F Block STEM Club M23
Session 1, Simulating Planetary Orbits
by Diyon Dissanayake
The first week of the STEM Club was intriguing due to the combination of astronomy and coding. We were learning how to understand the basics of coding celestial entities and making them orbit around each other. By understanding the way in which they interact, we can alter the masses and angle of orbit to change the way they function.
The programming software we used was ‘Replit’ which uses JavaScript. Using AI software is surprisingly simple yet effective, using Chat GPT to write the initial code and then tweaking the code to do different things. We also learnt how to add extra components such as trails, mass slides, etc. Overall, it was a very engaging session with new topics covered, and most of all, it was an enjoyable evening with laughs along the way.
Session 2, Machine Learning and AI
by Austin Huang
This week we were given a talk from two B block physicists about machine learning and how we can utilise AI to accelerate our progress. The information was also stated at a SciSoc talk earlier in the month presented by Professor Yang Hao. The technical details given by him were nicely broken down and simplified tonight, cementing our knowledge in this field. Then, we used ChatGPT to predict some materials with properties of our choice and explored how different structures can lead to different effects. We finally rounded off the session with a friendly Blooket game testing us on physics fundamentals.
Session 3, Halloween Dissection Special
by Han Fang
What could be a better way of celebrating Halloween than dissecting rats and frogs; I must say it was an absolutely unforgettable experience! It was gruesome, but still very interesting (like most STEM Club sessions, but extra juicy). I personally managed to create an incision in an extra-large lab rat with a scalpel and remove its digestive system (it was surprisingly long). The other group did the same with frogs. Overall, though this may sound quite sadistic, I very much enjoyed the experience, and many thanks to all the staff and B Blockers who arranged this!
Session 4, Introduction to Research
In the final session of the outgoing STEM Committee, Abraham Yeung offered a helpful guide to reading scientific research papers. F block were taught about different sections of a research paper, such as the abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and discussion. They then had a chance to research and create an article of their own, which could be included in the ‘F Block Explains’ series on the EtonSTEM website.