SCIENCE

SCIENCE WEEK 

From Monday 11 August to Friday 15 August, we celebrated National Science Week at McKinnon across both our McKinnon Road and East Campuses. This year, the Science Week theme was “Decoding the Universe”. 

Our students engaged in a variety of hands-on and exciting activities designed to spark their curiosity and deepen their understanding of scientific concepts. From the shared mindful moment to the daily fun facts, quizzes and riddles, our students were presented with a variety of activities online too. Read below for more information about what activities were done across both campuses at lunchtimes and during some classes.

I’d like to thank all staff and students who participated in the variety of activities offered throughout the week, with a special shoutout to Ms Jennifer Wallace and Ms Ping Hu for their outstanding organisation in the planning of this week, and a huge thanks to our four fantastic lab technicians; Karen Romari, Csilla Almasi, Uma Wanninayake and Marni Beretta for their work in ensuring the activities were ready to go. 

Katherine Johnstone

Head of Science

Stroop Effect

Student reaction times were tested at lunchtime to see their ability to differentiate between naming the physical colour when it is used to spell the name of a different colour. This had an additional challenge of having to “switch” which you were writing, the word or the colour, and “switch” again! Some students stayed for a second round and improved their reaction times, with one student almost getting 100%!

Psychology Challenge - Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language

Students were invited to participate in a quiz, which included questions about why certain languages have differences in words or phrases.

Psychology is the study of behaviour, and one of the major influences on the way in which we behave is culture. Culture majorly influences language formation - and this can be observed by different cultures having different words and phrases for the same ideas.

Students had the opportunity to explore the cultural origins of language and receive prizes for their guesses!

Extraordinary Elements Show

This year, our Year 9s were treated with a chemistry show, unveiling the wonders of the periodic table! From the lightest element to the coolest element the scientist demonstrated Elephant’s toothpaste, hair raising Van de Graaff volunteer moments, setting fire to a hydrogen balloon, lighting up flammable butane bubbles, whoosh bottle, liquid nitrogen explosions, freezing and smashing super cooled objects.

Solar Telescope

On Monday 11 August, Ms Sweeney set up the solar telescope to allow students to safely view the Sun. This was a huge crowd pleaser and a great opportunity to explore this year’s Science Theme of “Decoding the Universe”. 

Coding Beads

During lunchtime students were invited to make a bracelet using binary code. Students chose two colour beads (one to represent ‘0’ the other to represent ‘1’) They used the coding sequence to create a bracelet of their name or a word of their choice.

Van de Graaff Generator

The Van de Graaff generator was very well attended, and students thoroughly enjoyed the activity. The static electricity wands were also a hit as students kept the foil streamers in the air. 

McKinnon Alumni visit our Year 12 Physics students

Our Year 12 Physics students were fortunate enough to have guest speakers discuss their careers in the Meteorology field during Period 2 on Tuesday. We were absolutely delighted to warmly welcome back past student Misha Machlak (class of 2015) who generously gave his time to educate our students on his career pathway and time at McKinnon. We also thank Mr Joy, Dr Law and Mr Stevenson for supervising the event. 

Imploding Watermelon

The imploding watermelon experiment was a blend of science and art, transforming a simple piece of fruit into an explosive spectacle of fun. As we carefully wrapped the watermelon in layers of rubber bands, the tension built with each added loop, creating a suspenseful count to 201 before the inevitable burst at McKinnon Road, and a whopping 572 at East. The moment of detonation was nothing short of exhilarating - juice and watermelon fragments flew in every direction, leaving those present in awe of this one in a melon event. It was a vivid reminder of how science can turn an ordinary day into an unforgettable adventure. 

We thank Mr Voorham, Mr Lee, Mr Keats, Ms Sriram, Ms McIlvaine and Mr Machin for supervising this fantastic event. 

Periodic Table Reciting Challenge

Our Years 8 and 9 students were presented with the lunchtime challenge of reciting as many elements of the periodic table in order, starting from Hydrogen. Our winner was able to recite the first 20 elements of the periodic table in order. Perhaps that record can be beat next year?

James Webb Space Telescope - Minecraft Education

Our students delved into astronomy with the Minecraft-based "James Webb Space Telescope" program, learning all about space exploration and engineering. Students played through a special mission in Minecraft and we thank Mr Kuruc and Ms Johnstone for supervising this event at McKinnon Road, and Mr Kelemen and Ms Sriram who supervised at East. We’d also like to warmly thank Ben Rohrich and the Student Tech Team for their assistance.

Titans of Space VR Experience

During Science Week many students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a fascinating virtual reality experience using the program "Titans of Space”. This innovative VR demonstration offered students a breathtaking journey through the cosmos, showcasing the incredible scale of planets and stars in the universe. The event was a hit, with students marvelling at the vastness of space and gaining a deeper understanding of celestial bodies. The demonstration was made possible with the enthusiastic support of Alex Kormas (Year 12) and Blake Harcourt (Year 12), who assisted in setting up and guiding students through the VR experience.

Games Club Trivia

During Science Week, a science trivia event involved students competing in groups to answer science-related questions, with Year 7 students addressing a basic set of 30 questions while students in Years 10-12 tackled an additional 30 harder questions for a differentiated challenge. Prizes of lolly bags were awarded to the top three teams in each division. 

Universe Sandbox

With the help of the IT Team, students were able to explore the platform of Universe Sandbox; a physics-based space simulator that allowed students to create, destroy and explore cosmic phenomena in real time. 

Planks Incursion

Our Year 7s were treated to the annual Planks Incursion, where our students were tasked with the STEM challenge of creating structures from only small and specifically shaped wooden planks. This engineering challenge has always been a hit with our students over the years, and we once again thank Cam from Green Hat Workshop for continuing to amaze our students and test their creativity.

Science Staff vs Year 12 Trivia

On Friday 15 August, four Year 12 students (Siena Nott, Seryna Xie, Nathan Banh and Sam Markham) and four Year 12 Science Teachers; Ms Bowes (Psychology), Mr Rose (Biology), Mr Thomas (Chemistry) and Mr Joy (Physics) went head-to-head in our first Science Staff vs Year 12 Trivia Challenge. Consisting of three rounds, hosted by Ms Johnstone and Charlotte Nichols (Year 11), the students were victorious this year, winning by 11 points! 

Can the teachers beat the Year 12s next year?

Painting with Cabbage

Students this year were given the opportunity to explore acids and bases in art! The challenge involved painting paper with red cabbage juice, which acts as a natural pH indicator. When they apply acids like vinegar or bases like baking soda, the colours change.