SWINDON'S future science boffins have shown off their knowledge.

Eight teams from seven West Swindon schools mixed it up in a battle of knowledge at Greendown School last night with questions ranging from types of dinosaurs, to the sounds of whales and whether it is possible to cry in space.

The students at the Who Wants to be a Millionaire-style quiz had come a long way, with heats at their primary schools against friends before the final challenge at Greendown.

But they couldn't phone a friend or ask for 50:50.

Eleven-year-olds Katie Porter, Pippa Yalden and 10-year-old Letitia Cowley had come from Tregoze School.

"Some of the questions are quite tough, especially some of the sound questions because some of them could be several different answers," said Katie, who wants to be a vet when she leaves school.

"I love science," said Pippa, who wants to be a nurse. "I really love the experiments we get to do and when we get up to secondary school I know we get to do more exciting experiments."

Their views were shared by James Reid, Matthew Greener and Christopher Margetts, who are the cream of Freshbrook School's science students.

"It's great to be getting tested on our science knowledge," said Christopher, 11. "For me it's very important, because I want to work in numeracy when I leave school, and some areas of science go together with maths."

After a team round the students then went head-to-head against each other.

Mark Carter, the head of Science at Greendown School and the brainchild behind the scheme, said: "These students here tonight are the science brains of their schools. They take on friends at school and now they are taking on other West Swindon Schools.

"It's a great way of growing enthusiasm in schools, but also making them aware of the facilities the children will get to use when they finally move up to this school."

But the event would not have been complete without the help of a real scientist, Dr Peter Ford of the University of Bath, who showed the children some of the properties of liquid nitrogen.

He said: "It's great to see young people enthused by science, and its experiments like these that encourage them to want to have a go."

He then poured the freezing liquid on the floor and warned the youngsters not to go near it. "If you touch it with your finger, it will freeze and you'll be able to snap it off like a pencil," he said.