Science and Engineering News

What’s on in Science this Week

Ben Hartfiel and Cooper McGinn (Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors)

Term 3 has arrived! From the Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors team we would like to welcome you back by having a look at what’s on in science this week, and some exciting developments that occurred while we were away. This term we have much to look forward to, as it is National Science Week in Week 5 with the topic “Species Survival: More than just Sustainability”. There will be more information regarding Science Week activities in the forthcoming weeks of the term! 

This Friday the college will be undertaking the Head of College Tour, where the science department will be opening the labs to welcome prospective families to witness exciting science demonstrations conducted by the Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors. These demonstrations will showcase various scientific concepts as a sample of the many facets of science offered at Marist College Ashgrove.  

Quite the achievement was made recently over the break! Researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan broke the world record for data transfer speeds using commercially available fibre optic cables, reaching a blistering 402 Tb/s of data transfer. 

Fibre optics are a special type of wire technology, which instead of using a conventional copper wire to transmit data using oscillating electrical current, uses light instead. This overcomes the physical constraints of electricity by coupling the transfer of data to the speed of light itself. The cables work by arranging hair-like strands of glass into a wire, light is then shot down these strands using computers to transfer a digital signal of 1s’ and 0s’. 

The researchers at the NICT reached their incredible achievement by increasing the number of wavelengths that are sent through the strands. Light as we interpret it is just a subset of electromagnetic energy that our eyes have evolved to be perceive, on a spectrum this is a very small percentage of possible energy wavelengths. Computers don’t have the same restrictions as we do on what can be ‘perceived’, as such the researchers were able to send two new distinct bands of electromagnetic light through the cabling, allowing for a 25% increase in the amount of data that could be transmitted. 

Perhaps the most exciting part of this development is that the researchers were able to achieve this result using already commercially available cables. In Australia, the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) laid fibre optic cables across the country. This means with a bit of time for the technology to mature in the laboratory, we too could see a massive uptick in our internet speeds!

You can read more about this achievement in the NICTs’ press release, https://www.nict.go.jp/en/press/2024/06/26-1.html 

With these exciting developments in science, the upcoming Head of College tours, and Science Week on the horizon, Term 3 is shaping up to be exciting for the world of science at MCA! The Week 4 edition of the newsletter will contain more about the adventures that will be happening during National Science Week.

Upcoming Opportunities

Wendy Macdonald (Curriculum Leader – Science and Engineering)

Are you keen to be a published author in the online magazine, Science Write Now? Four fellowships are open to Queensland students in Years 10, 11, or 12 and include a payment of $400 and mentorship with Science Write Now editors in either Writing or Editing with the aim of publishing a short essay, story, or editorial statement. At least two fellows selected will be based in regional Queensland. Fellowships are supported by the Queensland Government Engaging Science program. Applications are open now and close on Wednesday 31 July 2024. https://sciencewritenow.com/qld-fellowships

Looking to get a taste of what it’s like working in a medical research laboratory? QIMR Berghofer hosts a one-day science experience program during the school holidays each year. Students can undertake a day of training in practical skills related to genetics, infectious disease or blood biology in our purpose-built education laboratory facilities.  You will learn a range of skills including:

• Pipetting and serial dilutions
• DNA extraction and PCR
• Agarose gel electrophoresis
• Vortexing and centrifugation
• Microscopy
• Blood smears

The program is open to Queensland high school students in Years 10, 11 or 12 and is free to attend. See Holiday Science Experience - QIMR Berghofer

Check out the National Youth Science Forum - Inspiring Australia’s Young Scientists (nysf.edu.au) if you are passionate about Science.