Science
What a pleasure to attend the Victor Chang School Science Awards at Camden Council Chambers on Monday evening. These awards honour the outstanding work of gifted Year 11 Science students and foster and encourage an interest in STEM. We were delighted to support Charley Buckley, Zara Buckley, Sophie Constantine and Prince Conley as they were recognised for their efforts in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and other science subjects. An inspiring presentation by Victor Chang researcher, Dr Alastair Stewart, provided engaging insight into the potential of an exciting career in STEM.
Congratulations to our students. An amazing way to kick off National Science Week
Science Trail for Science Week
An exciting day of science and STEM was had by some of our Year 9 students who participated in the Sydney Science Trail as part of National Science Week.
The day of science began at the Royal Botanical Gardens where students emersed themselves in the succulent garden, using their senses to make observation of the variety of plants. This was followed by a panel presentation by three scientists who discussed their fields of work. They learned about deep sea diving to identify new fish species in the mesophotic layer from Dr Yi-Kai Tea, the impact of climate change and oysters by Dr Elliot Scanes and learned about the role of museums and specimen collections with Dr Heidi Kolkert.
At the Australian Museum, students were able to have a look around some of the museum exhibitions which included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander technologies, dinosaurs and animal specimens that included an elephant, a rhinoceros, a giraffe, a lion, a tiger and a bear (oh my!).
The students then participated in a forensic workshop where they were able to simulate solving a crime by extracting strawberry DNA. Mrs Nath and Mrs Ferris were very impressed by Year 9s laboratory techniques and ability to match up gene sequences. This was followed by the STEM Career Expo filled with interactive stalls that provided excitement, intrigue, and insight into possible science career paths. What a wonderful day and great opportunity for our students to get involved in some engaging science experiences in the city!
Science Week 2024
Science Week theme for 2024 is Species Survival. Students have been busy getting their creative flai on with a colouring and drawing competition. We’ve had lots of fantastic entries that showcase our talented students. Congratulations to all students who made or coloured an entry. Your art will become part of our Science Week Species Survival wall collage! Congratulations to those students who were successful in being awarded a movie voucher. Here are some of the fantastic entries.
Google excursion
Some of our talented First Nations students were invited to Google Headquarters in Sydney to participate in a careers with Indigenous STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) event. The day started with an engaging Welcome to Country by Uncle Allen Madden, a Gadigal elder, and an informative keynote speech by Lisa Sarago, who spoke about her projects including the Land on Heart Foundation, AI Indigenous Innovations and Ember Connect. This was followed by an Indigenous STEM Careers panel where panellists shared their STEM journeys from jet setting opportunities working at Google, to the Botanical gardens, to CSIRO and NASA! allowing students to ask questions. We then had the opportunity to have deeper discussions during a yarning circle that was followed by a site tour of Google HQ. We were blown away with the entertaining office layout, the endless food opportunities and creativity spaces located at Google HQ.
This event provided a wonderful opportunity for Elderslie High School students to engage with Indigenous STEM mentors and leaders, discovering the diverse opportunities available to them.
Community support
Amazing community support! Senior Biology and Year 8 have been learning about Body Systems. We learn best when we can put theory into practise, and in the science classroom this is achieved through first hand experiences. We have been very lucky to have wonderful support in our community to make this happen. Jesse from CJ Butchery, at Campbelltown Mall, kindly donated various products for use in our junior and senior science courses. This has provided students with hands on learning experience in animal anatomy. They now have a greater appreciation and understanding of the skeletal, excretory, respiratory and circulatory systems and structure and function of anatomy.
Thank you to Jesse and the team from CJ Butchery.
9 iSTEM
The 9 iSTEM class had an exciting excursion into the city for the Amazon Immersion Day organized by CSIRO. The day kicked off with an enlightening overview of Amazon's diverse activities. Students then engaged in group interviews with eight Amazon employees, ranging from software engineers to sales personnel, posing spontaneous questions to explore each professional's career journey in depth.
Following a delicious recess break provided by Amazon, students gained valuable skills for tackling complex problems alongside an Amazon expert. One of the activities challenged them to devise a business plan using only the initials of their names, leading to some innovative ideas, two of which were even recommended for patenting by the experts.
Armed with insights into Amazon's problem-solving techniques, students selected one of three real-world issues to address. They developed solutions and crafted pitches, learning how to effectively leverage AI in their research and enhance their presentations.
After another delectable meal catered by Amazon, students presented their solutions to their peers, delivering exceptional pitches. Four teams were recognized with awards for Most Likely to be Funded, Best Pitch Presentation, Most Innovative Idea, and Best Testing Question Answer.
What a fantastic day and a wonderful chance for our students to dive into some exciting STEM activities in the city!
Science Faculty