DCG students put flower freshness to the test in research project

Credit: DCG

Derby College Group T Level Science students have completed a hands on research project with Myton Horticulture, investigating the factors that affect the shelf life of cut flowers.

The Science team worked with Myton Horticulture to design a brief that gave Year 1 T Level Science students the chance to apply their skills to a genuine industry challenge. Students were tasked with developing a method to investigate what influences how long cut flowers stay fresh, a problem that turned out to be far from simple.

As part of the project, students carried out literature reviews, developed and tested their own methods, and analysed their results before presenting their findings as academic posters. One of the biggest challenges was working out how to measure flower freshness and condition in a scientific way, something that pushed students to think carefully about experimental design.

Myton Horticulture supplied a large number of roses for the project, giving students the material to test a wide range of methods. Representatives from the company also visited JWC to hear directly from students about their research, adding a genuine industry dimension to the project and giving students valuable experience presenting and explaining their work to professionals.

Catherine Walls, Science Curriculum Manager, said: “This project has been a fantastic opportunity for our T Level Science Year 1 students to apply their scientific knowledge to a genuine industry challenge. Working with Myton Horticulture gave them valuable insight into how scientific research is used in the workplace, while developing essential skills in experimental design, data analysis, and presenting their findings.

“We are incredibly proud of the professionalism, resilience, and curiosity they demonstrated throughout the project, and we’re grateful to Myton Horticulture for helping make this such a meaningful learning experience.”

The visit gave students the chance to reflect on their approach, learn from the methods they had tested, and think about how they might design future studies.

The Science team said the project has been so successful that they are already looking at how it could be developed further in future years.

Derby College Group would like to thank Myton Horticulture for supporting this opportunity for students, and for their time and resources throughout the project.