PoetryOF SCIENCE in 2018 for the IF Oxford Science and Ideas Festival 12–22 October 2018 Over 100 events across Oxford for everyone Download the programme and book events at www.if-oxford.com @Oxford_IF #IFOx2018 In March 2017, Oxfordshire Science Festival asked youngIn March people 2017, to Oxfordshirewrite a short Science Festival asked young people to write a short poem on any topic of science, using any style. We hadpoem over on 400 any entries topic rangingof science, using any style. We had over 400 entries ranging from limericks and rap to haiku, acrostic poems andfrom poems limericks based onand a rapshape. to haiku, acrostic poems and poems based on a shape. The winning entries and runners-up are all publishedThe here. winning These entries nine poems and runners-up are all published here. These nine poems were performed at the Oxfordshire Science Festival werein Oxford performed Town Hall at the on Oxfordshire Science Festival in Oxford Town Hall on Saturday 17 June 2017. Saturday 17 June 2017. The word cloud on the cover of this anthology representsThe word thousands cloud on of theinspired cover of this anthology represents thousands of inspired words from pupils at the following Inschools: March 2017, Oxfordshirewords from Science pupils Festivalat the following asked young schools: people to write a short poem on any topic of science, using any style. We had over 400 entries ranging Botley Primary fromMarcham limericks CE andPrimaryBotley rap to Primary haiku, acrostic poems and poemsMarcham based CE onPrimary a shape. Burford Secondary Marlborough CEBurford Secondary Secondary Marlborough CE Secondary Didcot Girls’ Secondary TheNorth winning Hinksey entries CEDidcot Primary and Girls’runners-up Secondary are all published Northhere. TheseHinksey nine CE poemsPrimary Dr Radcliffe’s CE Primary wereNorthbourne performed CE atDr Primary the Radcliffe’s Oxfordshire CE PrimaryScience Festival inNorthbourne Oxford Town CE Hall Primary on Ducklington CE Primary SaturdaySt Blaise 17 CE June Primary Ducklington2017. CE Primary St Blaise CE Primary Fitzharrys Secondary St Joseph’s CatholicFitzharrys Primary Secondary St Joseph’s Catholic Primary The word cloud on the cover of this anthology represents thousands of inspired Harriers Banbury Academy St Mary & St JohnHarriers Primary Banbury Academy St Mary & St John Primary words from pupils at the following schools: Headington Preparatory Ridgeway CE PrimaryHeadington Preparatory Ridgeway CE Primary King Alfred’s Academy BotleyUniversity Primary Technical King College,Alfred’s OxfordshireAcademyMarcham CE PrimaryUniversity Technical College, Oxfordshire Ladygrove Park Primary BurfordWoodstock Secondary CE PrimaryLadygrove Park PrimaryMarlborough CE SecondaryWoodstock CE Primary Didcot Girls’ SecondaryMadley Brook PrimaryNorth Hinksey CE togetherPrimaryIn March with2018, some the Oxford home-school science pupils Madley Brook Primary together with some home-school pupils and ideas Festival, IF Oxford, asked Dr Radcliffe’s CEThe Primary judges were:Northbourne CE Primaryyoung people to write a short poem Ducklington CE Primary St Blaise CE Primaryon any topic of science, using any 12–22 October 2018 Panel of Judges: NiallPanel Munro of isJudges Senior Lecturer: in Fitzharrys SecondaryAmerican Literature and DirectorSt Joseph’s of the Catholic style. Primary We had over 450 entries Niall Munro is Senior Lecturer in Americanranging Literaturefrom limericks and and Directorrap to of the Oxford Over 100 events across Niall Munro is Senior Lecturer in AmericanHarriers BanburyLiteratureOxford Academy and Brookes Director Poetry of Centre.theSt Mary Oxford & St John Primary Brookes Poetry Centre. haiku, acrostic poems and poems Brookes Poetry Centre. Headington Preparatory Ridgeway CE Primary Oxford for everyone Kelley Swain has published several based on a shape. King Alfred’s Academy University Technical College, Oxfordshire Kelley Swain has published several anthologies andanthologies Kelleywas poet-in-residence Swain and was has poet-in-residence published at the several anthologiesThe winning entries and andwas runners-up poet-in-residence at the at the Oxford University Museum of are all published here and these nine Oxford University Museum of NaturalLadygrove History Park in 2016. PrimaryOxford University MuseumWoodstock of CENatural Primary History in 2016. Madley Brook PrimaryNatural History in 2016. together with some home-schoolpoems were performed pupils at IF Oxford on Saturday 13 October 2018 in Claire Hamnett is a physics teacher and leader of OxfordshireClaireClaire Hamnett Hamnett Science is a physics is aLearning physics teacher andteacher andOxford leader Town Hall.of Oxfordshire Science Learning Partnership to support world-leading Science education