A SCIENCE convention went off with a bang as more than 200 students from across Bolton took part in a range of exciting workshops.

Year 10, 11 and 12 students who are considering a career in science, engineering medicine and other related industries tried their hand at some weird and wonderful experiments as part of Bolton Sixth Form College’s third Science Convention.

The youngsters also met professionals from a range of science-related industries and got advice and information on different university courses and apprenticeships from eight regional universities.

Workshops on the day included ‘The Physics of Rockets’, where pupils designed the perfect rocket using a variety of household materials, and ‘Solids, Liquids and Gases: How fizzy is your drink?’, where the states of matter in chemistry and physics were explored.

Each session was presented by industry professionals and university lecturers and pupils came from high schools and colleges all over Bolton for the convention.

John Buckley, a teacher of physics at Bolton Sixth Form College, showed students how to put together their own rocket.

He said: "The students were very enthusiastic and they seemed to really enjoy the experiments, so much so that they didn't want the day to end.

"They didn't need much instruction and their work was very impressive.

"It's pleasing to see so many schools are committed to helping their students decide their future careers and it's fantastic to have so many youngsters here today."