Science and Engineering News

What’s Happening in Science?

From Hammish Darr (Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors)

Of the most recent advances in scientific fields, two events stand out. These are the discovery of a newly found galaxy (the furthest galaxy ever recorded), and the invention of a household “super-plant”.

Firstly, the new galaxy. A new galaxy named “JADES-GS-z14-0” has been photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is around 13.5 billion light-years away (pretty far).

The reason this discovery is so shocking in the astronomy community isn’t only the distance of the galaxy from us (although that is a new record), but the actual brightness of the galaxy itself. For a galaxy so far away (and therefore so old - only around 300 million years after the Big Bang), it goes against all cosmic understanding as to why a galaxy would be so bright. Why would a galaxy so relatively young (being only 300 million years old), be so bright?

This new galaxy is not like the simulated models of the early universe; a galaxy so bright and powerful, while so young, had been previously untheorized. This new knowledge provides a new estimate of the power and frequency of huge galaxies, changing the way scientists view possible neighbour galaxies.

Now, onto smaller (though no less important) matters - the invention of a new household plant. Although this may seem like a pretty boring fact compared to an entire, revolutionary galaxy, it's nothing to sniff at; this plant, invented by France-based geneticists, absorbs toxic air pollutants at around 30 times the effectiveness of typical household plants. This new plant will not only remove and recycle common household air pollutants (from things like paint, glues, and solvents), but is also a revolutionary proof-of-concept in plant bio-engineering. This plant will pave the way for larger, more effective plants at removing air pollutants - imagine a tree 30 times more effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere than traditional plants - planting a couple would be as good for the environment as planting a whole forest. 

This new plant, dubbed “Neo Px”, not only provides a beneficial household plant for people wanting to purify their space but will be the first of many bio-engineered plants to combat big, modern issues like climate change.

Both of these discoveries revolutionise their fields and bring new ways of thinking to different scientists across the globe. In the future, we should see sizable changes being brought about from these discoveries, benefiting all of humankind.

Science and Engineering Opportunities

From Ms Wendy Macdonald

Lots of opportunities to experience Science and Engineering events are coming up for students from Years 8 to 12 (see the following links for further information and how to apply).

Bond University

Experience days Years 10, 11 and 12 – in a variety of areas - Experience Days | Bond University | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

SPARQ-Ed

Biomedical Education for School students | Translational Research Institute (tri.edu.au)      NOTE: there are programs for Seniors (Years 10 – 12) and Juniors (Years 8 – 9)

University of Queensland

The UQ Year 12 Queensland Biology Winter School (12QBWS) on the 25 and 26 June will provide a deep dive into contemporary topics in genetics, phylogenetics, evolutionary biology and biochemistry and how biological disciplines are interconnected. Queensland Biology Winter School, Year 12 - Study - The University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)

Engineering, Design and Computing School Holiday Program

Designed for Year 9 and 10 students, the 4-day program follows our study areas of Engineering, Design and Computing. You will learn to think like engineers, architects, designers and planners, and computing professionals through hands-on and interactive workshops and presentations, facilitated by lecturers and our wonderful Student Ambassador team. You’ll also have the chance to explore and use our state-of-the-art facilities.

You can enrol in one, two, three or four days.

• Tuesday 25 June - Engineering School Holiday Program Day 1 
• Wednesday 26 June - Architecture + Planning School Holiday Program 
• Thursday 27 June - Design + Technology School Holiday Program 
• Friday 28 June - Engineering School Holiday Program Day 2 

When: 25-28 June

Where: UQ St Lucia campus

Year Level: 9 and 10 students

Cost: $35 (+GST) per day.