2023 Science Week Trivia Competition

On the final Friday of Science week, 12 teams from Year 7-12 battled it out to find who knew the most trivial information about science. The first round had three teams tied on 6/10 then a Year 11 team won the ‘Science Head’ competition causing them to take the lead going into round three. Probability was on the side of the Year 7 team allowing them to win the heads or tails round and coming out as the winners! Well done to all who participated and I hope to see you all back next year!

 

Mission to Mars

The Year 8 SEAL class attended the Victorian Space Science Education Centre to go on a Mission to Mars. Here are some of the student reflections:

“I enjoyed adopting the role of a geologist on a mission to Mars, in which I had the opportunity to investigate in depth the possibility of life on a planet where no human has ever set foot on. I was fascinated to learn about the experience of what it’s like to be an astronaut (except for the fact that we had to be equipped with hefty backpacks and suffocating space suits) and learn about Mars in general, such as how it differs from Earth. I wonder if Mars will be habitable by humans in the future”. – Vienna

“I definitely enjoyed mission control as it was mostly chaotic and the Mars expedition was really tiring with tears of sweat”. – Anonymous

“On the mission to Mars excursion, I liked being in the airlock before entering mars. I also enjoyed being mission director during mission control, and it was really fun communicating with the people on mars”. – Anvi

“I liked how they tried to make the experience more real and that we were able to actually do experiments that we were familiar with. I learnt more things about Mars and that some parts of the moon are older than other zones of Mars. I wonder if there are  other lifeforms on planets other than Mars”. – Audrey

“The mission to Mars was an informative excursion. It was enjoyable, being able to be on mission control and to help the astronauts on Mars. I learnt a lot about the rock formations that could be found on Mars as well as the general information about the planet”. – Katherine

“I liked how this type of excursion was a new thing and we actually got to be involved with the excursion. I also liked the mission control because it was intense. I learned how Mars is and also more about the geographical features of Mars”. – Sandula

“I liked how they tried to make it seem like an actual space mission. I really liked having our own suits and being in mission control. I had a lot of fun in general. I learnt a lot about how we could possibly identify life on different planets. I also learnt how missions in space could be carried out”. – Vy

“The Mission to Mars was an exciting and informative experience. I enjoyed being able to complete the missions on Mars and tell my classmates what to do in mission control. I learnt about the past, present and future of Mars, and why it is important that we should learn about outer space”. – Amelia

 

 

 

Ms Angela Hanley – Science Learning Area Leader

 

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Year 7 SEAL Science Excursion – ‘Dark Matters’

On the (very icy) morning of the 16 August, the Year 7 SEAL class caught the train and tram into the city to attend ‘Dark Matters’, a joint program run by GTAC (Gene Technology Access Centre) and the Science Gallery Melbourne.

The morning started with escape rooms at GTAC. Students worked in groups to problem solve their way through the human gut, discovering along the way features of the gut microbiome, in particular the role of archaea.

Next, students were straight into the lab, observing the effects of faecal transplants on rats. They practised their pipetting skills to prepare rat stool samples for analysis and microscopy. After degloving and handwashing, they had a brisk walk to the Science Gallery. Here, there was just enough time to grab some KFC and slushies before entering the exhibition.

The Dark Matters exhibition “…explored the fundamental essence of life, the universe, and how so much of it remains a mystery to us”. It was captivating to see science communicated in such different and creative ways. It opened our minds and provided far more questions than answers!

Some comments from students:

“It really gave me a new perspective on science.”

“Another thing that was surprising was the topic of the multiverse.”

“We got to learn in fun ways. They told us plenty of new information that really surprised me.”

“I was confused about what muons are.”

“What was surprising? The box that moved.. It scared me quite a bit.”

“I found the chroma really interesting and beautiful. The chroma represents a snake eating its tail.”

“I would like to learn more about muons.”

“The escape room was fun because I genuinely like solving puzzles.”

“The new possibilities this field brings inspires me to take a career in science.”

“I want to learn more about those muon things. They’re really interesting. The walking was painful and boring though.”

“I enjoyed listening to the sounds and looking at the items, especially Chroma.”

 

 

Clara Campbell – Science Teacher