for young people. Partnership to support world-leadingPanel Science of Judges educationleader: offor Oxfordshire young people. Science Learning Poems came from home-schooled Partnership to support world-leading pupils and from 22 schools across Tomasz Dobrzycki is a University ofNiall Oxford Munro DPhil is SeniorstudentScienceTomasz Lecturer education and Dobrzycki was infor a American youngscience- is apeople. University Literature of OxfordandOxfordshire: Director DPhil ofstudent the Oxford and was a science- rapping contestant in the UK FameLabBrookes competition. Poetry Centre.rapping contestant in the UK FameLab competition. Dane Comerford is Director of IF Oxford Primary schools Kelley Swain hasCathy Danepublished Rose Comerford is Eventsseveral Manager, isanthologies Director leading of and the wasOxfordshireAston poet-in-residence Rowant Science CE Primary Festival. at the Dane Comerford is Director of the Oxfordshire Science Festival. Chandlings Primary Oxford Universityon Museumthe IF Oxford of poetryNatural competition. History in 2016. Ducklington CE Primary Cathy Rose is Events Manager, leading on the OxfordshireCathy RoseScience is Events Festival Manager, leadingEast on Oxford the Oxfordshire Primary Science Festival poetry competition. Claire Hamnett ispoetry a physics competition. teacher and leader of OxfordshireHailey CE PrimaryScience Learning Partnership to support world-leading Science education for young people. #OSF2017 Thank#OSF2017 you to our supporters and partners: Ladygrove Park Primary Lewknor CE Primary Tomasz Dobrzycki is a University of Oxford DPhil studentOrchard and Fields was Community a science- School rapping contestant in the UK FameLab competition. St Andrews Primary St Ebbes CE Primary St Joseph’s Primary Dane Comerford is Director of the Oxfordshire ScienceThe Festival. Ridgeway Primary Cathy Rose is Events Manager, leading on the OxfordshireSecondary Science schools Festival poetry competition. Aureus School Cranford House #OSF2017 Didcot Girls School Headington School King Alfred’s Academy Magdalen College School Oxford Spires Academy MAGAZINE St Helen and St Katharine The Bicester School Download the programme The Cherwell School and book events at www.if-oxford.com POETRY OF SCIENCE | 3 @Oxford_IF #IFOx2018 Noah, age 7 Chandlings School Experiments Elastic bands help make slings, X-rays help see bones and things. Potions can make you extremely strong, Electric circuits can be very long. Rubber is used a lot for shoes, Insulating stops blowing a fuse. Maths is useful to calculate money, Evolution is serious, not funny. Nitrogen is a gas in the air, Technology is here, there and everywhere. Science is fun and good for everyone. Tom, age 7 St Ebbes Primary School Volcano Volcano, volcano Orange you carry into the air. Louder and Louder you roar Catastrophe! Spurting out lava Ashes grey night time skies instead of day, Now and again you explode; unpredictable no one knows. Orange, grey so beautiful – I’m just glad I don’t live near to you! 4 | POETRY OF SCIENCE Winner School Years 1-2 Rose, age 6 Aston Rowant Primary School Gravity Gravity is all around, Watch me when I jump. I don’t fly to the moon, I come down with a bump You can’t see it but you can feel it, and see what it can do Without it, just imagine What would happen to a kangaroo! Gravity SCIENCE | 5 POETRY OF SCIENCE Luke, age 11 Chandlings School Invention The first of them all, Fire burning up the wall Then the wheel to take the load, Much further down the road, Took to the ground with hands to fill, With iron now to kill, kill, KILL! Steam powered the nineteenth century, Creating railways, factory and industry, Edison’s mind buzzed and shone, Click! A light then turned on, A box whirred, a screen crackled to life, In invention with keys and full of bytes, Yet to come time travel, 5d TVs, Tearing up the fabric of reality! Finn, age 10 St Andrew’s Primary School Venus Fly Trap He slaughters He butchers unsuspecting spiders painfully insects brutally, and then he eats them, Ambushes with joyously. a fatal crunch. Once the time has He murders helpless finally come the fly trap flies and bugs. perishes and without delay he is done. 6 | POETRY OF SCIENCE School Years 3-6 Marianna, age 9 St Andrew’s Primary School The Insignificant AcornIt’s late Autumn, the great oak is dropping its leaves. One insignificant acorn, no different to the rest, falls into a dark, gloomy, cold hole. As cold winter comes in and a horrid blizzard, far below the snow there is a cracking and a pushing, a splurging and releasing, an opening and a bursting; Acorn’s hatching out a seed. After months of cold winter winds There’s a splash of spring’s colour Something sprouts out of the ground. Flapping about, he flies high; Stretching, he climbs into