Emily identified a strong interest in environmental issues from the start. Studying A Levels in environmental science, biology, and English literature, the EPQ helped her to explore her academic interests further and supported her application to the University of Edinburgh, where she is now studying ecological and environmental Sciences.
The most important part of Emily’s EPQ planning was when and how she was going to carry out the experiment which would be her artefact. Her research revolved around how to successfully grow mushrooms, which mushrooms she should grow, on what substrate, and how long each growth stage would take. Despite Emily's experiment not in the end delivering the outcomes she had hoped for, this does not distract from a very thoroughly planned and researched project which was brought to a timely conclusion and from which she has learned a very great deal. Her decision making and ability to justify her choices was consistently excellent, as was the creativity that she demonstrated both in relation to her initial exploration of ideas and in dealing with problems and setbacks as they arose. The way she synthesised her research findings into a coherent foundation for the planning and analysis of her experiment was excellent.
