CSIRO

CSIRO STEM Professional In Schools Visit      

Recently, we had the privilege of hosting Marian Marty, a water engineer, who provided our Year 7 LEAP class with valuable insights into the water sewerage system in and around Taylors Lakes. Throughout her presentation, Marian emphasized the importance of understanding our water infrastructure and how it impacts our daily lives.

One of the key topics Marian addressed was what happens to waste once it is flushed down the toilet. She explained the complex journey that wastewater takes from our homes to treatment facilities, highlighting the processes involved in ensuring that our water is cleaned and returned safely to the environment. This discussion opened our eyes to the vital role engineers play in maintaining public health and protecting our natural resources.

Additionally, Marian introduced the class to the desalination project, exploring how this innovative solution can help address water scarcity issues. By removing salt from seawater, desalination provides an alternative water source, which is increasingly important in regions facing drought or limited freshwater availability.

Linking this knowledge to our current interdisciplinary Unit on “Solution to Pollution”, the class were inspired to think critically about developing solutions for water waste management. Marian's insights encouraged the students to brainstorm creative ideas for reducing pollution and improving our local water systems. Overall, the visit from Marian Marty was a significant learning experience that reinforced the importance of STEM fields in addressing real-world challenges. 

Ms Lelekakis

LEAP Leader

When Marian came and informed us about re using water by taking it to the sewerage plant and using machines to separate everything from the water, then taking out the bacteria and anything else left behind. Once the water has been cleaned, they send it out to the dams to then reuse in showers, taps and any water supply that you use in your household. 

Emilie, 7J

In my opinion, the incursion was great because it helped me to understand the process of water filtering. I think what stood out to me was that the presenter acknowledged her area of which was water engineering could do a lot better in terms of sustainability. The incursion helped me to have a better understanding of not just what I should include but what shouldn’t be part of my invention especially with how close the covered topics were to my subject of pollution.

Sarah, 7J