Science club students at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy constructed solar ovens to cook marshmallows for s’mores recently, but the results weren’t quite what they hoped!
Students in the school’s science club have been doing experiments and projects throughout the year and were given carte blanche to come up with their own scientific creation, using the materials available to them within the school.
Students alighted on the idea of creating solar ovens. Solar ovens work by converting sunlight into energy that can be used to cook food. They have been used around the world for centuries, with the first one being made in 1767 by a Swiss scientist.
One of the biggest benefits of solar ovens is the fact that they do not release carbon dioxide, a contributing factor in climate change. Greater usage of solar ovens can help to reduce the global carbon footprint.
Stephanie Mortimer, Science Teacher at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, explains the approach the students took when creating their experiment: “They looked at which materials would make the best solar oven and they also had to decide how they would collect data to determine what made it ‘the best’. The solar ovens they ended up producing were all very different in design.”
However, there was one consistent that was astonishing: “It was surprising how long it took for the ovens to heat up. After an hour, only a few ovens had marshmallows that were a bit gooey” concludes Stephanie.
Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is a mixed secondary school and sixth form. The school is part of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust.
