition has encouraged me to research more about the Wood Wide Web. I mainly used internet sources and watched videos explaining how mycorrhizal networks worked.
Did you gain new skills while creating the poster?
I had to make sure that there was enough information to educate readers while ensuring the poster didn’t look like an intimidating textbook. I tried to make the information interesting to read and find the balance between words and pictures.
What was the most interesting thing you learned through researching for your poster?
I found out that the fungi’s mycelium actually grow within the root system of trees, not just around it. The symbiotic relationship is really interesting to learn about.
What is your favourite science subject?
Biology because I love learning about the natural world and how different things interact with each other.
Does learning more about how nature works inspire you to be a scientist in the future?
I really like nature, but I haven’t decided what I would like to do in the future. Science is definitely one of the options.