Alumni Charlotte Brocklehurst recieved a special invitation to attend Sir David Attenborough's visit to the University College London yesterday. The event was in honour of UCL's decision to name a type of plankton Syracosphaera azureaplaneta, translating in Latin to 'Blue Planet'.

Charlotte Brocklehurst completed her studies at Ashton Sixth Form College last year with A-Levels in Chemistry (A), Physics (B), and Geography (B). She then went on to study Earth Sciences at UCL, where she is nearing the end of her first year. Before Ashton Sixth Form College, Charlotte began her education at Alder Community High School. Charlotte said, 

"It was an honour to be invited along to the day and celebrate with him [Sir David Attenborough]."

Sir David Attenborough visited the Earth Sciences department at UCL to explore the facilities and attend a lunch. Charlotte was chosen as she is one of the Student Academic Representatives for her year group - meaning she is the voice of the students and works with university staff to improve the courses at UCL. As a result, she received a special invitation to attend the daylong event which celebrated the reopening of the Kathleen Lonsdale Building at UCL - home to the Earth Sciences Department. Charlotte had the opportunity to sit in on an interview conducted by Dr Lucie Green with Sir David Attenborough, followed by an invite only lunch and a tour of the facilities.

Charlotte's continued involvement beyond her studies is no surprise. While studying at Ashton Sixth Form College she volunteered as an active member of the Student Council helping to make improvements to college life on a regular basis. She also was an incredible Student Ambassador, helping prospective students understand more about the college experience, attending Open Events, Taster Days and more.

The naming of the new species of plankton paid tribute to the BBC series, Blue Planet, which has raised significant awareness over the past few years in changing the way the world views the environment. The most recent series has made a strong statement about the use of plastic and has begun to influence politics.

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Find out more about the Science and Maths department here. 

Read the full story from the BBC News here.

 

Photo by Charlotte Brocklehurst