Science Domain

ConocoPhillips Science Experience

From September 24th to 26th some students had the opportunity to extend their passion for science. The ConocoPhillips Science Experience was packed with several activities given to have an exposure to university life. It consisted of many experiments to perform, learning in small lectures and discover new career pathways. There were many other like-minded students. In the three days, we were able to fulfil our curiosities for science.

We began with a lesson about psychology to get a better grasp of it. This revealed a lot about my own personality and the characteristics that differ me from others. There were many optical illusions that showed the different aspects from the behaviour of our minds. This displayed a new branch of the science about psychological differences and human nature.

Later on that day we programmed the popular Lego Mindstorms. In our groups, we developed a set of instructions for the robot to perform tasks. We all competed in constructing the most accurate and quickest robot to finish it. Skills involved analysing and producing new algorithms while managing our resources.

The day after, we participated in an Amazing Race at the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens. The staff taught us to navigate a GPS, so we could use the coordinates to find specific locations. The challenge was intense where we heavily relied on our problem-solving skills to pass through all the questions.

We were introduced to the new biotechnology operated in isolating DNA from koala scats. The DNA was further used to determine the genetic information like the type of diseases it has, the sex and the health condition.

Overall it was an eye-opening experience to be involved in and I would highly recommend others.

 Buvanesh Balamurugan

Year 10S