Eighteen primary school pupils took part in a very unusual science event at Camborne Science and International Academy recently.

“Called 'Light it Up’, we invited students to experiment with florescence and UV light, but in very unique ways,” said Carmen True, general administrator and first aid co-ordinator at CSIA. “One of our activities included experimenting with a cow’s eyeball – seeing if the students could detect defects using light – they were absolutely amazed.”

Children were given a liquid called flurosene to put on the eyeball and then a UV light to spot medical issues.

“Most of the students really enjoyed touching the eyeball and were very interested to see what happened with the dye," added Mrs True. "They were fascinated and asked if they could dissect it, which most students did. One even managed to remove the lens very successfully.”

The workshop involved students from 18 of CSIA’s partner primary schools, including Troon, Rosemellin, Trevithick learning Academy, Weeth, Penponds, Portreath, Crowan and St John’s.

“It’s all about connecting our students to science in fun and engaging ways," said Mrs True. "The activities we explore are designed to capture their imaginations and showcase how exciting STEM subjects can be. Playing with eyeballs could seem a little odd, but we may have inspired a future vet, doctor or scientist.”

Students were also given the option of using lemon juice and tonic water to make ‘invisible ink’ which appeared when it was dry. Other activities included working in groups to make a liquid light solution using yellow highlighter pens.