Pupils from Bolton School Infants' School to the Sixth Form have been quizzing Sir Harry Kroto, the Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry in 1996 and Old Boy of the School.  Sir Harry agreed to answer questions from pupils in the form of a video presentation, which was used to help launch the Ogden Trust Science Partnership between Bolton School and other local schools and universities.

The questions were sent to Sir Harry on video at The Florida State University, where he provided detailed answers and edited them into a presentation which was shown at the School.  Sir Harry opens the presentation by saying: "It’s great to be talking to kids at my old school, Bolton School”, and goes onto provide thought-provoking answers to some of the most searching questions.  His reflections on life and science will inspire a new generation of pupils from the School.  He offered answers to many questions, dealing with macro and micro issues, including:

• Can freedom of speech really exist?
• How do you see the UK in 20 years’ time?
• What can developments in nanotechnology offer us?
• How do fireworks make loud noises?
• What is gravity?
• What careers are available to Chemistry graduates?
• How did it feel to win the Nobel Prize?
• How did you feel when you were accepted into Bolton School?
• Are children today couch potatoes?
• How do you become a scientist?
• How did it feel when your hypothesis was proved?
• Do you think Chemistry should have a more hands-on approach?
• What can we do about Health and Safety regulations curtailing the number of experiments we can do?
• What are your aspirations now that you have won the Nobel Prize?

Using a lifetime’s accumulated knowledge and experience, Sir Harry addresses the following issues:

• The importance of being a polymath and not just focussing on one subject: at school Sir Harry’s favourite subjects were Geography and Art.  He has pursued his interest in graphic design throughout his life.  He was also a member of the tennis and athletic teams - both at Bolton School and at Sheffield University, where he studied Chemistry.  He was also involved in producing the university newspaper.
• The importance of children of today finding out how things work.  One of the things that Sir Harry recalls most vividly in his life is building his own transistor radio.  He admitted it is not as easy for pupils these days to find out how things work – but one can learn a lot by getting on Google.  He said “no lesson is so well learned as the one you teach yourself.”
• How Nazism and Communism were two of the great tragedies of the twentieth century
• The importance of thinking for yourself and being prepared to doubt and question
• The dangers that religion can pose to free speech
• The stupidity of people who build atomic bombs
• The danger of closing Science departments in the UK
• The greatness of dung beetles
• How nanotechnology might mean aeroplanes that don’t crash, cars that can jump and buildings and bridges that don’t fall down in the most violent of earthquakes
• To understand further how science works, a strong recommendation to read “Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan